The experience of a work - Villa Savoye, Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier is an architect, urbanist, designer, painter, sculptor and an author. He is one of the
most important architect of the modernity. His work and his theoretical thinking influenced deeply
the post-war architect and, even if he has been criticized a lot by the post-modernist, his work
and researches have been a turning point to arrive at today’s architecture.

He wrote « Vers une architecture », a reference in the field of modern architecture.

La Villa Savoye, Poissy, France, 1928

This house is an icon of the modern movement, a real manifesto of that time.

Context:

About the historical and theoretical context

The villa has been build after the XIXe century, the industrial area. During this time architects
and engineers realized the potential of industrial materials like steel or iron. Indeed, this new
materials enable them to experiment with new forms, structures and also to develop a new
decorative langage using this materials.

It is important to notice that this new languages where reserved for public programs, not for
habitation. The housing building were still made with structure in load-bearing walls, where it was
hard to drill large opening and have a lot of light and views.

Le Corbusier situate himself during the modern movement of the 20e. This villa, characterized as
a simple and pur volume, stands in opposition with the complex and richly ornamented
architecture of the 19e. During the modernity, architects experiment the structural possibilities of
new materials, especially the reinforced concret. The author of this time have a special sensibility
to simple lines and volumes, flat and naked surface, without any ornementation. There is generally
a strong bound between content and form and the structure is assumed and even underlined.

The discovery of the reinforced concrete at that time allows the architect to work with framework
structure. It permit them to suppress the load bearing walls. By doing so they liberate the space
and they are able to open the building on the outside with bays. This new innovation will be
experiment by many architect at that time so that’s why we also call this style « the international
style ».

This is also the period of Art Nouveau, which is characterized by the research of innovation, the
presence of rhythm and colors.

Le Corbusier will also be part of the movement of purism and cubism, where pur geometrical
forms are very important. We can also attach him to brutalism, because of his direct use of
materials and with functionalism.

Through an analogy between architecture and nature, his explain us that he sees a habitation like
an animal, in which which organs has a function and which is organism is made of an organisation
of this different functions.

In sum, Le Corbusier don’t use ornamentation, he focus his work on the creation of functional
architecture, a « Machine à habiter ». Though the geometry and organisation of his architecture he
create pur object.

About the site, situation

This house is a commission of the Savoye family, who owned a beautiful parc of 7 hectare, with a
splendid vue on the Valley of the Seine. The parc was composed of a pleasing field surrounded by
forest. Le Corbusier has a strong will to preserve the poésie of the site.

« La maison se pose au milieu de l’herbe comme un objet, sans rien déranger »

To arrive to the house, we have to go through a path surrounded by a little forest. The house isn’t
placed far from the street but going through it make us really feel submersed in nature. The
soudain apparition of this mysterious and unique house, in the middle of a field surrounded by
trees, create an effect of surprise. We perceive the Villa as a pure, simple and white architectural
object, placed in the heart of nature, like a gem in a setting.

The position of the building allow it to free a lot of space around him. The house is open in the
four directions: the four white facade are perced with a long horizontal bay window, which looks
almost continuous around the entire house. This is original and innovant because there are no
notion of front and back induced anymore.

The family wanted to live in the countryside and to be connected to Paris by 30 km of cars. This
point will have a particular importance in the drawing of the house. Conceived as a modern
house, adapted to the technology of that time, the entrance of the house was made to be reached
by car: the curve of the ground floor is drawn according to the way a car is able to turn.

A important attention is indeed accorded to this scenography of entrance. It determine the form
and the dimension of the house and create a deep connection between the house and our journey
through the site: the car drive under the pilotis (stilts), turn around the common service and arrive
in the middle of the ground floor, at the door of the vestibule. Than, it can go the garage or leave
the house.

Construction

About Le Corbusier’s concept

The Villa Savoye is a manifest of modern architecture because he develops many of his main
reflection through it.

