The University of Melbourne

Department of Architecture Building and Planning

Essay one

Topic - Le Corbusier

Introduction

The purpose of this essay is to define the critical position of Le Corbusier. The term critical position refers to the theory or philosophy, that guides an architects work. To understand the theory of Le Corbusier is an important part of any architectural education, as he is considered to be one of the major influences within the realm of architectural philosophy and practice during the 20th century. Le Corbusier is one theorist who practices his philosophy via architecture and art. As the theory develops, so to does his practice in architecture and art.

Born in La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland in 1887. Le Corbusier moved away from the watch making background of the Swiss village, towards a career in architecture under the guidance of his school art teacher. His architectural training was varied and largely self motivated, the most influential part of his architectural learning process, was gained from the expeditions he undertook throughout Europe. These involved apprenticeships with several architects of differing philosophies, and site visits to learn the principles behind architectural forms and places.

Most noted for his work in the 1920's, which involved the challenging of architectural standards and the way in which architecture functions within society. Le Corbusier can be framed as one of the first architects of the modern movement or International style and provides an excellent example of consistent oscillations between architectural theory and practice. A theory that was under continual deployment throughout his career and leads consistently towards built examples in his practice, which even today, some thirty to eighty years after the fact, stand at the forefront of toady's architectural education and practice.

An architecture for tomorrow. The architectural theory of Le Corbusier.

Le Corbusier's existence within the architecture of the 20th century was one of a prolific thinker and revolutionary. In terms of a thinker, Le Corbusier can be best described as a person coming to grips with the machine age. His revolutionary work was primarily concerned with the existence of man within the new age of the industrial economy. This coming to grips with a new reality, was to shape the lifestyle, architecture and art Le Corbusier was to advocate for the rest of his practicing life.

When analysing the influences on the make up of Le Corbusier's architectural direction, one cannot proceed beyond the absence of the beaux arts school of architectural training. The beaux arts school of architecture is distinctly orientated towards the past with classical planning, styles or aesthetics. It was the unconventional training that gave Le Corbusier the ability to shed the past before it was indoctrinated. This shedding of the past and the willingness to learn new ideas gave Le Corbusier the right background for the shaping of a new architecture.

This ability to form new ideas without the past or historically orientated training coupled with the onset of the industrial revolution, gave Le Corbusier not only the background, but the means. This means was produced by the industrial revolution and the engineers aesthetic, the activity occurring around Le Corbusier was mostly directed by engineers, this was not entirely natural according to Le Corbusier, who saw architects as the interpreters between the engineer and society¹. He saw the architect as the form giver to the new engineering methods of the industrial revolution. Another part of the equation was the rapidly increasing world population, Le Corbusier was obsessed with finding a solution for the housing of the rapidly growing cities in France, England and America.²

During the 1920s, Le Corbusier identified his architectural and social philosophy. This identification then led to the examination of an architecture and society that could be held in accordance with these philosophical views. The views Le Corbusier held to do with man's existence were a culmination of his views on man's proper and moral lifestyle. His philosophical views were demonstrated through politics and aesthetics, in politics Le Corbusier believed in socialism/communism under the doctrines of Marx or similar and in aesthetics, cubism was the best representation of the Kant idea of pure or phenomenal forms.³

Under socialist philosophy, Le Corbusier saw the lifestyle of citizens clearly, a group of people moving in one direction towards and productive and healthy exist4">Le Corbusian world.⁴

This idea that people all work and progress through time together for the common good, using the latest in technology and economy to do so. The liner was a representation of the new spirit Le Corbusier spoke of, with relationship to the technologies and aesthetics promoted within the manufacturing of modern liners.

Le Corbusier had no traditionally based solutions to design problems, which meant there was no essential need to look towards the past for the solutions to new problems of today. What Le Corbusier did utilise, was analysis of the old from the point of view similar to a mathematician.⁵ His analytical work was to find the essence of the successful architectural solutions of the past, and use the formulae or proportions that would give rise to well proportioned spaces in the future. This search led to the confirmation of the existence of pure spaces that Le Corbusier learned from Kant through Nietzsche. The idea that in the phenomenal world there are spaces that exist in pure forms which can be combined to form pleasing solutions to the eye.⁶ It was the essence of history Le Corbusier used, not the aesthetic or style to forge new architectural solutions.

The expression of Le Corbusian art was formed by analysing exiting common objects and identifying the pure form or essence that exists within them. The milk bottle which was made from a circle into a cylinder, the guitar which was a series of arcs combined to produce acoustic qualities were represented artistically devoid of ornament normally associated with the existence of such objects. It was the ornament or the style which Le Corbusier removed to reveal within both his painting and work, the underlying purity of objects that were the functional part of any product.

Picture 1 demonstrates the idea of pure form in all objects.

Le Corbusier's method of thought when applied to architecture, is one that breaks down mans existence into a series of actions. Once broken into actions or parts, Le Corbusier can then analyse the essentials for those parts, applying new methods of improvement to those parts creating a whole solution. An example of this would be the domestic architecture Le Corbusier proposed, expressed in the house as the machine.⁷

Housing of the future needed to be more economical and effective in providing the services existing housing did as Le Corbusier argues in "The City of Tomorrow". The services housing of the future was to provide were the major concerns, coupled with the development of new possibilities for housing. The introduction of light and dry spaces which have the ornament removed and rigour of efficiency applied, came to the fore in Le Corbusier's house as machine.

The house as machine is the culmination of the ideas about housing held at that time. An architectural solution that would push the effectiveness of housing for the masses, housing that would be ruthless in providing occupants with clean and efficient spaces. The existing housing around Le Corbusier served as the antithesis to the housing he was to propose. The solution to the housing problems were theorised in, the five points of architecture.⁸ It was these five points that would serve in Le Corbusier's mind, to rectify the problems historically, that housing traditionally generated in their solutions.

