Le Corbusier | The Legend | Architecture Student Chronicles

Legendary Architect Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier – A Legend
Born on October 6, 1887
Swiss-French architect, painter, and writer
development of modern architecture
Le Corbusier designed his first project at the age of nineteen with a local architect.
studied modern building construction under Auguste Perret in Paris
He also worked in Berlin in the architectural office of Peter Behrens.
In 1912, after returning to his hometown, he taught architecture in L’Éplattenier’s industrial art school
Worked with German architect Josef Hoffmann.
In 1917, Le Corbusier left his homwtown La Chaux-de-Fonds and moved to Paris
In 1918 he lost the sight of one eye, a traumatic event, which affected his spatial orientation.
In 1922, partnership with Pierre Jeanneret.

Le Corbusier began experimenting with furniture design in 1928 after inviting the architect, Charlotte Perriand, to join his studio.
His cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, also collaborated on many of the designs.

Le Corbusier Projects

The pilgrimage church of Notre-Dame-du-Haut was designed in 1950 by Swiss architect Le Corbusier.
Located in Ronchamp, France, this unusual building is a synthesis of architecture and sculpture.
The frame of the structure is steel and metal mesh, over which concrete was sprayed. Shaped like a great ship.

The Secretariat is a 39 story building with an aluminum grille to conceal equipment on the roof.
The narrow end walls are of white marble; the other two elevations are surfaced with green-tinted glass.
Le Corbusier’s UN building is a typical example of the International Style.

“Palace of Nations“ in Geneva, Switzerland, was built between 1929 and 1938 as the headquarters of the League of Nations.
Since the 1950s it has served as the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

This is the site of some of his greatest architectural creations.
The city has had far-reaching impact, ushering in a modern idiom of architecture and city planning all over India and has become a symbol of planned urbanism.
It is as famous for its landscaping as for its architectural ambience.

Most of the buildings are in pure, cubical form, geometrically subdivided with emphasis on proportion.
The roads in this City are planned in such a way in such a direction that there is very less sunlight falling on the roads all throughout the day.

high court

For the Chandigarh High Court building Corbusier visualized a large open-sided box underneath a huge roof standing on a concrete pier.
Le Corbusier transcended Chandigarh into a timeless, pan-cultural statement of the power of architecture.

The Villa Savoye is considered by many to be the seminal work of the Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Situated at Poissy, outside of Paris, it is one of the most recognisable architectural presentations of the International Style. Construction was substantially completed ca. 1929.
The house was emblematic of Le Corbusier work in that it addressed “The Five Points”, his basic tenets of a new aesthetic of architecture constructed in reinforced concrete.
The pilotis, or ground-level supporting columns, elevate the building from the damp earth allowing the garden to flow beneath.
A flat roof terrace reclaims the area of the building site for domestic purposes, including a garden area.
The free plan, made possible by the elimination of load-bearing walls, consists of partitions placed where they are needed without regard for those on adjoining levels.
Horizontal windows provide even illumination and ventilation.
The freely-designed facade, unconstrained by load-bearing considerations, consists of a thin skin of wall and windows.

The Villa Savoye was designed as a weekend country house and is situated just outside of the city of Poissy in a meadow which was originally surrounded by trees. The polychromatic interior contrasts with the primarily white exterior. Vertical circulation is facilitated by ramps as well as stairs. The house fell into ruin during World War II but has since been restored and is open for viewing.

It was his last project executed by G. Jullian.
The duration of the project was from 1963-1967.
The Centre Le Corbusier in Zurich is two cubes, designed by Le Corbusier himself, with a ramp and an umbrella roof, also all steel.
It is an exercise in modular construction elegantly carried out using enameled steel panels and glass infill.
The plans were originally drawn for a house which was always thought of as an exhibition gallery as well. It has proved sufficiently flexible to be used for teaching and exhibitions.

Against his doctor’s orders, on August 27, 1965, Le Corbusier went for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea at Cap-Martin, France.
His body was found by bathers and he was pronounced dead at 11 a.m.
It was assumed that he suffered a heart attack, at the age of seventy-eight.