Moscow projects of the great architect Le Corbusier. Biography of Charles Edouard Le Corbusier (Le Corbusier) Villa Savoye in Poissy

Le Corbusier(French Le Corbusier; real name Charles Edouard Jeanneret-Gris; 1887-1965) - French architect of Swiss origin, artist, designer, architectural theorist.

Le Corbusier is one of the most prominent architects of the twentieth century, a pioneer of modern architecture, and the creator of innovative structures in the spirit of modernism. He was one of the first to use reinforced concrete frames, terraced roofs, large planes of glazing on the facade, open supports in the lower floors of buildings, and free floor plans in his buildings. The views of Le Corbusier, which he set out in numerous books, as well as his buildings had an exceptional influence on the entire practice of modern architecture.

“Being modern is not a fashion, it’s a state of being. Each of us must accept the conditions in which he lives, and adaptation to them is his duty, not a choice...”

In September 2014, the architectural portal TOTALARCH.COM presented the project CORBUSIER.TOTALARCH.COM. The resource presents all the buildings, most of the projects, furniture, books by Le Corbusier, published in Russian, and other materials that are the legacy of the Master.

Swiss period 1887-1917

Charles Edouard Jeanneret was born on October 6, 1887 in Switzerland, in the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds, the French-speaking canton of Neuchâtel. He belonged to a family where the traditional craft of a watchmaker and enamel maker was. At the age of 13 he entered the School of Arts in Chaux-de-Fonds, where he studied decorative and applied arts with teacher Charles Leplatenier. Education at the School of Art was based on the ideas of "Arts and Crafts", a popular movement at the time founded by J. Ruskin, as well as the heyday of Art Nouveau. From the moment he entered the School of Art, Edouard Jeanneret began to independently engage in jewelry making and engrave watch covers.

E. Jeanneret began his first architectural project at the age of less than 18, with the help of a professional architect. It was a residential building built for the engraver Louis Fallet, a member of the council of the Art School. When the construction was completed, he used the money he earned to make his first educational trip - to Italy, Austria and France.

During this trip, E. Jeanneret interned, working as a draftsman for the architect and designer Joseph Hoffmann, leader of the Vienna Secession (1907). Then - in Paris, in the workshop of the brothers Auguste Perret and Gustav Perret (1908-1910), architects who were among the first to use reinforced concrete in the construction of multi-story residential buildings. In 1910-1911 he worked in Berlin, in the studio of the great master of architecture Peter Behrens. In 1911, for the purpose of self-education, he took a trip to the East - through Greece, the Balkans and Asia Minor, where he studied ancient monuments and traditional folk construction. This journey largely shaped his views on art and architecture.

Returning home, E. Jeanneret worked for several years, from 1912 to the end of 1916, as a teacher at the School of Arts in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Here in 1914 he opened his first architectural studio. He designed several buildings in Chaux-de-Fonds, mostly private residential buildings. The last two buildings are built for parents Villa Jeanneret/Perret(1912), and also Villa Schwob, (Turkish Villa, 1916-1917), commissioned by a wealthy watch magnate, are already distinguished by their independence of design and are quite original in architecture.

During the same period, Jeanneret created and patented a project that was very significant for his creative biography Dom-Ino(1914) (together with engineer M. Dubois). This project envisioned the possibility of building from large-scale prefabricated elements, which was an innovative invention at that time. Corbusier later implemented the Dom-Ino concept in many of his buildings. At the end of 1916, E. Jeanneret left La Chaux-de-Fonds and Switzerland forever to settle permanently in Paris.

Purist period 1917-1930

Upon arrival in Paris, Jeanneret gets a job as a staff architect at the Society for the Application of Reinforced Concrete by Max Dubois. During his work there (April 1917 - January 1919), he completed several projects, mainly technical structures - a water tower in Podensac (Gironde), an arsenal in Toulouse, a power plant on the Vienne River and others. According to his designs, workers' settlements with residential buildings for one or two families were also built. The architecture of these houses is still close to traditional. Working in the mentioned “Society...”, he becomes the director of a factory for the production of construction products in Alfortville, a subsidiary of the company. She also teaches drawing in a children's art studio.

In Paris, Jeanneret met Amédée Ozenfant, an artist who introduced him to modern painting, particularly cubism. Ozanfant introduces Jeanneret to the environment of Parisian artists, introduces him to Braque, Picasso, Gris, Lipchitz, and later to Fernand Léger. Jeanneret begins to actively engage in painting, which becomes his second profession. Together with Ozanfant, they organize joint exhibitions of their paintings, declaring them as “purist” exhibitions. In 1919, Jeanneret and Ozanfant, with the financial support of La Roche, created the philosophical and artistic review magazine “Esprit Nouveau” (“L’Esprit Nouveau”), in which Jeanneret headed the architectural department. He publishes his articles under the pseudonym “Le Corbusier”. “Esprit Nuvo” magazine published for the first time “ Five starting points for modern architecture» Le Corbusier, a unique set of rules for modern architecture.

1. Support pillars. The house is raised above the ground on reinforced concrete pillars, which frees up space under the living quarters for a garden or car parking.

2. Flat roof terraces. Instead of the traditional sloping roof with an attic underneath, Corbusier proposed a flat roof-terrace, on which a small garden could be planted or a place to relax.

3. Open plan. Since the walls are no longer load-bearing (due to the use of a reinforced concrete frame), the interior space is completely freed from them. As a result, interior layout can be organized with much greater efficiency.

4. Ribbon windows. Thanks to the frame structure, windows can be made of almost any size and configuration, incl. stretch them freely with a ribbon along the entire facade, from corner to corner.

5. Free facade. The supports are installed outside the plane of the facade, inside the house (literally from Corbusier: freely located indoors). External walls can be made of any material - light, fragile or transparent, and take any shape.

Individually, similar techniques were used by architects even before Corbusier, who, after making a careful selection, combined them into a system and began to consistently apply them. In the 20s, when the language of new architecture was just being formed, these “five starting points of architecture” for many young architects of the “new movement” truly became the “starting point” in their work, and for some, a kind of professional credo. These rules have been formulated repeatedly and in different ways. Here is a translation of one of Le Corbusier's original texts:

Five starting points for modern architecture

1. Racks. To solve a scientific problem means first of all to solve its elements. In a building, you can separate load-bearing elements from non-load-bearing ones. Instead of the previous foundations, on which the building rested without a control calculation, dismembered foundations appear, and in the place of the previous walls - separate racks. Racks and pile foundations are accurately calculated in accordance with the weight bearing on them. The piles are installed at certain equal intervals that are not related to the internal layout of the house. They rise from the ground to 3, 4, 6, etc. meters and carry the first floor at this height. The premises are thus free from dampness, they have enough light and air, the construction site turns into a garden that runs under the house. The same plane is achieved again thanks to the flat roof.