"Religions have established themselves on dogmas, the dogmas do not change; but civilisations change and religions tumble to dust. Houses have not changed… the house will also fall to dust." ⁹

Picture 2 demonstrates the new form of housing proposed, to solve the existing failures of domestic architecture as described below.

Picture 3 demonstrates the development of the 5 points of architecture. It shows the culmination of its theory.

It was using these five points of architecture as a base that Le Corbusier developed his solution for the problems of urbanisation, the problems of the city. The five points culminate in the ideas for cities, which Le Corbusier demonstrated via a solution to housing the masses in the plan for Paris.¹⁰ The plan for Paris was essentially the five points of architecture presented on a mass scale. It was the mass scale and mass generation of products that Le Corbusier thought would be the identity of the 20th century.

The problem of housing for the masses¹¹ was relatively new to society and the burgeoning cities with their massive growth throughout the spread of the industrial revolution identified under structured cities which required solutions to accommodate these rises in populations. This problem coupled with the architectural training Le Corbusier received, gave him the possibility to rationalise the removal of non-performing parts of the cities, which were seen ass dark damp spaces of low density that wasted area.

"We throw the out-of-date tool on the scrap heap: the carbine, the culverin, the growler and the old locomotive. This action is a manifestation of health, of moral truth, of morale also; … it must be thrown away and replaced." ¹²

Picture 4 illustrates the use of land Le Corbusier is advocating with high densities, compared with the low densities that exist to the top of the picture, showing how new infrastructures are not compatible old city planning.

Whilst his views on cities appear very controversial, his models for housing were to become the prime example of the future for many countries over the next sixty years.

Le Corbusier's views on housing that are formed through 1920s then went on to become the minimum standards for the future of residential housing. The establishment of these minimum standards were best outlined through the Congres Internationaux d'Architecutre Moderne (CIAM), Founded in 1928.¹³

Conclusion

Le Corbusier having identified his philosophy, proceeded to practice an architecture that was in accordance with these views. Architecture based on technology and purity. The best examples of Le Corbusian theory and practice can be seen in the housing as machine, based on his five principles of architecture.

The future for Le Corbusian architecture as a role model for other architects is one still being debated, the theory and practice demonstrated by Le Corbusier has been influential on generations of architects, demonstrating the importance of a personal philosophy that guides the professional practice. As Le Corbusier himself suggests, his architectural thought and practice is based on an structured process, not so much for the solution of today's problems, but the futures, using the past as reference and the current intellect.

Document Quotations

1. Le Corbusier, Towards a New Architecture, p19.
2. Le Corbusier, The City of Tomorrow, p94.
3. Harry Binswanger, The Ayn Rand Lexicon, p235.
4. Le Corbusier, Towards a New Architecture, p102.
5. Le Corbusier, ibid, P76.
6. Le Corbusier, ibid, p154.
7. William J Curtis, Modern Architecture, since 1900, p109.
8. Kenneth Frampton, Modern Architecture, p157.
9. Le Corbusier, Towards a New Architecture, p14.
10. Le Corbusier, The City of Tomorrow, p278.
11. Le Corbusier, ibid, p83.
12. Le Corbusier, Towards a New Architecture, p13.
13. Gossel Leuthauser, Architecture in the Twentieth Century,p405.

Bibliography

1. Binswanger H, The Ayn Rand Lexicon: Objectivism From A - Z. Meridian Penguin, New York 1988.
   Used in defining terms that relate to philosophy.
   
2. William J Curtis, Modern Architecture, since 1900. 2nd Edition, Phaidon Press, Oxford 1987.
   Extensive discussion of Le Corbusier, both works and theory, how they related to the times and other architects.
   
3. Frampton K, Modern Architecture: a critical history, 1985 edition. Thames and Hudson, London 1990.
   Good book at identifying Le Corbusier as a theorist, then translating the theory into practice.
   
4. Gans D, The Le Corbusier Guide, Princeton Architectural Press, Princeton 1987.
   A good catalogue for the work of Le Corbusier framing his architecture within countries.
   
5. Gossel P, Leuthauser G, Architecture In The Twentieth Century, Benedikt Taschen Germany 1991.
   Places the architecture of Le Corbusier along side the work of other prominent architects of the time. Picture source book.
   
6. Le Corbusier, Towards a New Architecture, translated from the thirteenth French edition, Redwood Press Limited, Wiltshire 1992.
   Key book written by Le Corbusier to explain his architectural philosophy for the new world. Citing examples from history and manufacturing.
   
7. Le Corbusier, The City of Tomorrow; and its planning, translated from the eight French edition, The Architectural Press, London 1987.
   Key text in the defining of Le Corbusier’s urban theory.
   
8. Wolfe T, From Bauhaus To Our House, Cardinal 1990.
   Political satire from the architectural critic of the modern movement.

1. Painting - Still life. Oil on canvas 1920, demonstrating the pure forms that exist in everyday life. From Modern Architecture, since 1900, p107.
   
2. Sketch - Idea formed in 1926. demonstrates the antithesis of housing models Le Corbusier proposed with the five points of architecture. From The Le Corbusier Guide, p17.
   
3. Photo - Villa Savoye, Poissy 1929-1931. This is the perfection of the five points of architecture and house as machine as a free standing model. From Architecture In The Twentieth Century, p172.
   
4. Plan - Voisin scheme 1925. Highlighting the open spaces and clean living style Le Corbusier offered under his doctrine, whilst demonstrating the problems with temporary solutions to unorganised areas. Large density with open space versus low density with dark, damp and cluttered spaces, unable to cope with the future. From The City of Tomorrow, p289.