Communication Skills-II

Submitted to: Ma’am Hina

Submitted by: Faryal Ali
Roll #: 1423
Le Corbusier.
 Le Corbusier: “Biography”

• Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier.

• He was born on October 6, 1887 La Chaux-de-Fonds, in Switzerland and
became a French citizen in 1930.
• Died while swimming in Mediterranean Sea on August 27, 1965.
• A Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of
the pioneers of what is now called modern architecture.
• His career spanned five decades, with his buildings constructed throughout
Europe, India, and America.
 Le Corbusier: “Biography”

• He had Art education from La Chaux de Fonds.

• Studied modern building construction with Auguste Perret (French architect,
expert in reinforced concrete construction) in Paris.
• Worked with Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann in Bauhouse.
• The most prominent architect of modern era.
• He was awarded the Frank P. Brown Medal in 1961.
• He received the Frank P. Brown Medal and AIA Gold Medal in 1961.
• The University of Cambridge awarded Le Corbusier an honorary degree in
June 1959
 Le Corbusier: “Philosophy”

“5 Points” of Architecture:

• use of pilotis i.e. reinforced concrete stilts.

• Free façade.
• Open floor plan.
• Long horizontal ribbon plan.
• Roof garden.
 Le Corbusier: “Projects”

Most famous buildings:

• 1927-1928: Palace for the League of Nations, Geneva.

• 1928-1931: Villa Savoye, Poissy, France.
• 1931-1932: Swiss Building, Cité Universitaire, Paris.
• 1952: The Secretariat at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.
 Le Corbusier: “Projects”

Other important works:

• 1922: Ozenfant House and Studio, Paris
• 1946-1952: Unité d'Habitation, Marseilles, France
• 1953-1957: Museum at Ahmedabad, India
• 1950-1963: High Court Buildings, Chandigarh, India
• 1950-1955: Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Ronchamp, France(form follows function)
• 1954-1956: Maisons Jaoul, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris
• 1957-1960: Convent of La Tourette, Lyon France
• 1958: Philips Pavilion, Brussels
• 1961-1964: Carpenter Center, Cambridge, MA
• 1963-1967: Centre Le Corbusier, Zürich, Switzerland
 Le Corbusier: “Villa Savoye”
Location: Poissy, France.
Project Year: 1929

• Realization of “5 Points” of
architecture.
• Use of characteristic ramp, pilotis and slab
construction.
• Ribbon windows in first floor.
• Light and air penetration.
• Direct contact with the surrounding achieved
by various openings and views are framed
like pictures.
 Le Corbusier: “Ronchamp”
Location: Ronchamp, Haute-Saone, France
Project Year: 1954

Le Corbusier’s most unusual projects of his career, Notre Dame du Ronchamp, or more
commonly referred to as Ronchamp.  In 1950, Le Corbusier was commissioned to
design a new Catholic church to replace the previous church that had been destroyed
during World War II.
Ronchamp is deceptively modern such that it does not appear as a part of Corbusier’s
aesthetic or even that of the International Style; rather it sits in the site as a sculptural
object.  The inability to categorize Ronchamp has made it one of the most important
religious buildings of the 20th Century, as well as Corbusier’s career.
Spatial purity was one of Corbusier’s main focuses by not over complicating the
program and removing the typical modern aesthetic from the design. He wanted the
space to be meditative and reflective in purpose.  The stark white walls add to this
purist mentality that when the light enters into the chapel there becomes this washed
out, ethereal atmosphere.  The effect of the light evokes expressive and emotional
qualities that create heightened sensations in tune with the religious activities.
 Le Corbusier: “Ronchamp”
Architectural details:
the chapel is placed atop a hill on the site setting itself on a metaphorical pedestal
giving Ronchamp added importance. It is more of an irregular sculptural form where
the walls, the roof, and the floor slope.  Stylistically and formally it is fairly complex;
however, programmatically it is relatively simple: two entrances, an altar, and three
chapels.
The walls of Ronchamp give the building its sculptural character. The thick (4’-12’
thick), gentle curving walls act as a practical method of supporting the concrete and
masonry construction, as well as the massive curvilinear roof.  However, the walls do
not solely act as structural and sculptural elements; they also act as acoustic
amplifiers, especially in the case of the eastern exterior wall that reflects the sound
out over the field from the outdoor altar.
Even though, Ronchamp was a radical derivation from Le Corbusier’s other works, it
still maintains some of the same principles of purity, openness, and communal sense
of coming together.  Ronchamp was less of a move away from the mechanistic,
International Style, as it was more of a contextual response to a religious site.
 Le Corbusier: “Ronchamp”
Architectural details:
The most striking part of it is the curved roof that peels up towards the heavens.  The
curving roof appears to float above the building as it is supported by embedded
columns in the walls, which creates a 10 cm gap between the roof and the walls,
which allow for a sliver of clerestory light.
One of the most interesting aspects of the design is the sporadic window placement
on the walls. Corbusier implemented small puncturing apertures on the façade that
amplified the light within the chapel by tapering the window well in the wall cavity. 
Each wall becomes illuminated by these differing window frames, which in
conjunction with the stark white washed walls gives the walls luminous qualities
punctuated by a more intense direct light. On the wall behind the altar in the chapel,
the lighting effects create a speckled pattern, almost like a starry night, of sparse
openings that are complimented by a larger opening above the cross that emits a
flood of light, creating a powerful religious image as well as a transformative
experience.
 Le Corbusier: “Ronchamp”
Architectural details:
The curving walls and roof no longer define the pure essence of the project, rather
the light is what defines and gives meaning to the chapel experientially.
Even though, Ronchamp was a radical derivation from Le Corbusier’s other works, it
still maintains some of the same principles of purity, openness, and communal sense
of coming together.  Ronchamp was less of a move away from the mechanistic,
International Style, as it was more of a contextual response to a religious site.
 Le Corbusier: Quotations

"Architecture is the masterly, correct, and magnificent play of masses brought

together in light."
"Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as
they need bread or a place to sleep."
"The house is a machine for living in." (Vers une architecture, 1923)
"It is a question of building which is at the root of the social unrest of today:
architecture or revolution." (Vers une architecture, 1923)
"The 'Styles' are a lie." (Vers une architecture, 1923)
“Architecture or revolution. Revolution can be avoided." (Vers une architecture,
1923)