2. Flat roof, roof garden. The flat roof allows it to be used for residential purposes: terrace, garden... Drainage pipes run inside the house. Gardens with beautiful vegetation can be laid out on the roofs, not only bushes, but also small trees up to 3-4 meters in height.

3. Free design of the plan. The pile system carries intermediate floors and reaches all the way to the roof. Internal walls are located in any place, and one floor does not depend in any way on the other. There are no more main walls, there are only membranes of any strength. The consequence of this is absolute freedom in designing the plan, i.e. the ability to freely dispose of all available funds, which should easily be reconciled with some high cost of concrete structures.

4. Extended window. The piles with intermediate slabs form rectangular openings in the façade through which light and air enter in abundance. The window stretches from counter to counter, thus becoming an elongated window... The room is equally illuminated in all its places - from wall to wall. It has been proven that such a room is illuminated 8 times more intensely than the same room with vertical windows. The entire history of architecture revolves solely around window openings. And now reinforced concrete opens up the possibility of maximum illumination with the help of elongated windows.

5. Free design of the facade. Due to the fact that the base of the house is raised on load-bearing piles and is located in a balcony-like manner around the building, the entire façade moves forward from the supporting structure. Thus, the facade loses its load-bearing properties, and the windows can stretch to any length without a direct relationship to the internal division of the building. The window can be 10 meters long, as well as 200 meters (eg our League of Nations project in Geneva). Thus, the facade receives a free design.

The five main points outlined are the foundation of a new aesthetics. We are left with nothing of the architecture of past eras, as little as a literary-historical school education provides.

In 1922, Corbusier, together with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret, opened his architectural bureau in Paris. Pierre Jeanneret became his collaborator and companion for a long time. In 1924 they rented a wing of the old Parisian monastery for office use at the address: st. Sevres, 35 (rue de Sevre, 35). A large group of Corbusier's collaborators constantly worked in this makeshift workshop, and most of his projects were created here.

For the 1922 Autumn Salon exhibition, the Jeanneret brothers presented project “Modern city for 3 million inhabitants”, which proposed a new vision for the city of the future. This project was subsequently transformed into " Plan Voisin"(1925) - a developed proposal for the radical reconstruction of Paris. Voisin's plan envisaged the construction of a new business center of Paris on completely cleared territory. To achieve this, it was proposed to demolish 240 hectares of old buildings. According to the plan, eighteen identical office skyscrapers with 50 floors were located freely, at a sufficient distance from each other. The built-up area was only 5%, and the remaining 95% of the territory was allocated for highways, parks and pedestrian areas. The Voisin Plan was widely discussed in the French press and became something of a sensation. In this and his other urban planning projects - the plan for Buenos Aires (1930), Antwerp (1932), Rio de Janeiro (1936), the "Aubus Plan" for Algeria (1931) - Corbusier developed completely new urban planning concepts. Their general essence is to use new planning methods to increase the comfort of living in cities, to create a modern system of highways in them - with a significant increase in the height of buildings and population density. In these projects, Corbusier showed himself to be a consistent urbanist.

In the 1920s, Corbusier designed and built several modernist villas that made his name. The most famous of them are located in Paris or its surroundings. This Villa La Rocha/Jeanneret (1924), Villa Stein in Garches(now Vaucreson, 1927), Paris, Villa Savoye in Poissy(1929). The characteristic features of these buildings are simple geometric shapes, white smooth facades, horizontal windows, and the use of an internal frame. They are also distinguished by the innovative use of internal space - the so-called. "free plan" In these buildings, Corbusier used his code of “Five Starting Points of Modern Architecture.”

In 1924, by order of the industrialist Henri Fruget, in the village of Pessac near Bordeaux, it was erected according to Corbusier's design. town "Modern houses Fryuge"(Quartiers Modernes Frugès). This town, consisting of 50 two- to three-story residential buildings, was one of the first experiences of building houses in series (in France). Four types of buildings are used here, different in configuration and layout - strip houses, blocked and detached. In this project, Corbusier tried to find the formula for a modern house at affordable prices - simple forms, easy to build and at the same time possessing a modern level of comfort.

At the 1925 World Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris, it was built according to Corbusier's design. Esprit Nouveau pavilion(L'Esprit Nouveau). The pavilion included a life-size residential unit of an apartment building - an experimental apartment on two levels. Corbusier used a similar cell later, in the late 40s, when creating his Marseille Residential Unit.

30s - the beginning of the “international” style

By the beginning of the 30s, Le Corbusier became widely known, large orders began to arrive to him. One of the first such orders - Salvation Army home in Paris(1929-31). In 1928, Corbusier participated in competition for the building of the People's Commissariat of Light Industry(House of the Centrosoyuz) in Moscow, which was then built (1928-1933). The Central Union was a completely new, essentially unprecedented for Europe, example of a solution to a modern business building. Construction was carried out under the direction of architect Nikolai Kolli.

In connection with the construction of the Central Union, Le Corbusier came to Moscow several times - in 1928, 1929, and in the early thirties. He met with Tairov, Meyerhold, Eisenstein, and admired the creative atmosphere that reigned in the country at that time, and especially the achievements of the Soviet architectural avant-garde - the Vesnin brothers, Moses Ginzburg, Konstantin Melnikov. Started a friendly correspondence with A. Vesnin. He participated in the international competition for the building of the Palace of Soviets for Moscow (1931), for which he created a bold, innovative project.

An architectural discovery of its kind was the Swiss Pavilion in Paris, built in 1930-1932 - a dormitory for Swiss students on the territory of an international student campus. Its originality lies in the novelty of the composition, the most original aspect of which was the open support-columns of the first floor, unusual in shape, effectively shifted to the longitudinal axis of the building. Immediately after the completion of construction work, the Swiss pavilion attracted the attention of critics and the press, and made people talk about it. In the post-war years, on one of the walls of the library hall, Corbusier created a large wall panel in an abstract and symbolic vein.

In 1935, Le Corbusier visited the United States, giving lectures on a tour of the country's cities: New York, Yale University, Boston, Chicago, Madison, Philadelphia, again New York, Columbia University. In 1936 he made a similar trip again, this time to South America. In Rio de Janeiro, in addition to lecturing, Corbusier took an active part in the development of the project for the complex of the Ministry of Education and Education (with L. Costa and O. Niemeyer). On his initiative, continuous glazing was used on the high-rise office block of the Ministry, as well as external sun blinds - also one of the first experiments of this kind.

