its a short Biography of Ar. Le Corbusier

1. VISUAL ARTS AND
APPRETIATION
UNDER GUIDENCE BY
ASST. PROF. PRAMOD PAL
SUBMITTED BY-
MUSKAN TIWARI
B.ARCH 1 SEM

2. LE CORBUSIER
(OCT 6 1887-AUG 27 1965 )
SWISS BORN FRENCH ARCHITECT AND
PLANNER

3. IN THE HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE, "LE CORBOSIER" IS REGARDED AS ONE OF THE
GREATEST ARCHITECT OF THE 20TH CENTURY . HE WAS BORN IN SWITZERLAND AND
BECAME A FRENCH CITIZEN IN HIS 30’S. HE STUDIED AT LA-CHAUX-DE-FONDS ART
SCHOOL. HE WAS A PHILOSPHER OF ARCHITECTURE AS MUCH AS HE WAS A
DESIGNER OF BUILDINGS AND MANY OF HIS IDEAS AND INNOVATION HAVE COME
TO DEFINE THE ESSENCE OF ARCHITECTURE IN THE MODERN ERA. HE DREW
INSPIRATION FROM THE GEOMETRY OF ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN STRUCTURES.
HE CREATED HARMONY BETWEEN AESTHETIC AND FUNCTION BY EXPERIMENTING
WITH LIGHT AND SPACE. BETWEEN 1918 AND 1922 HE CONCENTRATED HIS EFFORTS
ON PURIST THEORY AND PAINTING. IN 1922, HE OPENED A STUDIO IN PARIS. IN
1961, HE WAS AWAREDED THE FRANK P. BROWN MEDAL AND AMERICAN INSTITUTE
OF ARCHITECTS GOLD MEDAL. ON AUGUST 27,1965, HE DROWNED AT SEA OFF
ROQUEBRUNE-CAP-MARTIN,FRANCE.
INTRODUCTION

4. EARLY DAYS AND INSPIRATION
IN HIS EARLY DAYS HE STUDIED MODERN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION UNDER AR.
AUGUSTE PERRET IN PARIS WHO INTRODUCED CONCRETE AND LE CORBUSIER FURTHER
WORKED ON IT . HE USED CONCRETE TO FORM A STRUCTURAL WHOLE UNLIKE PERRET
WHO VIEWED CONCRETE AS A SUPERIOR FORM OF CONSTRUCTION TO MASONARY. HE
WAS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY PROBLEMS HE SAW IN INDUSTRIAL CITIES AT THE TURN OF
19TH CENTURY TO 20TH CENTURY, WHEN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION WAS PROMINENT.
CONTRIBUTION TO ARCHITECTURE
HE WAS THE PIONEER OF MODERNISM IN ARCHITECTURE AND LAID FOUNDATION TO
WHAT IS KNOWN AS BAUHAUS MOVEMENT OR INTERNATIONAL STYLE.
HE WAS KNOWN FOR INNOVATION IN URBAN PLANNING AND HIS SOLUTIONS FOR LOW
INCOME HOUSING.
DURING HIS LIFE TIME HE HAD PROJECTS IN RUSSIA,INDIA AND EUROPE AND USA.
HE FORMED THE FIVE POINTS OF ARCHITECTURE WHICH WERE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES
FOR MANY ARCHITECTS.
CHARACTERISTICS OF WORK
MOSTLY, ALL OF HIS WORK WERE BASED ON HIS PRINCIPLES. THE EARLIER BUILDINGS BY
LE CORBUSIER WERE SMOOTH, WHITE CONCRETE AND GLASS STUCTURES ELEVATED
ABOVE THE GROUND. HE CALLED THESE WORKS “ PURE PRISMS’ IN LATE 1940s, HE
TURNED TO A STYLE KNOWN AS ‘NEW BRUTALISM’, WHICH USED ROUGH, HEAVY FORMS
OF STONE, CONCRETE, STUCCO, AND GLASS.

