15/02: Le Corbusier, continued
Category: Week 14 to 16: Paris
Posted by: troachadmin
In the fall, I had the chance to visit Le Corbusier's work from 1959-1968 at Firminy: Maison de la Culture, the stadium, the recently completed church - and from a distance, his Unité d'Habitation. I also had the chance to visit Corbusier's second Unité d'Habitation de Rezé, located near Nantes. Over the past two weeks, I have had the chance to see more of his earlier projects in Paris and vicinity: Maison LaRoche-Jeanneret (1923-25), Villa Savoye in Poissy (1929-31), Atelier Ozenfant (1922-24), Pavillon Suisse (1930-33) and the Pavillon du Brésil (1957-59) designed by Corbu and Brazilian architect Lucio Costa at the Cité Universitaire in Paris. Common threads: sculptural forms, playing with light, framing, color -- buildings or sculptures; paintings or rooms/spaces; are the spaces for living or observing?
Maison LaRoche-Jeanneret (1923-25)
Maison LaRoche, interior restored 2009 by Agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier. Note gray color of radiators; this is the original color as determined by paint analysis.
Maison LaRoche, interior restored 2009 by Agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier
Villa Savoye (Poissy), a total wreck after WWII, was restored with Le Corbusier's input in the 1950's-60's, then again by France in 1995. Today it is a museum.
Villa Savoye (Poissy). The 1995 restoration could not determine the original color of the radiators, so they painted them the same color as the walls. Imagine if they were gray, like Maison LaRoche.
Villa Savoye (Poissy)
Atelier Ozenfant, still a private home today, next to an early water reservoir
Pavillon Suisse, still used as a dormitory for international students
Pavillon Suisse, part of a mural painting by Le Corbusier on the ground floor
Pavillon Suisse, facade redone several times to address thermal issues; now has double-glazed insulated units in windows
Pavillon Brasil, retains original use as dormitory and small assembly center for university students. In 1997, the building had deteriorated to the point that it was closed. The restoration that took place in 1999-2000 was extensive, replacing the precast concrete facades in kind, modifying the windows to address acoustical weaknesses, and addressed some programmatic changes on the ground floor, among other things.
Pavillon Brasil
Pavillon Brasil
Maison LaRoche-Jeanneret (1923-25)
Maison LaRoche, interior restored 2009 by Agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier. Note gray color of radiators; this is the original color as determined by paint analysis.
Maison LaRoche, interior restored 2009 by Agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier
Villa Savoye (Poissy), a total wreck after WWII, was restored with Le Corbusier's input in the 1950's-60's, then again by France in 1995. Today it is a museum.
Villa Savoye (Poissy). The 1995 restoration could not determine the original color of the radiators, so they painted them the same color as the walls. Imagine if they were gray, like Maison LaRoche.
Villa Savoye (Poissy)
Atelier Ozenfant, still a private home today, next to an early water reservoir
Pavillon Suisse, still used as a dormitory for international students
Pavillon Suisse, part of a mural painting by Le Corbusier on the ground floor
Pavillon Suisse, facade redone several times to address thermal issues; now has double-glazed insulated units in windows
Pavillon Brasil, retains original use as dormitory and small assembly center for university students. In 1997, the building had deteriorated to the point that it was closed. The restoration that took place in 1999-2000 was extensive, replacing the precast concrete facades in kind, modifying the windows to address acoustical weaknesses, and addressed some programmatic changes on the ground floor, among other things.
Pavillon Brasil
Pavillon Brasil
