FORM AND MEANING IN THE LATE WORKS

OF LE CORBUSIER

Keithy Gandhi
IU1443000012
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le
Corbusier, was a pioneer of modern architecture
and a leader of the International Style. The
prominent—and largely self-taught— architect
was also an accomplished painter and writer. He
worked on a number of unexecuted architectural
projects. In 1923, he published the book Towards
an Architecture, which included his five points of
architecture or what he considered to be the
pillars of any architectural design. Those were
constructions guidelines for buildings, such as the
use of pillars, the horizontal windows, and the roof
garden, among others.

Villa savoye Palace of Justice, Saint-Pierre, Firminy

Chandigarh
Five points of architecture :-

• Pilotis – Replacement of supporting walls by a grid of reinforced concrete

columns that bears the structural load is the basis of the new aesthetic.

• The free designing of the ground plan—the absence of supporting walls

means the house is unrestrained in its internal use.

• The free design of the facade separating the exterior of the building from its
structural function sets the facade free from structural constraints.

• The horizontal window, which cuts the facade along its entire length, lights
rooms equally.

• Roof gardens on a flat roof can serve a domestic purpose while providing
essential protection to the concrete roof.
Maison de week-end, France, 1934

The principle imposed upon this small

house situated behind a curtain of trees
was that it be as little visible as possible. As
a consequence the height was reduced to
8 ft., the house was located in a corner of
the site, the flat, vaulted roof was planted
with grass and a very traditional material
was employed: exposed quarrystone
masonry.

Thus: quarrystone walls, reinforced

concrete vaulted roof covered with earth
and grass; "Nevada" glass blocks or clear
glazing. Interior wall surfaces of exposed
stone masonry, whitewashed or covered
with plywood; white ceramic tile flooring,
fireplace and mantel of exposed brick.
Notre Dame du Haut, France

In 1950, when Corbusier was commissioned

to design Ronchamp, the church reformists
wanted to clear their name of the
decadence and ornamental past by
embracing modern art and
architecture. Spatial purity was one of
Corbusier’s main focuses by not over
complicating the program and removing
the typical modern aesthetic from the
design.

The main structure consists of thick masonry

walls, which are curved to improve stability
and provide structural support. The
monumental curved concrete roof is a shell
structure supported by columns hidden in
the walls. A gap underneath allows a sliver
of light to filter into the interior. Although its
external appearance suggests a
complicated layout, the interior is fairly
simple in plan.
Sainte – Marie de La Tourette

The Convent of Sainte-Marie de La

Tourette is considered one of Le Corbusier’s
most important projects, being inscribed in
July 2016 as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It
was the last Le Corbusier’s project to be
built in Europe, and one with a unique
program.

By raising the structure on reinforced

concrete pilotis, the terrain mantains its
topographic elevation and allows the
circulation at the top of the structure. The
elevated circulation develops on the
garden rooftop, where Le Corbusier
creates an architectural promenade. One
enters the building, circulating downwards,
reaching the atrium and church.
Sarabhai House

Villa Sarabhai is the house that Corb

completed for Madame Manorama
in Ahmedabad, India, in 1955. The house is
constructed of brick, concrete and white
rendering. The structure comprises cradle-
vaults of flat tiles set in plaster without
formwork and rows of bricks cast roughly in
cement. The architect’s technical response
to the climatic conditions of India is
inventive and imaginative in multiple ways,
for example the roof is covered with earth
to become a garden with a lawn and
flowers. However, a particularly beautiful
detail is its external slide and stair
combination. Made of concrete as a single
entity, the slide goes from the first floor
terrace straight into the swimming pool
while the stair is an extracted zigzag to its
side. Other great details are the gutters
crossing the elevations and water spouts
which project far from the facade.
Villa Shodhan

The raw concrete of the façades, showing

the imprint of the wooden formwork, is
purposely left unfinished; the forms are
made from what wood was available. A
smooth finish appears only under the roof
parasol and on the interior ceilings-these
forms are therefore of sheet-metal, and the
resulting surface will receive intense color
magnifying the raw concrete.

A characteristic element is furnished by the

ramp which leads to the mezzanine and to
the main level. Above, the
accommodations are disposed in the
space of a "hanging garden", on several
levels, constituting three apartments,
separate and yet in contact with one
another. At the ground level, application of
the "optimum pavement" Modulor.
Mill Owners

The structure is strongly disciplined; the

building is oriented according to the
prevailing winds. The east and west
façades have calculated precisely
according to Ahmedabad's latitude and
the course of the sun, while the south and
north façades are. The roof is used
together with the bar for evening
entertainment. The assembly hall is
constructed of double, thin brick walls
paneled in wood. The hall is indirectly
lighted by reflections from the curved
ceiling, which in turn is kept cool by two
gardens and a water basin on the roof. A
dramatic ramp rises up the building, with
slanted concrete brise-soleil (sun breakers)
that make up the eastern and western
facades allowing air to circulate while
blocking out the harsh sunlight. The
mezzanine hosts temporary art exhibitions.
High Court, Chandigarh

Corbusier was a master of modern

reinforced concrete buildings with
simple open plans and functional
aspect at the core. He mostly used
white or passive colors. However,
keeping in view the Indian mentality
and traditions, he created a
monumental structure for each of the
buildings in the Capital Complex. The
High Court building is the most
flamboyant of these structures with
massive columns, a double roof and
use of bright colors. The long façade of
the building faces the capital plaza
contains the court rooms. Corbusier
designed the building in a way that it
essentially forms a rectilinear frame.