5. LIST OF PROJECTS-
1905: VILLA FALLET, LA CHAUX DE FONDS, SWITZERLAND
1923: VILLA LA ROCHE, PARIS
1928: VILLA SAVOYE, POISSY-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE
1950: UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK
1950-1954: CHAPEL NOTRE SAME DU HAUT, RONCHAMP, FRANCE
1951: CABANON LE CORBUSIER, ROQUEBRUNE-CAP-MARTIN
1952-1959: BUILDINGS IN CHANDIGARH, INDIA
-1952: PALACE OF JUSTICE (CHANDIGARH)
-1952: MUSEUM AND GALLERY OF ART (CHANDIGARH)
-1953: SECRETARIAT BUILDING (CHANDIGARH)
-1953: GOVERNOR’S PALACE (CHANDIGARH)
-1955: PALACE OF ASSEMBLY (CHANDIGARH)
-1959: GOVERNMENT COLLEGE OF ARTS (GCA) AND CHANDIGARH
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE (CCA) (CHANDIGARH)
1956: MUSEUM AT AHMEDABAD,AHMEDABAD, INDIA
1956: SADDAM HUSSEIN GYMNASIUM, BAGHDAD,IRAQ

6. VILLA LA ROCHE, PARIS
CABANON LE CORBUSIER, ROQUEBRUNE-
CAP-MARTIN
MUSEUM AT AHMEDABADVILLA FALLET
PALACE OF ASSEMBLY
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WESTERN ART
CHANDIGARH COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
HEIDI WEBER
MUSEUM
WORK DONE
BY LE
CORBUSIER

7. PRINCIPLES OF NEW ARCHITECTURE
1. FREE STANDING SUPPORT PILLARS
THE PILOTIS(SUPPORTING COLUMNS): THE HOUSE ON IS FIRMLY DRIVEN INTO THE GARDEN –
A DARK AND OFTEN DAMP SITE. THE REINFORCED CONCRETE GIVES US THE PILOTIS. THE
HOUSE IS UP IN THE AIR, FAR FROM THE GROUND: THE GROUND RUNS UNDER THE HOUSE.
2. OPEN FLOOR PLAN INDEPENDENT OF SUPPORTS
FREE PLAN: UNTIL NOW LOAD-BEARING WALLS; FROM THE GROUND THEY ARE
SUPERIMPOSED, FORMING THE GROUND FLOOR AND THE UPPER STORIES, UP TO THE EAVES.
THE LAYOUT IS A SLAVE TO THE SUPPORTING WALLS. REINFORCED CONCRETE IN THE HOUSE
PROVIDES A FREE PLAN! THE FLOORS ARE NO LONGER SUPERIMPOSED BY PARTITION WALLS.
THEY ARE FREE.
3. VERTICAL FACADES FREE OF SUPPROTS
FREE DESIGN OF THE FAÇADE: BY PROJECTING THE FLOOR BEYOND THE SUPPORTING PILLARS,
LIKE A BALCONY ALL ROUND THE BUILDING, THE WHOLE FACADE IS EXTENDED BEYOND THE
SUPPORTING CONSTRUCTION. IT THEREBY LOSES ITS SUPPORTIVE QUALITY AND THE
WINDOWA MAY BE EXTENDED TO ANY LENGTH AT WILL, WITHOUT ANY DIRECT
RELATIONSHIP TO THE INTERIOR DIVISION.
A WINDOW MAY JUST AS WELL BE 10METERS LONG FOR A DWELLING HOUSE AS 200METERS
FOR PALATIAL BUILDING. THE FACADE MAY THUS BE DESIGNED FREELY.

