Corbusier Research Articles

In praise of light and shadows

The interaction of light and shadow has always fascinated architects, and even more so since Le Corbusier’s famous quote from 1923, published in Vers une Architecture, in which he describes architecture as “the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light”. This game, which thus motivated the painters of Purism and Cubism – among whom Le Corbusier would come to be included – contributed in great part to the definition of the aesthetic ideals of the artistic avant-garde in the West in the first half of the 20th century. Associated with the purity of crystal, with the idea of total transparency, and with the blurring of the boundaries between the interior and the exterior, this very same game served as the conceptual premise of (and later as a critical challenge to) the architecture of the Modern Movement. The counterpoint to the purist and crystalline impetus of modernism would emerge, and indeed one of many, by way of “In Praise of Shadows”, a reference to the book written in 1933 by Junichiro Tanizaki. In this work, the author examines how Oriental culture (in contrast with Western culture) has always sought to shield the interior space from the invasion of light and from exterior views by use of trees, porches, patios, shutters, and translucent sliding doors or dividers (the Japanese shôji). It is not by accident that many of these traditional elements would once again come to be adopted by Western architecture from the late 1950s onward in its search for vernacular values deriving from a broad variety of cultures. Having studied in these seminal years of critical review of the Modern Movement and coinciding with the publication of the Survey on Regional Architecture in Portugal – (Inquérito à Arquitetura Popular em Portugal) (1955-1961), the young architect Álvaro Siza learned from Fernando Távora – his former teacher and mentor – to appreciate not only the effect of light on forms (Távora himself admitted to being an avid admirer of Le Corbusier), but also to stroll about the shadows in traditional habitats (Távora would gather important teachings from Japanese architecture during his grand tour in 1960 and filtering it through another great influence of his: Frank Lloyd Wright). These different “phantom-characters” would come to also occupy the imagination of the young Siza, and to them he added references to Alvar Aalto, Bruno Taut or Adolf Loos, at the moment of considering the relationship between the individual and the collective space, between the domestic and the monumental scale, between the window and the city. The photographic work of Mark Durden and João Leal focusing on Álvaro Siza’s work in Porto – now published by Scopio Newspaper – goes in search of not only this same game of shadows upon the target surfaces of the façades and the interiors of the buildings but also the multiplicity of transparencies and penumbras that unfold through their ample glazed windows. [...]

Art and Design on the Campus of the Silesian University of Technology

The aim of the research presented in the publication is a qualitative analysis of elements of small architecture on the campus of a research university of the Silesian University of Technology. The research was carried out during the implementation of the research project entitled: “Art. and Design in Public Space.” As part of the project, further objects are created in the field of education, art and design. Made: 3 Red Cubes - Sight - Influence of geometric solids on the perception of the surrounding space, 4 numbered BenchMan benches, Le Corbusier’s Modulor with graphic information, Kinetic Sculpture. All spatial elements are to draw attention, provoke reflection, present the work of students and employees, and above all, inspire and encourage the use of the design in small architecture. Selected elements are modifiable, portable and can be further created, and the process of creative activities is open and possible to continue. The project is open and has a developmental character. Further spatial elements will be added. The main slogan of the project is: “Change the environment and inspire others.” The main goal of the project is to give “Life in Space”. During use, research is being conducted, including observation of user behavior, the impact of given objects on their users. The main research results are the effects of qualitative research on the changed space. They showed that all the presented spatial elements change the existing space, make them think, inspire, introduce a factor of interest in this space, convey information about space. The creative process in this project is an open activity and enables further transformation and modification of this space. It is also a factor that introduces an element of creativity and attractiveness of space through constant changes and other aesthetic and functional possibilities of space. The most important conclusions include the fact that introducing minor changes to small architecture in public space using art and design gives great results in the form of activating public space, improving aesthetics and functionality.

Echoes of architectural modernism in J.G. Ballard’s High-Rise

Abstract This article pursues the elements of architectural Modernism in James Graham Ballard’s 1975 novel High-Rise (1975). The enormous tower block represents a triumph of technological and constructional progress envisioned by the pioneers of modernist architecture. However, Ballard’s vision of social development within it is regressive and violent. In order to decipher the nature of the role, or lack thereof, of the tower block in the reformulation of its own social fabric, the paper studies the ways in which the narrative presents aspects analogous to the key elements of architectural modernism. Particular attention is paid to the narrative’s reflections of radical and often contradictory visions of key figures of theoretical roots of modernism, such as Le Corbusier and Karel Teige. Their ambiguous stance on the core of modernism not only determines the outcome of the social experiment performed by Ballard in High-Rise, but can also be seen as deforming the building practice until today.

