What is Corbusier?
Le Corbusier (1887–1965), born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, was a Swiss-French architect, urban planner and designer regarded as one of the founders of modern architecture. His ideas about functional building, open floor plans and the use of concrete have shaped architecture worldwide.
The five points of architecture
In 1926, Le Corbusier formulated his famous five points:
- Pilotis — the building rests on columns, freeing the ground floor
- Free floor plan — load-bearing walls are replaced by a structural frame
- Free façade — the façade is no longer load-bearing and can be freely designed
- Ribbon windows — horizontal window strips provide maximum daylight
- Roof garden — the flat roof is used as outdoor living space
Applications
Le Corbusier’s influence can be seen in countless buildings:
- Villa Savoye (1931) — the textbook example of his five points
- Unité d’Habitation (1952) — a “machine for living” in Marseille
- Chapelle Notre-Dame du Haut (1955) — expressive concrete work in Ronchamp
- Modulor — his proportional system based on human measurements
Legacy
Le Corbusier coined the term “machine à habiter” (machine for living) and profoundly influenced post-war housing. His work is admired for its visionary quality and criticised for the sometimes inhuman scale of his urban planning concepts.
Related terms
- Modernism
- Frame construction
- Concrete
- Pilaster
- Architectural style
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