8. 4. LONG HORIZONTAL SLIDING WINDOWS
THE HORIZONTAL WINDOW: 'THE WINDOW IS ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF
THE HOUSE. PROGRESS BRINGS LIBERATION. REINFORCED CONCRETE PROVIDES A
REVOLUTION IN THE HISTORY OF THE WINDOW. WINDOWS CAN RUN FROM ONE
END OF THE FACADE TO THE OTHER.
5. ROOF GARDENS
THE ROOF GARDENS: THE GARDEN IS ALSO OVER THE HOUSE, ON THE ROOF.
REINFORCED CONCRETE IS THE NEW WAY TO CREATE A UNIFIED ROOF STRUCTURE.
REINFORCED CONCRETE EXPANDS CONSIDERABLY.
THE EXPANSION MAKES THE WORK CRACK AT TIMES OF SUDDEN SHRINKAGE.
INSTEAD OF TRYING TO EVACUATE THE RAINWATER QUICKLY, ENDEAVOUR ON THE
CONTRARY TO MAINTAIN A CONSTANT HUMIDITY ON THE CONCRETE OF THE
TERRACE AND HENCE AN EVEN TEMPERATURE ON THE REINFORCED CONCRETE.
ONE PARTICULAR PROTECTIVE MEASURE: SAND COVERED WITH THICK CONCRETE
SLABS, WITH WIDELY SPACED JOINTS; THESE JOINTS ARE SOWN WITH GRASS.

9. NOTRE DAME DU HAUT

10. NOTRE DAME DU HAUT-
THE CHAPEL OF NOTRE DAME DU HAUT IN RONCHAMP ,FRANCE WAS COMPLETED
IN 1954 IS ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF 20TH CENTURY. THE CHAPEL IS A
WORKING RELIGIOUS BUILDING LOCATED ON THE HILLTOP OF BOURLEMONT. IN THE
MIDDLE AGE THIS PALACE WAS A CATHOLIC PILGRIMAGE CENTER DEDICATED TO THE
VIRGIN MARY. THE CHAPEL SUFFERED A VORACIOUS FIRE IN 1913, CONSEQUENTLY
WAS REBUILT IN NEO-GOTHIC STYLE. IN 1944, WAS BOMBARDED BY THE NAZIS.
THE CHAPEL IS A SIMPLE DESIGN WITH THE TWO ENTRANCES,A MAIN ALTAR, AND
THREE CHAPELS BENEATH TOWERS .

11. ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES OF THE CHAPEL-
THE CHAPEL OWES ITS SHAPE TO ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE LANDSCAPE. EACH OF THE
FACADES RESPONDS TO THE DIFFERENT ATTITUDES: WELCOME, CELEBRATION,SERVICE ,
SYMBOLISM. THE ROOF SCULPTURAL CHARACTER DRAMATIZES THE POWER AND
MALLEABILITY OF THE CONCRETE TO COMPOSE ORGANIC VOLUMES. ALL THESE ELEMENTS
COME TOGETHER TO CREATE A MYSTICAL AND DRAMATIC INTERIOR SPACE IN WHICH LIGHT IS
THE PROTAGONIST.
LE CORBUSIER’S GENIUS LIES IN PROVIDING THE VISITOR OF A DIFFERENT PERCEPTION OF
THE BUILDING FROM ANY ANGLE HE OR SHE SEES IT, WHILE MAINTAINING
HARMONY,DYNAMISM AND COHERENCE. THIS FEATURE FORCES THE VISITOR TO WALK
AROUND CHAPEL IN ORDER TO FULLY UNDERSTAND IT,. ADDING A FOURTH DIMENTION TO
THE ARCHITECTURAL COMPOSITION: MOVEMENT
THE CONCAVE WALL WELCOMES VISITORS ASCENDING FROM THE PATH. ITS BROAD-BASED
TRIANGULAR SECTION SEEMS TO BE A CONTINUATION OF THE HILL, RISING TO SUPPORT THE
ROOF.
THE SOUTHERN WALL IS QUIT WIDE IN THE VICINITY OF THE ENTRANCE (3.7M) BUT IT
NARROWS AND GETS HIGHER AT THE OTHER END (1.7M) . THE WALL THICKNESS IS EVIDENCED
BY THE RANDOM PATTERN OF RECTANGULAR WINDOWS OF DIFFERENT SIZE AND
ORIENTATION, WHOSE APPARENT DISORDER IS USED TO CREATE AN INTERIOR LIGHTING
EFFECT. THE ENTRANCE IS FLANKED BY A VERTICAL AN SEMI-CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT, ONE OF
THE THREE CHAPELS UNDER THE THREE MINOR CHAPELS INCLUDED IN THE CHURCH. THE
ACCESS IS ALSO STRESSED BY CHANGING ITS COLOR TO CONCRETE AND SEPARATING IT FROM
THE WHITE WALL CURVE.

