Le Corbusier

Nearly every aspect of life was redefined in the mid nineteenth century during the industrial revolution. Fundamental changes occurred in agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation, economic policies and the social structure. Yet somehow architecture did not catch the bug, buildings still reflected the past with their stately capitals, columns, and other unnecessary fluff. This matter puzzled the young artist Le Corbusier; he believed that “we should make a machine for living”, and our buildings should reflect this newfound consciousness that has been adopted in the rest of our society. These ideas were the catalyst of an architectural revolution. Le Corbusier led the way in a movement that strove to bring architecture to the technological age, while still respecting the revered geometric proportions of the past and the beauty in simplicity.

Le Corbusier was born as Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, in 1885, La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland. He attended art school in in his hometown, where he focused on painting but did a bit architectural studies as well. In 1907, he traveled to Paris, and got a job working with Auguste Perret, a french architect pioneering work in reinforced concrete. While in Paris, Le Corbusier soaked up the culture and the art-centric life of the city, and began to get a deeper understanding of who he was as an artist.

Le Corbusier's earliest works are elegant, but they are in no way revolutionary; the Villa Fallet, which he built at the age of 17 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, is a traditional load bearing stone house. It wasn’t until he built the Villa Sevoye in 1929, that he really came into his own and tried new things. This home contains many aspects that became part of his signature style; by using a ...

... middle of paper ...

...d allow him to display his abilities with composition adding an artistic component to a useful design).

In 1965 at the age of 77, Le Corbusier passed away. He had a long successful career, designing over 100 buildings, and leaving a big mark on the architectural world. His five points of architecture:

Pilotes – Reinforced concrete columns bearing the load of the structure

Roof gardens – Taking advantage of every square inch of the building, making a previously useless area habitable

The free designing of the ground plan – The absence of supporting walls means that the house is unrestrained in its internal usage.

The free design of facade – By separating the exterior of the building from its structural function the façade becomes free.

The horizontal window – The facade can be cut along its entire length to allow rooms to be lit equally. are now the norm in design.