« L’architecture est le jeu savant, correct et magnifique, de formes assemblées dans la lumière »

About the volums:

During his journey, Le Corbusier analyzed architecture of different countries and centuries. His
approach is innovative and original. Though drawings, he made a lot of research of the
composition in volume of buildings. He decomposed complex building in pure geometric form
and studied the effect created by this forms.

About the modern inhabitation volume:

He made also research about how to composed a modern habitation.

« Le nombre d’or est un moyen pour voir la nature par la géométrie »

About the Modulor:

Le Corbusier made also researches about the proportions that should order an architecture.

Based on the golden ratio and the human proportions, he developed the Modulor in order to
create a optimized and functional space, adapted at the human scale.

HIs use of regular pattern and his particular attention to the right measures allows Le Corbusier to
create unity and harmony in his building.

About geometry:

Geometry and symmetry and it rupture are also predominant in his work. He focus on researches
on volume, on spatiality and also in the draw of elements. He plays with breaking this symmetry
and the balance of the masses on the facade for example, with the big circular elements which
make a sensation of weight on one side of the building.

+ Breaking the trame in the ground floor

Manifesto:

This house is a manifesto for the five points for a new architecture of Le Corbusier. This building is
composed of

- Pilotis: they are the structure of the building. The framework structure allows the suppression of
load-bearing walls. They allows the house to blend with his surroundings: the structure is
punctual, the view of the surroundings can enter in the house and the garden can arrive under
the building.

- Free plan: the floor is in reinforced concret and his partition is free thanks to the pilotis.

- Free façade: the framework structure allows the facade to be independent of the structure: the
pillars are apart of the facade and the floor is overhang so the facade is a thin skin of light walls.
The rythm et the openings on the facade are free. Le Corbusier positioned them fellow the
distributions and the views from inside.

- Ribbon window: this type of windows allows a lot of light to enter inside of the house. They
create a new relationship with the surroundings because they offer a deep connection with the
environment.

- Terrace Roof: it can be called a a fifth facade. It’s a new space that the inhabitants can
appropriate themselves as a garden, a solarium …

Une Machine à habiter - a Machine of inhabit

Le Corbusier wants to create a machine made for be lived inside. He paid a particular attention to
it organisation. The serving space are distinguished from the served space, a general geometry
order the plan and the organisation is made to be functional: the position of the function is choose
fellow it use, the public spaces are on the opposite side of the private spaces…

The internal organization also depends on the views and the orientation depends on the sun: the
circulation are in the heart of the building in order to each rooms to have a pleasing view on the
surroundings, the kitchen is in the north and the parents bedroom/terrace is in the south.

Colored walls or details like floor pattern guide our eyes and mark a difference the spaces, for
example between the corridor and the living room.

Le Corbusier pay a particular attention to the wellness of his inhabitants: the bathroom of the
parents has an important position, a huge proportion of the first floor is a terrace that he called as
a suspend terrace and the roof is entirely a solarium.

Through this machine of inhabit, Le Corbusier transform the traditional codes of the architecture
of habitation and redefine them: the rooms becomes spaces to live, designed fellow their function,
their forms, the light and the landscape.

Perception/Sensation
« Architects, through their arrangements of form, produce an order which is a pure creation of their
spirit; through their forms, they deeply affect our senses producing visual emotions; through the
connections they conceive, they awaken in us profound echoes giving us an order whereby we
feel at one with the world, stirring our hearts and minds; and this is when we experience the sense
of beauty. »

This Villa is also a Machine made to make us feel particular emotions, and this is why I choose to
study it.

About the movement

Movement and path are very important in this architecture:

« L'architecture arabe nous donne un enseignement précieux. Elle s'apprécie à la marche, avec le
pied; c'est en marchant, en se déplaçant que l'on voit se développer les ordonnances de
l'architecture. C'est un principe contraire à l'architecture baroque qui est conçue sur le papier,
autour d'un point fixe théorique. Je préfère l'enseignement de l'architecture arabe. »

Arabe architecture learned us a very important statement. She is enjoyed when we are walking
inside. It is while walking, moving, that we see how the architecture is ordered. This statement is
in opposition with the baroque architecture, made on paper, around a theoretical fixe point. I
prefer the statement of the arabe architecture.