Brutalism in the Architecture of Polish Churches

The main research problem presented in the article is the impact of brutalism on sacral architecture in Poland. The author analyses six churches built in the second half of the 20th century. In addition, he compares their features with the global brutalist trend of this period. The following churches were examined in the article: Church of St. Michael in Sopot, Church of Our Lady the Queen of Poland in Kraków – Nowa Huta, Church of St. Jan Kanty in Poznań, Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Łódź, Church of St. Jadwiga the Queen in Kraków, Church of St. Joseph the Worker in Kielce. The brutalist style in architecture was initiated in the 1950s. It was based on Le Corbusier’s post-war buildings and the architectural program developed by Alison and Peter Smithson called the New Brutalism. The brutalist style quickly spread throughout the world, reaching its apogee in the 1960s. In Poland, however, it was introduced relatively late and to a limited extent. Its influence is particularly visible in the architecture of Polish universities, apartment buildings, but most of all churches. The search for original, monumental forms of contemporary religious buildings coincided with such features of brutalism as individualism, strong expression and the use of raw materials. The new churches had to be different from the clichéd, standard and often repeatable buildings of socialist modernism. Brutalist architects in other countries followed similar assumptions. They rejected machine aesthetics of functionalism and preferred dramatized, complex forms. Based on the analysis of the presented churches, brutalist features and elements characteristic of Polish sacral architecture were indicated, including: monumentality, massive plasticity, complexity, strong chiaroscuro effects, expressive and sculptural forms, exposure of internal functions in building facades, emphasizing the importance of movement and articulating elements of pedestrian circulation, preferring craftsmanship over industrial methods. Architects often created rhythms on facades by repeating structural elements, and also introduced reinforced concrete details such as: roofs, gargoyles, window frames, brise soleil and ondulatoires. They favored rough and picturesque textures of concrete, brick and stone.

Pre-war Inspirations in Shaping Green Spaces in Post-war Warsaw

This article explores green space planning in Warsaw between 1916 and 1954, as an example of the creative development of the concept of shaping green spaces through years in the city. Based on relevant plans and documents this study shows that regardless of the conditions or political system, the urban green areas adopted after the war was optimal, because it resulted from the real needs of the state capital, which after many years of partitions, regained independence, and thus the ability to self-decide about its further development. The article examines the impact of planning concepts from the interwar period on the reconstruction of Warsaw in shaping green spaces. The paper focuses on indicating the similarities and differences in urban plans derived from the interwar time and the “social-realistic” period. The research starts with studies at the general level and leads to detailed solutions. The research uses the method of critical analysis of source data, including cartographic studies and the comparative method. In addition to strictly scientific research methods, the study also uses artistic evaluation of the designed urban greenery assumptions. As a result of the war, many European cities suffered severe damages. Warsaw belonged to the most experienced in this area. Paradoxically, the city’s destruction has become an opportunity for rebuilding it as a better one, also in terms of strengthening the resources of green urban areas. Already in the pre-war period, the need to increase the city’s area resources was strongly articulated to enable a coherent and future-oriented urban policy. The idea of strengthening the field base constituting urban resources was at the root of the idea of cooperative activity so popular in the Scandinavian countries or Germany. However, in Poland, right after the war took a pathological form. Under the so-called decree on communalization, also called the Bierut Decree, the ownership of land within its administrative boundaries was transferred to the municipality of Warsaw, which facilitated the process of implementing changes. The concept of building Warsaw in 1945 assumed functional segregation of the city following the idea of Le Corbusier. The overall thought was to rebuilt Warsaw as the town for the new “socialist” type of citizens. Although the urban planners working during the so-called “social-realistic” period (1945-1954) affirmed that their ideas of the development of towns were entirely new, the plans prepared for Warsaw depict many similarities to the ones worked out in the interwar period, from 1916 on. At the same time, the plan assumed maintaining wedge-shaped zones of greenery entering downtown. Subsequent proposals of the first post-war years followed this principle. Subsequent concepts for the development of Warsaw arising in the second half of the 1940s were consistent with the assumptions of the Athens Charter of 1933, guaranteeing residents’ access to greenery, accompanying residential districts, or creating a city-wide recreational space.

Recoding Art

When Varèse lived in that street sixty years earlier, he was creating Poème Electronique, a commission from the Philips company. The eight-minutes song would become the soundtrack of the pavilion created by Le Corbusier at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. For this composition, Varèse gathered trivial sounds from Eindhoven, noises that would only be the disposable sounds of everyday life for many. But not the composer who, exhibiting keen attention and sensitivity, saw poetic power in these sounds and produced a striking composition. [...]