Le Corbusier was one of the founders of the CIAM international congresses - congresses of modern architects from different countries, united by the idea of ​​updating architecture. The first CIAM congress took place in La Sarra, Switzerland, in 1928. Corbusier’s urban planning concepts formed the basis of the “Charter of Athens”, adopted at the IV International Congress of CIAM in Athens, 1933. Le Corbusier’s theoretical views were outlined in his books “ Towards architecture"(1923), " Urban planning"(1925), " Radiant City"(1935), and others.

The impetus for his urban planning ideas was, as he admitted, a report on a newspaper interview with his teacher Auguste Perret (who, however, later abandoned his student for his too extreme ideas).

In his interview, Perret proposed the construction of a city consisting of only tower houses. Le Corbusier developed the idea further. In his imaginary city, the center is formed by a group of towers with a plan in the shape of an equilateral cross. The towers house administrative institutions and offices, as well as public and cultural buildings. To the west of the center there is a large park, to the east there is an industrial area. Residential areas surround the central part of the city and the park. In the center of the group of towers, both main highways, running from north to south and from west to east, intersect on concrete pillars ranging from 3 1/2 to 5 meters in height. The streets at the top serve pedestrians and passenger traffic, while freight traffic moves below. Thus, the entire city is divided into two floors, with all communications - water supply, sewerage, gas, electricity, telephone - located below, on the ground floor. The residential area of ​​the city is separated from the industrial area by a green strip. All around in the green zone there are garden cities.

Thus, the idea of ​​de-urbanization, coming from the garden city, was complemented by the idea of ​​hyper-urbanization of tower cities. In 1933, the Association of Progressive Architects (CIAM), which included Le Corbusier, Bruno Taut, and Soviet architects, proclaimed an architectural charter in Athens. It defined a city as a residential and industrial complex connected with the surrounding area and dependent on political, cultural, social, economic and political factors. Four main functions of the city were formulated:

housing, production, recreation and the fourth function - transport, combining the first three functions - this was figuratively depicted by a triangle with three vertices (habiter, travailler, cultiver 1 "esprit et le corps), through which a circle (circuler) passes.

The Athens Charter created a solid foundation for the edifice of a new science, already under the roof, which received the name of town planning, or urbanism.

All these years (1922-1940) young architects from different countries worked as trainee students in Corbusier’s workshop in Paris at 35 Rue Sèvres. Some of them subsequently became very famous and even famous, such as Kunio Maekawa (Japan), Yunzo Sakakura (Japan), Jose Luis Sert (Spain-USA), Andre Wojanski (France), Alfred Roth (Switzerland-USA), Maxwell Fry (England) and others.

Corbusier was married to Yvonne Gallis (French: Yvonne Gallis), from Monaco, whom he met in Paris in 1922, the marriage was officially formalized in 1930. That same year, Corbusier took French citizenship.

Period 1940-1947

In 1940, Corbusier's workshop was closed, and he and his wife moved to a farm far from Paris (Ozon, Pyrenees). In 1942 he made an official trip to Algeria, in connection with the urban planning project of the city of Algiers. Having returned to Paris that same year, due to the lack of orders, he studied theory, drew, and wrote books. This time marks the beginning of the systematic development of “Modulor” - the system of harmonic proportions he invented, which Corbusier applied in his first big post-war project - the Marseille Bloc. In Paris, he founded the scientific research society “Ascoral” (Assembly of Builders for the Renewal of Architecture), of which he chaired. In various sections of society, topics were discussed that were in one way or another related to the problems of construction, housing and healthy living.

After liberation, restoration work began in France and Corbusier was invited by the authorities to participate in them as an urban designer. He carried out, in particular, plans for the reconstruction of the cities of Saint-Dieu (Saint-Dieu-de-Vosges) (1945) and La Rochelle (1946), which became a new original contribution to urban planning. In these projects, for the first time, the so-called “residential unit of impressive size” appears - the prototype of the future Marseille Bloc. In them, as in other urban planning projects carried out at this time, the idea of ​​a “green city”, or, according to Corbusier, a “Radiant City” (“La Ville radieuse”), is consistently pursued.

In Saint-Dieu, by order of the industrialist Duval, Corbusier erected the building of the Claude et Duval manufactory (1946-1951) - a four-story block with production and office premises, with continuous glazed facades. The Duval manufactory was the first to use the so-called brise-soleil, “sun cutters” - special hinged structures invented by Corbusier that protect the glazed façade from direct sunlight. Later, sun cutters became a kind of trademark of Corbusier’s buildings, where they performed both a service and a decorative role.

In 1946, Corbusier, along with other famous architects from different countries (Niemeyer, Richardson, Markelius, etc.), was invited to prepare a project for the UN headquarters complex on the banks of the East River in New York. For some reason, he did not have to participate in the project until completion; he worked on it from January to June 1947. Although Corbusier is not officially listed among the authors, nevertheless, the general layout of the complex and the high-rise 50-story Secretariat building in particular (1951) largely reflect his design proposals.

The period of “new plasticism” - 1950-1965

The beginning of the 50s is the beginning of a new period for Corbusier, characterized by a radical renewal of style. He moves away from the asceticism and purist restraint of his previous works. Now his handwriting is distinguished by its richness of plastic forms and textured surface treatment. The buildings built during these years again make us talk about it. First of all, this Marseille block(1947-1952) - an apartment building in Marseille, located separately on a spacious green area. Corbusier used standardized duplex apartments (on two levels) with loggias on both sides of the house in this project. Initially, the Marseille block was conceived as an experimental housing with the idea of ​​​​collective living (a kind of commune). Inside the building - in the middle of its height - there is a public complex of services: a cafeteria, library, post office, grocery stores, etc. For the first time on such a scale, the enclosing walls of the loggias were painted in bright pure colors - polychrome. In this project, proportioning using the Modulor system was also widely used. Similar Residential Units (partially modified) were erected later in the cities of Nantes-Rezé (1955), Meaux (1960), Brie-en-Forêt (1961), Firminy (1968) (France), and West Berlin (1957). These buildings embodied the idea of ​​Corbusier’s “Radiant City” - a city favorable for human existence.

In 1950, at the invitation of the Indian authorities of the state of Punjab, Corbusier began implementing the most ambitious project of his life - the project of the new capital of the state, the city Chandigarh. The city, including the administrative center, residential areas with all the infrastructure, schools, hotels, etc., was built over about ten years (1951-60, completed throughout the 60s). Collaborating with Le Corbusier in the design of Chandigarh were architects from England, the spouses Max Fry and Jane Drew, as well as Pierre Jeanneret, the three Chief Architects who supervised the construction. A large group of Indian architects led by M. N. Sharma also worked with them.

