Modernist movement in architecture was an attempt to create a non-historical architecture of Functionalism and with the help of modern materials. What is seen here is a rejection of ornament and an adoption of the machine aesthetics with a simplified form, devoid of any unnecessary details (Monteagudo 15). Le Corbusier figured out his ideas by painting and sculpture and later applied them in the architecture.
The Villa Savoye For Le Corbusier, the Villa Savoye was a masterpiece and showed progress toward a conservative architecture that valued space. The weekend house in the country looks like a cubic three-story contraption that sits at the crest of the hill, open to all four sides that allow distant views of the horizon. The house was a meant to be the getaway from the congested urban life of Paris. The ground level houses the garage, domestics’ rooms, and entry, which is on a very gentle ramp (Naegele 2016). Each room in the Villa has a great view, and the orientation of the sun is kept opposite to the view. The interiors opening into the suspended garden are allowed direct sunlight. A solarium on the level above the garden resist the strong winds thanks to its curved forms and creates a strong architectural element. The main body of the house made of four walls supports a unique window system. Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture can be summed up in "Villa Savoye". First, the elevated structure supported by reinforced concrete stilts and secondly, how the stilts allow non-supporting walls to assist the design seen by the architect. Thirdly, the system of supporting stilts creates the open floor plan, allowing the architect to configure the room the way he wants. Fourth, the long strips of ribbon windows allow unobstructed views of the surrounding nature, plus letting in natural light. The rooftop garden makes for the green area that was used up by the building's footprint. Made of reinforced concrete, the house looks like a box balanced on delicate support. The white exterior and strips of ribbon windows lend it a smooth, planar quality. The gently curving path in the interior breaks the planar quality of the exterior, adding fluidity to the building. Villa Savoye, designed by Le Corbusier, represents the essence of modern architecture. The architecture was well aware of the architecture’s role in modern life and the new machine age. According to him, the house should be space meant for living in. Villa Savoye is a reinterpretation of the basic idea of the Greek temple from Le Corbusier's views. The idea can be said to be developed from a painting. In Villa Savoye, he sums up his aesthetics for the new architecture such as flat roofs, continuous Windows, free structure and supporting piles at a regular distance as stated by Monteagudo(5). Thus, the Villa makes for a good example of Le Corbusier's theories on a "new" architecture”.
Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo Another building to compare with the typology as Villa Savoye can be the Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo that is located in the UK. This is Europe's largest public library in Birmingham and is recognized by its shimmering facade clad with interlocking metal rings. (Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo 2013). The transparent glass building is a stack of four
rectangles, and there are circular spaces within the building making connections. These rotundas allow natural light and ventilation. Soft landscaped roof spaces bring in nature. The Shakespeare Memorial Room is lodged in the rooftop rotunda. The building carries several similarities to the Villa Savoye because of the geometrical shape, the support system, the roof top garden and the use of glass windows. The Villa Savoye with its clean simplicity is an attempt of refinement of the architectural system by Le Corbusier
Works Cited
"Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo.” Dezeen magazine. 2013. Web 5 March. 2016.
Monteagudo, Jose A."Influence of Le Corbusier in modern architecture." Architectural Technology and Construction Management1.1 (2013): 1-52. Print.
Naegele, Daniel." Savoye Space.” Harvard Design Magazine. 2016. Web. 5 March. 2016.