Le Corbusier: publicaciones en Estados Unidos, 1925-1939

Se recopilan y analizan las publicaciones, de y sobre Le Corbusier, en Norteamérica, en el periodo de entreguerras, que corresponde con la difusión inicial de sus ideas e incluye su participación en la Modern Architecture International Exhibition del MoMA en 1932, su muestra de pintura en la galería Becker en 1933 y el viaje con exposición de 1935. Durante esta época se consolidaron en Estados Unidos la estandarización industrial, la automoción o los fenómenos urbanos complejos, que atrajeron a Le Corbusier, y propiciaron allí el interés por sus alegatos sobre la máquina. Se aporta un listado actualizado, operativo y más completo, que permite hacer una mínima bibliometría, con 15 textos de Le Corbusier y 73 de otros autores. Muchos eran antiguos colaboradores (Rice, Frey, Stonorov) o admiradores en torno al MoMA, con Hitchcock a la cabeza (Kocher, Barr, Heap, Lescaze, Hood). Hubo alguna respuesta crítica de figuras como Wright, Fuller, Bauer o Mumford. Destacaron determinados medios e instituciones favorables (<em>Architectural Record</em>, <em>The New York Times</em>, The Studio, MoMA, Architectural League). En cuanto al formato, no se trata de estudios académicos ni metodológicos, sino alegatos breves y provocadores, con el hábil recurso a titulares e imágenes propias, en paralelo al texto. La temática principal no fue su obra construida, sino sus propuestas urbanas.

Le Corbusier and Ariadne

De una carta de fecha 1913 a W. Ritter en el que describía la “obsesión erótica”, que le había hecho representar la imagen de la Ariadna dormiente en los jardines de Versalles como una odalisca desnuda en el cuadro titulado La Versalles du Grand Turc, hasta su último proyecto gráfico de 1964 titulado "Naissance du Minotaure II”, la “mitología privada” de las obras de Le Corbusier fue dominado por la mitología minoico-cretense, hasta el punto de que el símbolo del toro se convirtió en el principio unificador de toda su obra pictórica, plástica y arquitectónica. Decenas de proyectos de arquitectura de Le Corbusier incluyen el tema del laberinto. La “main ouverte” y Ariadna - la Licorne estaban destinadas a unirse de lejos Chandigarh con la presa de Bhakra. Para la presa Le Corbusier diseñó elementos arquitectónicos y que planeaba instalar una copia de la escultura “Ariadna”, similar en tamaño a la “mano abierta” en Chandigarh. El complejo de Chandigarh-Bhakra- la ciudad planificada y la infraestructura hidroeléctrica - fue la realización el plan mundial de la reconstrucció posguerra, un enfoque ideado por Le Corbusier, junto con el CIAM de la ONU, basado en el modelo de la TVA, el New-Deal Agencia Federal, que había planeado el desarrollo de la zona más atrasada de los Estados Unidos a partir de la generación de energía hidroeléctrica. La historia está cifrada en la parte posterior del tabernáculo en Ronchamp.

Weaving Words: Le Corbusier and Jean Lurçat Between Tapestry and Poetry

<p>Antes de su funeral en el Cour Carrée del Louvre el 1 de septiembre de 1965, el cuerpo de Le Corbusier (1887-1965) yacía con su tapiz Les Dés sont jetés (1960) como telón de fondo. Este artículo examina el lugar y la importancia del tapiz en la carrera más amplia de Le Corbusier como arquitecto, artista y poeta, y resalta las formas en que sus obras tejidas de 1948 en adelante están intrincadamente conectadas a su pensamiento a través de los medios. Jean Lurçat (1892-1966), el protagonistga del diseño moderno de tapices, generalmente se deja de lado en el análisis histórico del arte. Al reunir estas dos figuras, encuentro un punto de encuentro no solo en su compromiso con el tapiz como una forma de resistencia y revolución a través de un modelo medieval, sino también en sus diferentes usos de la poesía en el sentido más amplio. Lecturas detalladas de las imágenes de los tapices junto con los escritos de los propios artistas, Paul Éluard y Stéphane Mallarmé revelan conexiones sorprendentes.</p>

Cuadros de una exposición. Arquitectura y urbanismo de nuestro tiempo (Amancio Williams, Buenos Aires, 1949)