The buildings, designed directly by Corbusier himself, belong to the Capitol, the administrative center of the city. These are the buildings of the Secretariat, the Palace of Justice and the Assembly. Each of them is distinguished by an expressive characteristic image, powerful monumentality and represents a new word in the architecture of that time. As in the Marseille block, for external finishing they use a special technology for treating the concrete surface, called “béton brut” (French - raw concrete). This technique, which became a feature of Le Corbusier’s style, was later picked up by many architects in Europe and countries in other regions, which made it possible to talk about the emergence of a new movement - “brutalism”.

The construction of Chandigarh was supervised by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India. The city was created by designers “from scratch”, in a new place, moreover, for a civilization of a different type than the Western one. Overall it was a completely new, unexplored experience. Subsequent assessments in the world of this urban planning experiment are very contradictory. However, in India itself, Chandigarh is considered today one of the most convenient and beautiful cities. In addition, in India, according to Corbusier’s designs, several buildings were erected in the city of Ahmedabad (1951-1957), which were also very original both in terms of plastic and internal design.

The fifties and sixties were the time of the final recognition of Le Corbusier. He is crowned with laurels, showered with orders, and each of his projects is being implemented. At this time, a number of buildings were built that cemented his fame as the European avant-garde architect No. 1. The main ones are the Ronchamp Chapel (1955, France), the Brazilian Pavilion on the campus in Paris, the complex of the La Tourette monastery (1957-1960), the building of the Museum of Art in Tokyo (1959). The buildings, very different in their architectural image and plastic design, have one thing in common - they are all original, innovative works of architecture for their time.

One of Corbusier's last major works was the cultural center of Harvard University, the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts (1959-1962), built in the United States. This building, in its striking unusual forms, embodied all the diverse experience of Corbusier of the last period. This is practically the only building by Le Corbusier in North America (with officially recorded authorship).

Corbusier died at the age of 78 in 1965, at Cap Martin, on the Mediterranean Sea, where he lived in his summer house, La Cabanon. This tiny residence, which served him for a long time as a place of rest and work, is a unique example of a minimal dwelling according to Corbusier.

In addition to his architectural heritage, Corbusier left behind many works of plastic art and design - paintings, sculptures, graphic works, as well as furniture designs. Many of them are kept in the collection of the Le Corbusier Foundation, which is located in the Villa La Rocha/Jeannerre, which he built, in Paris. And also in the Heidi Weber Pavilion in Zurich (Le Corbusier Center), an exhibition building in high-tech style, also built according to his design.

In 2002, the Le Corbusier Foundation in Paris and the French Ministry of Culture took the initiative to include the works of Le Corbusier in the list of UNESCO World Human Heritage sites. Having secured the support of the countries on whose territory there are his buildings - France, Argentina, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, India, Japan - these organizations prepared a list of works by Le Corbusier for inclusion in the “Monuments...” and submitted their proposal to UNESCO in January 2008 G.

Like his contemporaries, he constantly experimented, strove to master his materials to perfection, find optimal ways to use them, and develop the most economical structures that could be standardized and industrialized. Le Corbusier was first and foremost an engineer and did not think of architecture outside of engineering. For him, architecture was primarily the realm of precise mathematical calculations.

He came to this understanding of architecture through his passion for cubist painting and for a long time remained, as he called himself, “a fan of the right angle.” The architect saw the spirit of the times in modern technology and it was in it that he looked for the basis for updating architecture. "Learn from machines." A residential building should be a perfect and comfortable “machine for living,” an industrial or administrative building should be a “machine for work and management,” and a modern city should live and work like a well-oiled engine. In the “machine paradise,” where everything is too straightforward and cold, a person will feel like a slave of technology, a slave of order. But the house needs to be more than just a “machine for living in.” It is “the place of our thoughts, reflections and, finally, it is... the abode of beauty, bringing our mind much needed peace of mind.”

Church of Saint-Pierre, Firminy, France. 1969 - Construction carried out after the death of Le Corbusier, completed in 2006	National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. 1957-1959	Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. 1962
Unité d'Habitation of Berlin-Charlottenburg, Flatowallee 16, Berlin. 1957	Complex of the monastery of La Tourette (Sainte Marie de La Tourette), Lyon, France. 1957-1960 (with Iannis Xenakis)	Maison du Brésil, Campus, Paris. 1957
Palace of Assembly. Chandigarh, Punjab, India. 1951-1962	Open Hand Monument. Open Hand Monument Chandigarh, Punjab, India	Museum at Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad, India. 1956
Textile Association Building (Mill Owners' Association Building), Ahmedabad, India. 1951	Government College of Arts (GCA). Chandigarh, Punjab, India. 1959	Secretariat Building. Chandigarh, Punjab, India. 1951-1958
Museum and Gallery of Art. Chandigarh, Punjab, India. 1951	Cabanon Le Corbusier, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. 1951	Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, France. 1950-1954
Curutchet House, La Plata, La Plata, Argentina. 1949	Marseille residential unit (Unité d'Habitation), Marseille, France. 1947-1952	Manufactory Duval (Usine Claude et Duval) in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France. 1945-1951
Apartment building Clarté (Immeuble Clarté), Geneva, Switzerland. 1930	Villa Savoye, Poissy-sur-Seine, France. 1929-1931	House of the Centrosoyuz in Moscow. 1928-1933
Houses in the village of Weissenhof Estate, Stuttgart, Germany. 1927	Salvation Army House (Armee du Salut), Cite de Refuge, Paris. 1926-1928	Pavilion "Esprit Nouveau" (Pavillon de L "Esprit Nouveau), 1924, Paris - not preserved
Quartiers Modernes Frugès, Pessac, Bordeaux, France, 1924-1925	Villa La Roche/Villa Jeanneret, Paris, 1923-1924	Villa Schwob (Villa Turku) Villa Schwob, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, 1916
Villa Jeanneret-Perret, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, 1912	Villa Fallet, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, 1905

Giving the urban jungle unprecedented forms, Le Corbusier changed the face of cities, embodying in his aerial structures the dynamism of the modern lifestyle and man's desire for harmony with himself and the world around him.

Biography of Le Corbusier

The real name of the legendary Le Corbusier is Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris. He was born on October 6, 1887 in the Swiss city of La Chaux-de-Fonds (canton of Neuchâtel) into a family whose many generations were engaged in the craft of watchmakers and enamellers. At the age of 13, he was enrolled in a local arts and crafts school.

At the age of 15, he already independently decorated watch cases with elegant engravings and painted dials with enamel. And at the age of 18 he wanted to try himself in larger forms. And under the guidance of a professional architect, he designed a residential building for the engraver Louis Falle, who was on the board of the School of Art.

