Le Corbusier in detail

249 Pages·2007·44.42 MB·English

by  Flora Samuel

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Le Corbusier in Detail

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For Alice, Otilia and Emilia

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Le Corbusier in Detail

Flora Samuel

AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD
PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Architectural
Press
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Architectural Press is an imprint of Elsevier Ltd
Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP
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First edition 2007
Copyright © 2007, Flora Samuel. Published by Elsevier Limited. All rights reserved
The right of Flora Samuel to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
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ISBN 978-0-75-066354-0
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Contents

List of Figures vii

Figure Credits xv

Acknowledgments xvii

Introduction 1

1 Standardization and unity 15

1.1 Standardization 15

1.2 Standard materials 18

1.3 Standard structures 20

1.3.1 Concrete frames 20

1.3.2 Steel structures 24

1.3.3 Vaulted roofs 28

1.4 Conclusion 33

2 Somatic detail 39

2.1 Anthropomorphism 41

2.2 Touch 44

2.2.1 Walls and pilotis 45

2.2.2 Door handles and handrails 47

2.2.3 Furniture 59

2.2.4 Floors 61

2.3 Colour 64

2.4 Space 64

2.5 Sound 65

2.6 Conclusion 66

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vi Contents
3 Light and dark 73

3.1 Meaning 73

3.2 Windows 75

3.2.1 Horizontal windows 76

3.2.2 Glass walls (pan de verre) 78

3.2.3 Brise soleil 79

3.2.4 Ondulatoires 82

3.3 Rooflights 84

3.4 Reflection 89

3.5 Artificial lighting 91

3.6 Conclusion 96

4 Framing 101

4.1 Views 101

4.2 Objects 107

4.3 Space 116

4.4 Conclusion 122

5 Elements of the architectural promenade 127

5.1 Doors 130

5.2 Stairs and ramps 149

5.3 Conclusion 165

6 Rituals 169

6.1 Altars 170

6.2 Fire – the hearth 175

6.3 Water 181

6.4 Conclusion 192

7 Clouds 1959 195

7.1 Brazil 198

7.2 Geography lesson 199

7.3 Perspective 203

7.4 Interior urbanism 206

Conclusion 215

Select bibliography 219

Index 227

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List of Figures

Unless stated otherwise all the buildings, drawings and paintings cited
are by Le Corbusier and are in France. Dates shown are completion
dates for built projects.
0.1 Expansion joint in parapet on the roof of the Unité

Marseilles (1952) 2

0.2 Le Corbusier by his bed in his apartment at 24 Rue

Nungesset et Coli (1934) in front of a painting by André

Bauchant 3

0.3 Sliding door on the balcony of the hotel of the Unité,

Marseilles (1952) 5

0.4 Some of the many sketches of fixings for the Bat’a boutique

(1935). FLC 17984 and 17953 6

0.5 Le Corbusier on the site of the Unité Marseilles 7

0.6 The team who built the Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp

(1955). Photo taken from Le Corbusier’s book The Chapel

at Ronchamp 8

0.7 Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp (1955) 9

0.8 Drawing of a stone taken from Le Corbusier’s The Poem

of the Right Angle (1955) 10

1.1 Maison Domino (1914) 22

1.2 Structure of Pavillon Suisse (1933) 25

1.3 Drawing of ‘a primitive temple’ from Towards a New Archi­

tecture (1923), p. 67 26

1.4 Pavillon des Temps Nouveau (1937) 27

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viii List of Figures
1.5 Philips Pavilion exterior, Brussels International