<p class="p2">En 1949, Amancio Williams organizó una exposición en Buenos Aires, que denominó <em>Arquitectura y urbanismo de nuestro tiempo</em>. Se exhibió una importante cantidad de planos y fotos que había conseguido en su viaje a Europa de 1947, en el que contactó con Le Corbusier, Marcel Lods, Pierre Jeanneret y otros, quienes le cedieron o enviaron materiales. Con un catálogo diseñado por Tomás Maldonado, las vicisitudes de la exposición dan cuenta del estado de la cultura arquitectónica de aquel momento.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>

Hospital de Venecia - Feria de Valencia: pas de deux (1965-2002)

<p>La Feria de Valencia de Guillermo Jullian de la Fuente, sigue a partir de 1967 un camino paralelo al desarrollo del proyecto para el Hospital de Venecia de Le Corbusier. Su construcción materializó, a gran escala, inquietudes arquitectónicas ensayadas por el Maestro en el proyecto para Venecia, que sus últimos colaboradores llevaron a cabo tras su muerte. Ambas obras podemos entenderlas como el trabajo de un taller de arquitectura, en el que bajo la inspiración de Le Corbusier, se cuenta con la aportación creativa de sus colaboradores: el propio Jullian como “jefe de taller” pero también José Oubrerie, Roggio Andréini y otro grupo de arquitectos, quienes deciden continuar los trabajos pendientes del atelier de la rue de Sèvres en el pequeño local de la rue Daguerre, el “Atelier Jullian”. Todos ellos son bastante desconocidos en España, y esto contribuyó, a que la única obra realizada en nuestro país por parte de los herederos del taller de Le Corbusier: la Feria de Valencia de 1967, haya prácticamente desaparecido. Este artículo pretende poner en valor aquella arquitectura y reivindicar su importancia.</p>

Insights into the daily life of Le Corbusier: the agendas in the Fondation Le Corbusier

Los recursos disponibles para la investigación en la Fundación Le Corbusier son muchos y variados. Entre ellos, las agendas (diarios) ofrecen una visión particularmente interesante de la vida pública y privada de Le Corbusier. Estos diarios presentan una serie de dificultades para el investigador: las notas son a menudo difíciles de leer y aún más difíciles de interpretar. La organización de los diarios debe ser comprendida. Las páginas de los diarios no tienen fecha. Establecer las fechas aproximadas de cada página representa un desafío que sólo puede superarse mediante las referencias de una amplia gama de otra documentación. Este documento ofrece sugerencias sobre cómo analizar e interpretar este difícil material. Con una serie de ejemplos trabajados, se da una indicación de algunos de los conocimientos que pueden obtenerse de la extracción de estos datos.

On Theory and Practice

While Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius were indeed enormously influential in shaping modern architecture, noteworthy designs being done today prove that the International Style is no longer dominant.

Modern International Park City and Ecological Civilization Education Practice: Taking Chengdu Tianfu Greenway as the Core

In the comprehensive development of modern park city and ecological civilization education, Chengdu has gradually explored its own path with international characteristics. The positioning of Chengdu as a “modern and beautiful park city” is an innovation proposed by Mr. Xi Jinping in recent years. This concept not only combines the geographical location of Chengdu with the regional characteristics of the western environment, but also highly respects the historical laws of the development of Chengdu’s Bashu civilization for thousands of years. At the same time, it also absorbs Howard’s “pastoral city” dream and Mountford, the theme of Gedde’s “Organic City Theory” has corrected the shortcomings of Le Corbusier’s mechanized functional space view and presented distinctive Chinese characteristics in theoretical innovation and the development of ecological civilization education. The outstanding performance is the organic integration of the development of Tianfu ecological civilization, the cultural education of Bashu and the aesthetic design practice, the creation of the international brand image of Chengdu’s “three cities and three capitals” and the innovative practical experience results of the dream of “beautiful and livable park city”.

“Space Formed by Building” Part 1: Reading the Rotherham House through Its Materiality

ABSTRACT Group Architects are New Zealand’s best-known practitioners of regional modernism. They are associated with the search for New Zealandness in architecture, even as international interests are acknowledged. In 2003, Group member Bruce Rotherham (1926–2004) distanced himself from much of this commentary, emphasising his own early focus on “space formed by building”, not New Zealandness. Of interest here is his privileging of building, that is, the assemblage and attributes of building materials. The article explores the materiality of Rotherham’s best-known New Zealand building, the Rotherham House in Stanley Bay, Auckland (1951). It interrogates each of the four main materials used in the house: wood, stone, brick and glass. It asks, what is the history of each material, and what does the way it was used reveal about Rotherham’s interests and influences? The article suggests that for Rotherham, Auckland’s nineteenth-century Gothic Revival timber churches were a likely New Zealand source of influence. It then goes further than previous scholarship on the Group by suggesting specific overseas buildings that Rotherham is likely to have known and that anticipate the material palette of the Rotherham House. Reference to the 1930s and 40s work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier and Alvar Aalto is recurrent.