12. THE DOOR ITSELF HAS AN PAINTING BY LE CORBUSIER. EAST FAÇADE HOUSES A SMALL
EXTERNAL CHAPEL THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN APPRECIATE THE POWER OF THE ROOF VOLUME,
PROTRUDING ABOVE THE CHAPEL.
BESIDES THE ROOF, THE CHAPEL IS FRAMED BY THE SOUTH WALL AND A SEMICIRCULAR
VOLUME, WHICH TOGETHER FORM A ‘CAVE’ THAT EMPHASIZES THE RECEPTIVE CHARACTER
THAT WAS TO GIVE IN THIS AREA, OR AS A ‘STAGE’ THAT EMPHASIZES ITS VOCATION AS A
FOCAL POINT IN THE LANDSCAPE .
THE NORTHERN FAÇADE COMBINES THE FUNCTIONS OF SERVICE: A SECONDARY ENTRANCE
AND STAIRS. THIS MORE PRIVATE CHARACTER IS CHARACTERIZED BY ITS CONVEX SHAPE. THE
MOST STRIKING FRATURES OF THE FAÇADE ARE THE TWO CHAPELS FLANKING THE
SECONDARY ACCESS: BOTH ARE SUMMETRICALLY ARRANGED AROUND THE AXIS OF THE
DOOR.
THE WEST FAÇADE IS THE ONLY BLIND FAÇADE, WHICH LINKS THE CONVEX FRONT WITH THE
REAR FAÇADE .FROM HERE THE NATURE OF THE CHAPELS IS MORE EVIDENT, SEMI
CYLINDRICAL TOWERS WITH LATERAL INCISIONS. THEIR VERTICALITY IS A COUNTERPOINT TO
THE HORIZONTALITY OF THE BUILDING. IN THE CENTER OF THE WALL IS LOCATED A
GARGOYLE, THE ONLY VISIBLE PART OF THE ROOG, WHICH COLLECTS RAIN WATER AND DRAIN
IT TO A CONCRETE FOUNTAIN SCULPTURE UNDERNEATH.WHEN IT RAINS, THE WATER COMES
POURING OFF THE ROOF AND DOWN ONTO THE RAISED, SLANTED CONCRETE A DRAMATIC
BUT NATURAL FOUNTAIN.

13. THE ROOF IS SEPARATED FROM THE WALLS BY A THIN SLOT. THIS FEATURE IS MOST EVIDENT
FROM THE INSIDE, AND DEMONTRATES THE ARCHITECT’S INTEREST IN SUGGESTING
LIGHTNESS OF THE COVER, DESPITE ITS MASSIVENESS. THE ROOF IS SUPPORTED BY HIDDEN
COLUMNS IN THE WALLS, WHICH ARE NOT LOAD BEARING .
INSIDE THE CHAPEL, THE MOST STRIKING EFFECT COMES FROM THE SOUTH WALL, LIGHT
PENETRATES THROUGH THE SMALL OPENINGS OF COLOURED GLASS. THE SHAPE OF THE
WINDOWS IN THE THICK WALL, IS CUT OBLIQUELY AND WIDEN, ALLOWING THE LIGHT TO
GENTLY FADE INSIDE . IN CONTRAST, THE EAST WALL, WHERE THE ALTAR IS PLACED, HAS
SMALL WINDOWS WHICH FROM INSIDE LOOK LIKE STARS. THE EDGE OF THE WALLS IS
DEMARCATED BY A LINE OF LIGHT, SEPARATING THEM FROM THE ROOF.
TO THE WEST IS LOCATED A BELL TOWER, A VERY SIMPLE COMPOSITION, COMPRISING A
METAL FRAME HOLDING 3 BELLS. TOWARDS THE SOUTHERN END,AND IN A LOWER AREA OF
THE TOPOGRAPHY, STANDS A RECTANGULAR VOLUME MADE OF CONCRETE, THAT CONTRASTS
IN BOTH FORM AND COLOR WITH CHAPEL. THIS VOLUME, PERPENDICULAR AND CLOSER TO
THE ACCESS PATH, CONTAINS THE SEDIDENCE OF THE MONKS . AT THE NORTHERN END A
STEPPED PYRAMID IS LOCATED, BUILT WITH THE REMNANTS OF THE ORIGINAL CHURCH,
WHICH SERVES AS A MONUMENT TO PEACE.
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE TOOK THE CONCEPT OF LIGHT CONSIDERING IT AS ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF ANY RELIGIOUS STRUCTURE. LIGHT GIVES THE SPACE AN ETHEREAL
QUALITY.