This Villa is an architectural promenade, we experience it while crossing it.

The flux are situated in the center of the plan: they have a central role in the building and don’t
occupy the facade: the views are reserved for the rooms.

The house is composed of two types of distribution: a ramp and a scale. They both instaure a
different rhythm of circulation (quick for the scale, slow for the ramp) so they both create a
different effect. The scale is more destined for the service, it is an efficient way of moving of going
through the floors. In contrary, while walking through the ramp, the inhabitant slow down and
becomes conscious about his journey. Moving becomes an architectural experience. We can
notice that this is the ramp which link the ground floor to the solarium.

Each circulation create a different effect: the scale separate the space, the ramp link it.

The circulations are indeed particularly important in the experimentation of the villa: they install a
rich scenography. The house becomes the frame of a scenario of a journey.

The use of a free plan also contribute to create a slow and continuous movement though the
habitation: there is a intimate link between the spaces. For example, the living room is directly
connected to the « suspended garden », the terrace on the first floor: there is only a sliding bay
window between this two « opposite » spaces.

The eyes can also circulate in the space, sometimes framed by windows and other times free to
see the entire living room from the terrace because of the big bay window.

About the relation between interior/exterior

Through this Villa, Le Corbusier experiment a new link between the interior and the exterior. It
mark the beginning of the research of porosity between indoor and outdoor space in Europe.

About the perception of the building from the site

From the exterior of the building, the treatment of the architecture already shows us a particular
relation between the house and it surrounding.

As explained before, the pilotis allows to the garden to pass under the house.

The volume of the ground floor is smaller and set back from the rest of the building. With his
green colors and the shadow that hide it, we have the feeling that this white building, without
ornements and generously open, is floating. The building and the surroundings creates together a
beautiful, harmonious and poetic image.

The big terrasse of the first floor and the roof terrace bring vegetation on the building and link
again with the architectural volume and the surroundings.

«  (La terrasse suspendue) sera un jardin dont le sol est sec et salubre et c'est de ce sol qu'on
verra bien tout le paysage, mieux que si l'on était resté en bas »

(The suspended terrace will be a garden with a dry ground and this is gonna be from this ground
that we will see the entire landscape, way better than if we were still down)

About the perception of outside from inside of the building

First of all, we can see in plan the importance of the proportion leaved for exterior space in the
building.

From the interior of the building the bay window are used as frame on the surrounding landscape.

They are continuously present around the building, even on terrace, and sometimes with an
window even in exterior.

I found the attention of the transition between interior and exterior particularly interesting in this
building. The bay window are a guiding lines and decline depending on where they are positioned.

Le Corbusier plays with ambiguous spaces and in-betweens: the architectural promenade lead us
from a room, to an intermediate exterior space with a roof and a glazed window, then, still under
the roof, the window disappear and there is only the hole of the bay window and finally we arrive
on the terrace.

Also, because of this variation of windows and roof, this transition between the interior of the
adults room and the external terrace is very rich because of the transition of the nature of the
lighting: we transit from artificial lighting to diffuse light in the semi open space to more and more
natural light.

I found the experimentation of this ambiguity particularly interesting. It create rich intermediate
space and new feelings for the visitors.

« (ce bâtiment) s’agit d'une véritable promenade architecturale, offrant des aspects constamment
variés, inattendus, parfois étonnants. Il est intéressant d'obtenir tant de diversité quand on a, par
exemple, admis au point de vue constructif, un schéma de poteaux et de poutres d'une rigueur
absolue. »

(This building) is an actual architectural promenade, which offered aspect continuously changing,
diverse, unexpected, sometimes surprising. It is interesting to create so much diversity when we
have, for example, admitted from a constructive point of view, a framework pattern absolutely
rigorous.