This student work became a turning point. Jeanneret appreciated the prospects of transition from the plane, with which his numerous enamel ancestors dealt, to volume, which provided the artist with special creative freedom. He spent six months in Vienna, communicating with representatives of the Viennese Secession (an association of Viennese artists of the period 1890-1910), one of the founders of which was Gustav Klimt. He attracted the attention of Joseph Hofmann, the architectural leader of Viennese Art Nouveau. Hofmann invited Jeanneret to work in his workshop. However, he gratefully refused. For him, Viennese Art Nouveau was already a classic; new horizons attracted him.

For two years, Jeanneret trained in Paris at the architectural bureau of the Perret brothers, who used recently introduced reinforced concrete as the main material. Then he worked in Berlin with Peter Behrens, one of the founders of industrial architecture.

On the eve of the First World War, Jeanneret returned to his hometown and opened an architectural studio. Completed several orders. His main achievement of that time was the conceptual House-Ino made of large-sized prefabricated elements reminiscent of dominoes. It was a completely new word in urban planning, a breakthrough not only in form, but also in technology.

Paris must be destroyed

In 1917, Jeanneret moved to Paris and got a job as a consulting architect in "Society of Reinforced Concrete" Max Dubois. Among the projects he independently completed during that period, industrial facilities predominated: a slaughterhouse, a weapons arsenal, a power plant, a water tower, and garages. At the same time, he founded and headed a factory for the production of large-block reinforced concrete structures.

In Paris, artistic life was in full swing. Jeanneret met Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger. He became interested in painting and participated in group exhibitions of cubists. Started a philosophical and artistic magazine L'Esprit Nouveau ("The New Spirit"), in which he published a number of theoretical articles, in particular the “Five Starting Points of Modern Architecture” that caused a lot of noise. He signed articles under the pseudonym Le Corbusier. And soon he made this name his personal brand.

In 1922, he opened an architectural bureau on the Rue Sèvres, inviting his cousin Pierre Jeanneret as a partner. It was here that Le Corbusier implemented most of his epoch-making projects.

He started with expensive villas in a modernist style. For Paris at that time, this was quite radical. His name appeared in newspaper headlines with the epithets “leader of modern architecture” and “avant-garde of European scale.”

In 1925, Le Corbusier unveiled a project for the city of the future - the so-called “ Voisin's plan" An avant-garde of European proportions proposed demolishing the entire center of Paris with an area of ​​240 hectares and erecting 18 identical 50-story office skyscrapers on the vacated territory. And between them are low-rise horizontal structures that performed infrastructure functions. Only 5% of the territory was subject to development, the rest was allocated for transport arteries, parks and pedestrian areas. This structure, Le Corbusier argued, is most consistent with human nature. The discussion of the sensational plan was stormy. It is quite understandable that the majority of Parisians rejected him with indignation.

An avant-garde artist on a European scale proposed demolishing the entire center of Paris with an area of ​​240 hectares and erecting 18 identical ones on the vacated territory.
50-story office skyscrapers.

However, the architect was not discouraged. He continued to develop the concept of a "green city" with advanced infrastructure. This is how urban planning projects for the radical redevelopment of Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Antwerp were born. It is clear that this was pure science, an urban abstraction, a message to posterity - not a single project operated in financial, organizational, or social categories. Some things were still being implemented. True, on a greatly reduced scale. By order of the industrialist Henri Fruget, in the suburbs of Bordeaux, according to the design of Le Corbusier, the town of “Modern Houses of Furget” was built from fifty two- and three-story houses of four types. This is how the concept of serial construction from standard panels was realized. The cost turned out to be record low, and quite comfortable apartments were inexpensive.

And in 1925, two geniuses met at the Paris Exhibition - Le Corbusier and Konstantin Melnikov. Each one built their own national pavilion. By the way, both architects participated in the competition for the best design of the Palace of the Soviets, which was supposed to be built on the site of the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Savior, but which was never built. However, one project by Le Corbusier was nevertheless implemented in Moscow. This building Centrosoyuz on Myasnitskaya Street, which now houses Rosstat.

Architecture by Le Corbusier

In the 1930s, Le Corbusier toured the United States and Latin American countries, giving lectures and participating in major architectural projects. He is one of the initiators of congresses of modern architecture. He publishes books that immediately become bestsellers. Talented youth flock to his workshop, and many emerge from its walls as masters.

Le Corbusier enriches architecture with innovative solutions both technologically and aesthetically. Here are just a few of them: support columns under the first floor of the building, sun protection blinds (solar cutters), continuous glazing. Le Corbusier founded Assembly of Builders solving research problems. One of her developments is the modulor, a system of harmonic proportions of the human body and its home, an architectural analogue of the golden ratio.

After the war, Le Corbusier began reconstructing the cities of Saint-Dieu and La Rochelle, which were heavily damaged due to the fighting. It implements “living units” calculated based on the modulator. At the same time, he actively applies the ideas of a “green city” in his urban planning decisions.

The concept of “living units” is brought to perfection in the “Marseille Block”, a multi-apartment residential building on pillars. Standard two-level apartments are united around public spaces - a cafeteria, library, grocery store, post office, hairdresser. The building turns into a whole city with its own infrastructure. And outside there are loggias, which have become an integral element of resort hotels today. The exterior decoration is made in bright colors. Similar houses were built in Nantes-Reze (1955), Bry-en-Forêt (1961), Firminy (1968), and West Berlin (1957).

Green City

In 1950, the architect’s cherished dream came true: he was commissioned to design a new city being built from scratch. The fact is that when Pakistan separated from India, the Indian part of the state of Punjab lost its capital - Lahore went to the Pakistanis. And the Indian government turned to the famous Frenchman with a request to design the new capital of the state - Chandigarh.

Le Corbusier was helped by three people: the Englishmen Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew, as well as his cousin Pierre Jeanneret. In addition, a group of nine Indian architects led by M.N. also worked with him. Sharma.

The city, which was built, as they say, in an open field for more than 10 years, has become for connoisseurs of constructivism the same place of pilgrimage as the Taj Mahal. Chandigarh, located at the foot of the Himalayas between two rivers, consists of 47 sectors of a fixed area - 800 by 1200 meters. Each sector is autonomous, it is a kind of town with its own infrastructure.

My search, like my feelings, is aimed at what constitutes the main value of life - poetry. Poetry is in the heart of man, and that is why man is able to comprehend the treasures hidden in nature.

But there are zones that perform citywide functions. In addition to the administrative center, these include, in particular, the largest pink park in Asia. More than 1,600 varieties of roses are grown here.

The city is surrounded by a 16-kilometer-wide green zone. According to Le Corbusier's plan, this ring should prevent buildings from spreading beyond the city limits. Oddly enough, the city has not yet grown.

