A Machine for Living
On Thursday, April 11th, HDCS students in Professor Rebecca Cavanaugh’s Redefining Modernity class went to Poissy, Paris, to observe first handily Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye.
Le Corbusier, Villa Savoye, Poissy. 1928 – 1931
Le Corbusier is not a new figure for our students, who instantly expressed awe in witnessing one of his most iconic modern architecture works. Our student’s circled the venue and explored the inside, engaging with the space and each other. Our students easily identified Le Corbusier’s flaws in architecture, but also his vast innovative ideals, and the impact this one home had on the entirety of his work.
Built between 1928 and 1931 using reinforced concrete, Villa Savoye encompasses all 5 of Le Corbusier’s point of architecture;
Pilotis – Replacement of supporting walls by a grid of reinforced concrete columns that bears the structural load is the basis of the new aesthetic.
The free designing of the ground plan—the absence of supporting walls—means the house is unrestrained in its internal use.
The free design of the façade—separating the exterior of the building from its structural function—sets the façade free from structural constraints.
Ribbon Windows
Le Corbusier, Villa Savoye, Poissy. 1928 – 1931
Roof gardens on a flat roof can serve a domestic purpose while providing essential protection to the concrete roof.
Following this visit, on Sunday, April 14th, the same group of students will be heading to Lille, France to observe yet another Le Corbusier piece, Villa Cavrois. On this trip, they will juxtapose the Villa Savoye with this work, making reference to an earlier Le Corbusier modern building they went to visit earlier on in the school year, Cité Radieuse in Marseille.
