Le Corbusier\'s Villa Savoye One

Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye

One of the most exemplary works of the "International Style" of architectural modernism, Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye is situated in Poissy, France, a suburban town right outside of Paris. The Villa Savoye is widely considered to be Le Corbusier's masterpiece, as it was the first building to fully realize all five points of his architectural aesthetic, as elucidated in his landmark work, Towards a New Architecture. It is worthwhile to investigate these five points in order to analyze the ways in which they contribute to the formal accomplishment of the building. Ultimately, the five points serve to put forward a fascinating fusion of cutting-edge aesthetics with functionality.

In brief, Le Corbusier's five points can be summarized as follows:

The Pilotis - in the Villa Savoye, this is made apparent in the form of the ground-level support columns. These columns effectively elevate the building above the earth, which allows the garden to flow underneath.

The Flat Roof Terrace - This works to ensure not only the building's role as an intriguing aesthetic experience, but as a vital enclave for maximum functionality. The entire area of the building site is claimed for domestic use; this includes a special gardening area.

The Free Plan - the open plan of the Villa Savoye features partitions that are situated wherever they may be needed, without having to pay heed to those on adjoining levels. This free plan was able to be executed thanks to Le Corbusier's inspired idea to eliminate load-bearing walls.

Horizontal Windows - Not only do they look attractive on the building, these windows also serve to provide both illumination and ventilation.

The Open facade - This is probably the most readily apparent visual motif of the building - its free-flowing design. The building is not constrained by load-bearing considerations that tend to weigh down other Modernist buildings. Instead, the facade of the Villa Savoye is noted for its thin wall layers and windows.

In its encapsulation of the five points, Villa Savoye effectively captures Le Corbusier's

Machine for Living ideal. In the sunroom, one is able to admire the Pilotis by observing that it passes through the fireplace. The supports that are employed throughout the building gracefully transfer throughout the building - and transform it. Whereas a more conservative architect might try to conceal the Pilotis, its presence did not bother Le Corbusier; thus, he felt no need to hide it, and instead incorporated it into the final design of the Villa. Other architectural oddities (for the period when the house was constructed - the late 1920s) include the fact that numerous radiators can be found throughout the interior of the Villa.

One of the impressive features of the Villa Savoye is its transparency in design. You are able to observe multiple sides of the house from different positions. For instance, from the perspective of the sunroom, one gets a good view of the second story terrace and the ramp that leads out to the garden on the roof.

Overall, Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye is marked by its retro-futuristic design - a look that has become synonymous with modern architecture. Belonging neither to the future nor to the past, the Villa Savoye offers us a fascinating insight into one architect's dream of fusing top-notch aesthetic sophistication with the ultimate in functionality.

Part Two

Out of all of Le Corbusier's building, the Villa Savoye was the only building to have effectively captured the essence of the aesthetic the architect put forth in his famous work, Towards a New Architecture. As Le Corbusier famously wrote:

You employ stone, wood, and concrete, and with these materials you build houses and palaces: that is construction. Ingenuity is at work. But you suddenly touch my heart, you do me good. I am happy and I say: "This is beautiful. That is Architecture. Art enters in..."