Le Corbusier personally designed the main buildings of Chandigarh - the Palace of Justice, the Assembly, the Capitol, as well as a museum, an art gallery, an art school and a yacht club. All of them are distinguished by an external finish called béton brut (“raw concrete”). This decision marked the beginning of a new architectural movement - brutalism, which became widespread worldwide in the 1950-1970s.

During Le Corbusier's lifetime, 30 urban sectors were built. Now there are 57. The population of Chandigarh exceeds one million people. Thanks to the rational planning laid down by Le Corbusier, today the city does not have either the overcrowding typical of Asian cities or the transport problems that are inescapable, for example, in Moscow. So much for “Plan Voisin.”

I go to people

Le Corbusier's work throughout his life was not static; he often changed his style, responding to the demands of the time. But the main thing in his architectural extravaganza has always been man. But the most important thing for a person is poetry. “I go to a person, to people, to understand the meaning of my profession as an architect and builder,” said Le Corbusier. - My search, like my feelings, is aimed at what constitutes the main value of life - poetry. Poetry is in the heart of man, and that is why he is able to comprehend the treasures hidden in nature."

In the 1950-1960s, Le Corbusier paid special attention to the plasticity of surfaces, compositions that interact with the environment, and the contrasting combination of materials of different textures. He boldly experimented with vertical structure, seeking to abolish the rigid division of the building into floors. All this was reflected in the projects of that time: the chapel in Ronchamp, the Brazilian pavilion on the campus in Paris, the La Tourette monastery, the Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, etc.

The great architect died tragically on August 27, 1965, drowning, presumably due to a heart attack, while swimming off Cape Roquebrune on the Mediterranean Sea, where he lived in his summer house. Farewell to him took place in the Louvre; the main director of the funeral service was the French Minister of Culture, writer Andre Malraux.

In 1967, in Zurich, according to Le Corbusier’s drawings, the “Le Corbusier Center” was built, which became a wonderful monument to the brilliant Frenchman. His creations and creative heritage are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, he first spoke about the need for fundamental changes in architecture. But even today his plans are no less revolutionary than many decades ago. Le Corbusier is the greatest and at the same time the most controversial architect of the 20th century. A passionate writer, art theorist, sculptor, furniture designer and painter, loved and hated by many, he forever changed architecture and the world in which we live.

Portrait of Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier's architecture is rightfully considered innovative. He invented a new architectural language that marked a final break with the traditions of the past. The modernist abandoned unnecessary decorative elements, following the philosophy of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe “less is more” and introduced simple geometry of forms, asymmetry, horizontal planes and free layouts into practice. He appreciated natural light and preferred colors from a calm color palette: white and shades of gray. Le Corbusier was one of the first to actively use industrial materials such as concrete, steel and glass.

Whatever project the architect took on, be it private villas, residential complexes or churches, he always went beyond conventions. His contribution to modernism is invaluable, and the principles of Le Corbusier's functionalism became the basis of the international style. Below we present ten grandiose works of the architect from around the world.

Villa La Roche

Place: Paris, France
Years of construction: 1923-1925

The house consists of two separate isolated rooms and consists of the residential residence of the architect's brother and the art gallery of the collector Raoul La Roche, who is passionate about the art of cubism. The villa currently operates as a museum and exhibition space for the Le Corbusier Foundation.

At Villa La Roche, Le Corbusier first realized his revolutionary plans. He would later call them the “five starting points of architecture”: pilot posts, a flat roof that can serve as a garden and terrace, open-plan interiors, ribbon windows and a facade independent of the supporting structure. The project is rightfully considered the first truly modernist house with its unusual geometric shapes, minimalist aesthetics and muted color palette.

Villa Savoy

Place: Poissy, France
Years of construction: 1929-1931

In a wooded suburb of Paris, Villa Savoye was designed by Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret as a family country house. This project is a striking example of the master’s architectural innovation and the embodiment of Le Corbusier’s five principles of new architecture, which he finally formulated in 1927.

The building stands on pillars that support the weight of the structure, raised above ground level. Le Corbusier leaves the structure free of internal supporting walls and relieves the façade of its load-bearing function. The architect strives to “dissolve” the house in the surrounding nature with the help of wide ribbon windows, continuous glazing, greenish thin columns of the first floor and a flat roof-terrace.

Chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut

Location: Ronchamp, France
Years of construction: 1950-1955

The Roman Catholic Chapel at Ronchamp is one of Le Corbusier's most radical projects. This building marked a rejection of the functionalist philosophy that characterized the early works of the modernist.

“Everything in it is interconnected. The poetry and lyricism of the image are generated by free creativity, the brilliance of strictly mathematically based proportions, and the impeccable combination of all elements.”

The chapel was built on a previously existing pilgrimage site, which was completely destroyed during the Second World War. The soaring concrete roof, reminiscent of a seashell, is supported by thick, curvilinear walls with a scattering of irregularly shaped windows.

Residential complex in Berlin

Place: West Berlin, Germany
Years of construction: 1956-1957

Due to extensive bombing, Berlin experienced a major housing crisis after World War II. As a solution to the problem, the architect developed a project for multi-storey social housing consisting of 530 apartments. The concrete building, reminiscent of an ocean liner, became a symbol of post-war modernization in Germany and a prime example of Le Corbusier’s “machine for living.”

The "dwelling unit" concept was first successfully implemented in Marseille. The Berlin housing complex is an almost exact replica of the Marseille housing unit, recognized as the most significant example of Brutalism of all time. Corbusier sought to create a “city within a city” that would meet everyday human needs.

“This is not architecture for kings or princes, this is architecture for ordinary people: men, women, children”

National Museum of Western Art

Place: Tokyo, Japan
Years of construction: 1957-1959

The art gallery, located in the center of Tokyo, is the only project of the great modernist in Southeast Asia and one of the few examples of architectural brutalism in Japan. In its artistic significance, the building is in no way inferior to the paintings of Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and Pollock, presented in the museum’s exhibition.

The three-story building, lined with textured concrete panels, was called by Le Corbusier a “square spiral.” From structural elements to architectural details and interior items, everything is built according to the Modulor system, based by Le Corbusier on the proportions of the human body. The staircase, symbolically placed outside the building, is an allegory of ascent to the temple of art.

Monastery of Sainte-Marie de la Tourette

Location: Eveux-sur-l'Arbresle, France
Years built: 1953-1960

The monastery of the Dominican Order near Lyon, built for a community of monks, looks more like the ruins of a long-forgotten civilization than a religious building: rough concrete surfaces, color contrasts, flat roofs covered with grass, asymmetry and illogical architectural composition.