14. VILLA SAVOYE

15. VILLA SAVOYE-
IT IS SITUTED ON THE OUTSKRITS OF PARIS, FRANCE AND COMPLETED IN 1931 USING
REINFORCED CONCRETE. THE VILLA WAS TO BE CONSTRUCTED ACCORDING TO THE
EMBLEMATIC ‘FIVE POINTS’ . WHILE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LE CORBUSIER’S ‘FIVE
POINTS’ WOULD COMPLICATE THE BUILDING PROCESS AND LATER, CREATE A
NUMBER OF PRACTICAL ISSUES FOR SAVOYE FAMILE, THE RESULT REMAINS A
STUNNING FUSION BETWEEN MODERN ARCHITECTURE AND THE SURROUNDING
NATURE IN WHICH IT IS PLACED. VILLA SAVOYE BECAME ONE OF THE MOST
INFLUENTIAL BUILDING OF THE 1930s, SPAWING IMITATIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD,
AND IT CONTINUES TO BE TRUE ARCHITECTURAL ICON 20 YRS LATER. THE VILLA WAS
DESIGNED AS A WEEKEND COUNTRY HOUSE. 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.
THE VILLA SAVOYE WAS DESIGNED AS A PARADIGM OF THE ‘MACHINE AS A HOME’ ,
SO THAT THE FUNCTIONS OF EVERYDAY LIFE INSIDE BECOME CRITICAL TO ITS
DESIGN. THE MOVEMENT OF CARS TO ENTER THE INTERIOR OF THE HOUSE IS THE
TRIGGER FOR THE DESIGN OF THE BUILDING.

16. IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE NEAR THE GARAGE ENTRANCE IS THE FRONT DOOR, IN
FRONT OF WHICH THERE IS A HALL THAT HAS TWO MAIN ELEMENTS: A RAMP THAT
RUNS FROM THE BOTTOM UP THE ENTIRE BUILDING THAT CONSTITUTES ITS
BACKBONE, PROLONGING THIS MOVEMENT FROM OUTSIDE INWARD, AND A SPRIAL
STAIRCASE. EVRYTHING INSIDE THE HALL IS PAINTED WHITE, REPRESENTING THE
INTERESTS OF LE CORBUSIER IN ARCHITECTURE, HEALTH AND HYGIENE IN AN ERA IN
WHICH THE CITY SUFFERED THE CONSEQUENCES OF OVERCROWDING IN THE FORM
OF EPIDEMICS, AND REFLECTS THE IMPORTANT DISCOVERY OF MICROBIAL LIFE
EVERYWHERE, INCLUDING INSIDE HOMES. THIS POINT IS ALSO REFLECTED IN THE
PRIFUSION OF TOILETS AND SINKS INSIDE THE VILLA, APPARENTLY WELL ABOVE THE
NEEDS AND TAKING ADVANTAGES OF THE RUNNING WATER ON WHICH THEY
COUNTED. THE MATERIALS USED IN THE VILLA IS PROSAIC MATERIALS; SUCH
MATERIALS WERE USED DURING THIS TIME IN BUILDING HOUSES FOR LOWER-CLASS
PARISIANS. ALTHOUGH THE HOUSE IS DESIGNED FOR THE AFFLUENT, PLASTER WALLS
AND IRON HANDRAILLS ARE USED .

17. THANKYOU