Exhibition (1958) 27

1.6 Proposition for ‘vitrines parasol’, 1956, FLC 17826 28

1.7 Heidi Weber Haus, Zurich (1968) 29

1.8 Sign of the 24-hour day 29

1.9 Interior of Heidi Weber Haus, Zurich (1968) 29

1.10 The ‘fundamental Roman forms’ Drawing taken from The

Radiant City (1935) 30

1.11 Maisons Monol (1919) 30

1.12 Petite Maison de Weekend showing gazebo (1935) 31

1.13 Jaoul Maison B (1955) 32

1.14 House from La cite permanente at La Sainte Baume
(c. 1950) 33

2.1 Cleaning instructions, hall floor Jaoul Maison B 40

2.2 The ‘skin’ of Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp (1955) 43

2.3 Abstraction Ozon (1946). Plan of Ronchamp 43

2.4 Icône (1955) 44

2.5 Altar rail at Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp (1955), FLC

07236 46

2.6 Sketches drawn for the balconies of the Unité at Meaux 46

2.7 Handle of main door of Cultural Centre, Firminy-Vert (1965) 47

2.8 Sketch of door handle for Bat’a (1935), FLC 17899 48

2.9 Maison Jaoul B (1955), box in entrance 49

2.10 Folding window of top storey apartment, Unité, Marseilles

Michelet (1952) 50

2.11 The linear timber handles at the Maison du Brésel (1957).

Taureau II (1953) 51

2.12 Handle of aerateur, Heidi Weber Haus, Zurich (1968) 52

2.13 Detail of dining room window shutter, Maison Jaoul B (1955) 52

2.14 Wooden latch of aerateur in cell, La Tourette (1959) 53

2.15 Details of exterior Maison Jaoul B (1955) and of La Tourette

(1953–59) 53

2.16 Interior of the east side of Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp

(1955), showing east door at the zenith of the roof 54

2.17 Handle of east door. Working drawing 55

2.18 Handle of east door from exterior 56

2.19 Enamel door, Heidi Weber Haus, Zurich (1968) 57

2.20 Drawing of handle for ceremonial door of Mill Owners’

Association Building, Ahmedabad (1954) 58

2.21 Furniture, Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier (1928) 60

2.22 Solarium of de Bestegui apartment (1930) 61

2.23 Floor beneath seating in Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp

(1955) 62

2.24 Floor of Church. La Tourette (1959) 63

3.1 Section across Le Corbusier’s scheme for the Basilica at

La Sainte Baume (c. 1948) 75

3.2 Sliding wooden window, Villa Savoye (1930) 77

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List of Figures ix
3.3 Brise soleil, Unité, Marseilles Michelet (1952) 79

3.4 Cell, La Tourette (1959) 81

3.5 Brise soleil, Carpenter Centre, Boston, USA (1963) 82

3.6 Ondulatoire, La Tourette (1959) 82

3.7 Aerateur, La Tourette (1959), FLC 1011 84

3.8 De Bestegui apartment, roof garden. Photo from Oeuvre

Complète 85

3.9 ‘Mitraillette’ rooflights over the sacristy La Tourette (1959) 86

3.10 Interior of pink/red tower over chapel at Notre-Dame du

Haut, Ronchamp (1955) 87

3.11 Rooflights over the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, La

Tourette (1959) 88

3.12 Interior of Villa Church (1929) 89

3.13 Floor of Church at La Tourette (1959) 90

3.14 Lighting drawing for Pavillon des Temps Nouveau (1937),

FLC 31185 91

3.15 Lights in hall at base of pilotis, Unité, Marseilles Michelet

(1952) 92

3.16 Photo of model of Unité, Marseilles Michelet (1952) from

Le Corbusier, Special Edition L’Homme et L’Architecture,

12–13 (1947), p. 5 93

3.17 Lamps, Unité, Marseilles Michelet (1952), FLC 29271 93

3.18 Lamps in the Cabanon (1950) 94

3.19 Ramp through gallery of Villa La Roche (1925) 95

3.20 Dining table, penthouse, 24 Rue Nungesser et Coli (1934) 96

4.1 Window of solarium Villa Savoye (1930) 102

4.2 Window of Le Corbusier’s desk at the Cabanon (1950) 103

4.3 Le Corbusier’s desk in penthouse, 24 Rue Nungesser

et Coli (1934) 104

4.4 Shutters in Maison Jaoul B (1955) 105

4.5 Concrete bead at ankle height on roof of Unité,

Marseilles Michelet (1952) 106

4.6 Stairwell Villa Savoye (1930). Photo from Le Corbusier’s

Oeuvre Complète 107

4.7 Shelf library, Villa La Roche (1925) 108

4.8 ‘Apartment for a young man’ at the Brussels Exposition

(1935) 109

4.9 Unité apartment slotting into its frame 110

4.10 Embedded casier in side of brise soleil, as used today.

Unité, Marseilles Michelet (1952) 111

4.11 Sketch of brise soleil, Unité, Marseilles Michelet (1952),

showing inverted pyramids set into side wall, FLC 27213 112

4.12 ‘Le Modulor’, Unité, Marseilles Michelet (1952), FLC 21044 113

4.13 ‘Le Modulor’ at ground level, Unité, Marseilles

Michelet (1952) 114

4.14 Casier in Pavillon d’Esprit Nouveau (1925) 114

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