A shift from “habitat pour le plus grand nombre” to “habitat évolutif” in post‐war francophonie: A study on the history of international and regional exchange activity of ATBAT(Atelier des Bâtisseurs), part 2

A shift from “habitat pour le plus grand nombre” to “habitat évolutif” in post‐war francophonie: A study on the history of international and regional exchange activity of ATBAT(Atelier des Bâtisseurs), part 2

Floating facilities providing social services – a Floating Salvation Army Refuge in Paris and “School Ship” in Vienna

The article presents two floating architectural structures developed in response to the needs of local communities. The first one – a river barge “Louise-Catherine” – was adapted in 1929 according to the design of Le Corbusier, one of the most influential architects of the first half of the 20th century, for the purposes of Salvation Army shelter docked on the Seine in Paris and it continued its operation as such until 1994. The second one – Bertha von Suttner state junior high school – was developed in a shipyard to serve as a school, which purpose it has been fulfilling since 1994 while moored on the Danube River in Vienna. The author’s intention was to describe both structures while highlighting common features as well as differences, and to analyse them in view of certain selected aspects. The background for the projects’ development was described account taken of different reasons and circumstances. Issues under analysis include decision making processes in terms of architectural programme, functions and spatial developments. The analysis also includes technical aspects such as structural developments, material and infrastructure – in terms of the floating Viennese school – account taken on safety of using a barge as a school establishment. A separate part of the article is dedicated to the issue of social reception, and incase of the former Salvation Army shelter – actions aimed at the protection of a historic structure.

Metamorphosis of the Architectural Space of Goetheanum

In the beginning of the XX century, political, economic, and demographic revolutions contributed to the emergence of extraordinary people. In architecture, they were Frank Lloyd Wright, Antonio Gaudí, Frank Owen Gary, Le Corbusier, Hugo Hering, Alvar Aalto, Hans Sharun, Walter Burley Griffin, and Marion Mahony Griffin. Each of them was given a lot of attention in the media resources and their creativity was researched in different fields of knowledge. However, Rudolf Steiner’s work remains controversial to this day. Although many of the architects mentioned above enthusiastically commented on Steiner’s architectural works, there was always ambiguity in the perception of this mystic architect. Such a careful attitude to the work of the architect is due primarily to his worldview, his extraordinary approach to art and architecture in particular, because it is in architecture that Steiner was able to implement the basic tenets of anthroposophy, which he founded. The purpose of this study is to determine the content of the spatial structure of Steiner’s architecture, which makes it unique in the history of architectural heritage. The authors offer the scientific community the first article in a series of articles on the anthroposophical architecture of Rudolf Steiner and the philosophical concept that influenced the formation of this architecture.

The golden section in the work of Carlo Scarpa: a study of two drawings

The use of the golden section to regulate the proportions of forms and spaces is one of the most debated and controversial issues in architectural theory. In this article, I show that the work of the Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa has its roots in the classical theory of proportions. I examine two drawings to demonstrate how Scarpa applies harmonic proportions to a museum space, and the close ties between it and the artworks on display. Unlike Le Corbusier’s idealistic use of the golden section, Scarpa employs this proportional system in a pragmatic and experimental way. He applies it only in places of special importance, such as the ‘small masterpieces’ gallery in the Gallerie dell’Accademia and the Main Lecture Theatre at the IUAV in Venice. The analysis foregrounds two principles of Scarpa’s work that emerge as significant. First, small size is a prerequisite in the pursuit of perfection. Second, and more generally, the architectural project is a matter of visual perception based on the quest for the ‘right proportion’.

Soundscaping the Archives: Disrupting Boundaries through Sensory Research

Through this paper, we seek to re-imagine and challenge the meaning of archival spaces. While archival spaces are repositories of information, they are also sites where cultural values and public memory are shaped, and forms of power enacted. Drawing on sensory ethnography research in the Le Corbusier archives in Paris, France, we consider how boundaries are disrupted through noise, echo, reverberations, buzzing, and other “sounds.” Our work is presented in two overlapping textures: a soundtrack, with recordings from the Le Corbusier archives; and the text written out below. Alongside tracing archival soundscapes, a secondary function of this paper is to find our way with voice. In our experiences, ethnography is an embodied method, personal and context-specific. This made engaging with the two sets of “I’s” within our work, ultimately, a reflexive and collective process that happened over many conversations. We have chosen to keep “I” and clarify, as much as possible, whose experience is being shared.