The complex consists of many different rooms: one hundred separate cells for secluded worship and relaxation, a library, monastery premises, a church and study rooms. Unlike most of Le Corbusier's buildings, the structure does not harmoniously complement the surrounding reality, but sharply dominates the landscape, contrasting the stern purposefulness of faith with the chaos of an uncontrollable nature.

Palace of the Assembly

Place: Chandigrah, India
Years of construction: 1951-1962

The monumental eight-story Palace of Assembly is part of the Capitol, a government complex located in northern India at the foot of the Himalayas. Here Le Corbusier first put into practice some of his ideas about the ideal city. The raw concrete technique used in the construction of the Capitol became the starting point of Brutalism.

“The city is a powerful image that affects human consciousness. Can’t he be a source of poetry for us today?”

The main entrance is decorated with a portico in the shape of a curved boat supported by eight concrete pylons.The core of the building is the meeting room located in the inner cylindrical structures piercing the ceiling like a huge chimney. Bright contrasting elements of the facades enliven the heavy composition.

House of Culture Firmini

Location: Firminy, France
Years built: 1961-1965

House of Culture, completed in the year of Le Corbusier's death,built on the steep cliff of a former coal mine. The architect decided to keep the old coal seam, thus achieving a "poetic resonance" between industrial and natural materials, a symbiosis of the building with the environment.

The asymmetrical curved roof, reminiscent of an inverted vault, is the result of an innovative technical solution: concrete slabs were laid on tension cables. Another feature of the building is a special glazing system with special partitions and glass panels of various sizes.

Heidi Weber Pavilion (Le Corbusier Center)

Place: Zurich, Switzerland
Years built: 1963-1967

Le Corbusier's last lifetime project was commissioned by Heidi Weber, a Swiss designer and great admirer of the great modernist. The building, intended to house a collection of graphic works, sculptures, furniture and sketches by Le Corbusier himself, later became his creative testament. Today there is a museum dedicated to the life and art of the architect.

The building was built from materials atypical for Le Corbusier: glass and steel. Instead of the usual late-period concrete slabs in the architect’s work, there are enameled colored panels.The roof, assembled from steel sheets, is independent and clearly separated from the main structure. She, like a giant umbrella, protects the master’s artistic heritage from the outside world.

Church of Saint-Pierre de Firminy

Location: Firminy, France
Years of construction: 1971-1975, 2003-2006

The church in Firminy is the last major project that was never implemented during Le Corbusier’s lifetime, begun in 1960 and completed 41 years after his death. The concrete pyramidal church looks more like an industrial structure or a spaceship than a place of religious worship. The choice of such an unusual form is explained by the architect's desire to convey the spirit of the place: the building was built in a small mining town.

“The church should be spacious so that the heart can feel free and uplifted, so that prayers in it can breathe”

Simple geometry with complex cosmological symbolism: tothe structure, square at the base, narrows as it rises, losing the severity of the form, metaphorically denoting the transition from the earthly to the heavenly.Tiny round windows that dot the wall like a constellation of stars project the constellations of Orion onto the east wall of the church with beams of light.Multi-colored windows-cones, symbolizing heavenly bodies, illuminate the room in different ways depending on the time of year and religious holidays.

Le Corbusier is as popular a brand nowadays as Coca-Cola or Nike. When it comes to architecture, the name Le Corbusier (1885−1965) uttered as often as fan chants during a football match.

Modern architects are often compared to the master of architecture, his advice is revered and put into practice, and mediocre designers are characterized by the phrase “Not Corbusier” (analogous to “Not a cake”).

So who is he, this great architect of the early 20th century?

An artist, designer, architect, pioneer of the Art Nouveau style, the talented publicist gained popularity all over the world thanks to his signature style: a free facade and a free plan, blocks floating above the ground, and raw concrete. It was he who gave architects and designers creative freedom, destroyed frameworks, and allowed them to build the way “they see.”

“Every great architect is necessarily a great poet. He must be a great original, a translator of his time, his era., - said the American architect.

So, Le Corbusier was just such a poet of his time.

For his research into mathematical orders, Le Corbusier was elected honorary doctor from the universities of Zurich, Cambridge, Columbia and Geneva. He was awarded many orders: Knight, Commander, Officer of the highest rank. And he also has as many as four gold medals for various merits.

Le Corbusier, born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, formed his architectural principles in five points. They were called "Five Points of Architecture", and were published in his own magazine, L'Esprit Nouveau.

• The first is support pillars, something like houses on stilts raised above the surface.
• The second is flat roof-terraces on which you can set up a garden.
• The third is a free layout, accessible thanks to concrete non-load-bearing walls.
• Fourth - ribbon windows that can be stretched from corner to corner.
• Fifth - a free facade of a wide variety of materials.

The designer's favorite color is white. He believed that white cleanses, and by cleansing his home, a person cleanses himself. Harmony is what Le Corbusier strived so hard for in his projects.

Researchers note several periods in the life of the architect: Swiss (1887 - 1917), Purism Period (1917-1930), International Style (30s), New Plasticism Period (1950-1965).

Le Corbusier designed his first house when he was just 18 years old. All his life the architect considered him indecently terrible. This is Villa Fallet (1905) in Switzerland.

But the fee from the “monstrous house” allowed the young man to travel around Europe for the purpose of education. The style of the great architect was significantly influenced by his teachers. They were Perret, the French innovators in reinforced concrete architecture, and the world's first industrial designer, the German Peter Bernes. Le Corbusier worked for them at the beginning of the century.

Another teacher, the artist Amédée Ozanfant, influenced Corbusier the artist. Impressed by my friendship with him, the first picture was drawn.

There is a famous quote from an architect in which he says that image is preferable to conversation because it is much more honest. The young people called themselves purists, organized exhibitions of their laconic paintings and published their own philosophical magazine.

One of the largest projects in the master’s creative life is the Indian period (1950). By order of the authorities, he created the Palace of Assembly, the Palace of Justice and the “Open Hand” monument in the state of Punjab, which turned like a weather vane.

Then another landmark project appeared - the so-called “Marseille residential unit” (1952) or a city within a city. This is an experimental, harmonious residential building, essentially resembling a commune. Le Corbusier designed not only bedrooms and living rooms, he placed shops, clinics and even a hotel inside the building.

The Soviet large-scale project “Houses on the Embankment” (1931) or “House of Soviets” by architect B.M. had something similar. Iofan. There they also meant hairdressers, cinemas and other objects for various purposes. Now this idea has been realized to some extent in modern luxury residential complexes. By the way, Le Corbusier visited Moscow several times; the fact is that it was he who was the author of the bold, but, unfortunately, unrealized project of the Palace of the Soviets in Moscow, which won an international competition. In addition, it was he who was the author of the Central Union Building. So residents of the capital can enjoy his creation without spending a lot of time on the road.

But let's return to the Marseille block. Outwardly, it resembles the most ordinary high-rise building with faceless square windows, albeit painted in different colors. One of the concrete boxes that everyone is now so unanimously criticizing. But inside the house is very modern, stylish and bright. Le Corbusier spoke about his creation like this:

“I have the honor, joy and satisfaction to present to you a perfectly sized residential unit, an exemplary model of modern living space”

In fact, the house was just a small speck in the architect's large-scale plans. He dreamed of building an ideal city in which people could live harmoniously and beautifully. He even presented three ongoing projects - “Project for a City for 3 Million Inhabitants” (1932), “Plan Voisin” (1925) and “Radiant City” (1930).

It is very difficult to tell in one review article about all the projects, thoughts and ideas of one of the most brilliant people of the 20th century. There are so many of them that they become topics for dissertations and entire courses of lectures.

I would like to believe that we managed to interest you in the bright and extraordinary personality of Le Corbusier, and that after reading this material you will want to “Google” about this amazing man and learn as much as possible about him. And if someone is lucky, be sure to visit the Le Corbusier Foundation in Paris and the Le Corbusier Center in Zurich.

Meta-description: Le Corbusier is the most outstanding architect of the 20th century, builds in the Art Nouveau style.

From the editor

Towards architecture. Translation by V.N. Zaitseva
Abstracts

Urban planning. Translation by V.N. Zaitseva
General provisions
Order
Modern city
A modern city with a population of three million
City plan
Paris center
"Plan Voisin" and the history of Paris

Decorative arts today. Translation by V.N. Zaitseva

New spirit in architecture. Translation by V.V. Fryazinov

Clarifications on the current state of architecture and urban planning. Translation by V.N. Zaitseva
"Plan Voisin" for Paris. Can Buenos Aires become one of the most worthy cities in the world?
Moscow atmosphere

Radiant city. Translation by V.N. Zaitseva
Air of cities
How to solve the Paris problem?
"Radiant Farm"
"Radiant Village", or cooperative village

Guns, shells? Excuse me! Dwellings? Please! Do you prefer to fight? Translation by V.N. Zaitseva

Athens Charter. Translation by V.V. Fryazinov
General provisions. City and its region
The current state of cities. Criticism and remedies
Historical heritage of cities
Conclusion. Basic provisions of the doctrine
Notes on international congresses of modern architecture

Residential complex in Marseille. Translation by V.N. Zaitseva
Blasphemy
View from above
Subject
Twenty four hour solar cycle
Elementary conditions of individual freedom
Family life
Technique
Communication
Implementation
Conclusion
conclusions
From the map of Europe through human habitation to a new technical and social balance
Marcel, bottle and bottle box
About the long journey of 1907-1950 and about the program for the future
Program for the future

Three human institutions. Translation by V.N. Zaitseva
"Green Factory"
Residential buildings
Industrial facilities

Modulator. Translation by V.V. Fryazinov
Environment, sphere, conditions and development of research
Chronology

Letters, notes, etc. Translation by V. N. Zaitsev
Five starting points for modern architecture
At one of the receptions with the Minister of Construction, Mr. Sudro
Open letter to Mr. Prefect
Reflections
Announcement in Le Corbusier's workshop
Statement by Le Corbusier January 27, 1959
Letter from Le Corbusier to the Mayor of Venice
Letter from Le Corbusier to a group of architects in Johannesburg

Works by Le Corbusier
Completed buildings
Unfulfilled projects
Literary works

Afterword. K.T. Topuridze

From the editor

The name of Le Corbusier, a bold innovator in architecture, a theorist of modern architecture and urban planning, is widely known throughout the world.

Le Corbusier left a huge literary legacy, which is inseparable from his work.

For half a century, Le Corbusier advocated the creation of a new architecture, a new urban planning, in order to provide everyone with housing worthy of a person. He has published scientific research, polemical speeches, and books on the theory of architecture and art.

His first book, “The Development of Decorative Arts in Germany,” was published in 1911, when the author was 24 years old. From then on, Le Corbusier, until the end of his life (1965), did not let go of his pen, defending his ideas.

In the book Towards Architecture, published in 1923, Le Corbusier outlined the foundations of his understanding of the tasks of architecture. From it we publish only part of the sharply presented theses, which give a clear idea of ​​the master’s creative credo, and several other passages that develop these theses.

From the major work “Urban Planning” published in Paris in 1925, the collection includes sections in which Le Corbusier substantiated his project for a modern city for 3 million inhabitants and the project for the reconstruction of the center of Paris (the so-called “Plan Voisin”).

The collection also includes excerpts from the books: “Decorative Art Today” (1925), “Almanac of Modern Architecture” (1926), “Clarification on the Current State of Architecture and Urban Planning” (1930), “Radiant City” (1935), “Three human institutions" (1945).

An excerpt has been translated from the book “Moduler” (1950), which sets out the basic principles of the system of compositional construction and proportioning created by Le Corbusier.

Le Corbusier's books “The Charter of Athens” (1943) and “Housing Complex in Marseille” (1950) are taken in their entirety. In addition, the collection includes some of Le Corbusier's letters and notes collected by Sophie Daria in her book Le Corbusier (1964).

In his books and articles on the theory of urban planning and architecture, Le Corbusier went beyond narrow professional tasks and raised deep social problems.

Of particular interest is his sharp, merciless criticism of living conditions in the cities of the capitalist world. Of course, this great humanist did not understand that in conditions of private land ownership, the bold urban planning decisions he put forward could not be implemented without serious political changes. Without mastering the philosophy of Marxism-Leninism, Le Corbusier often tried to reconcile the irreconcilable.

But as a person of integrity and truthfulness, he was always on the side of progress, freedom and justice. In 1938, Le Corbusier spoke out sharply against those who were preparing the Second World War. In 1950, along with other progressive people, he signed the Stockholm Appeal for Peace.

Le Corbusier is a brilliant publicist with a very unique style of presentation. The form of his literary works is completely subordinated to the content and purpose. He often resorts to hyperbole, paradoxes, and deliberate repetitions. The main thing for him is to convey his idea to the reader in the shortest possible way. He always strives for clarity of presentation and intelligibility. He calls, he demands, he criticizes harshly. Even when Le Corbusier expresses controversial ideas, the reader seems to be involved in this debate, enriched by the logical train of his thoughts and drawing his own conclusions.

Photographs from the most important buildings built according to Le Corbusier's designs, projects, sketches, diagrams, drawings, drawings and reproductions of his paintings and sculptures, placed in the collection (selected and prepared by K. T. Topuridze), will visually present to the reader the ideas of the master in their plans and implementation and will help you get an idea of ​​the creative laboratory of the largest architect of our time.