Spring 2021 | ENDS 108 - Design and Visual Communication Foundations II
Professor Andrew Hawkins | SketchUp, Photoshop
In 1928, French upper class couple Pierre and Eugenie Savoye commissioned Le Corbusier to design a country house for them near Poissy, France. Le Corbusier, or Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, was a Swiss-French architect in the early 20th century. Around the time of this commission, he was already world renown, with buildings in many different countries. He was known for his urban planning and for his machine-like, cubist style of villas. The Savoyes’ initial brief for their house included space for cars, an extra bedroom, and a place for the caretaker to stay. However, Le Corbusier said that the Savoyes’ did not really have an idea of what they wanted their house to look like.
Program
Grid Layout
Overall, the house does not feel like a standard house. Taking in every bit of the project, almost none of it feels traditional. Villa Savoye surprised its visitors and left them with little understanding of their surroundings. However, it is the precedents involved in the planning and cohesiveness of the house that pull it together into the great monument of modern architecture that is known today. It’s the grid system of the pilotis that serves as the structural base to elevate and connect the structure; it’s the intentional circulation that guides the car around the ground level and the visitor up and through the levels in a methodical way; it’s the thoughtfulness to reincorporate the area of nature into the roof terrace and solarium. Le Corbusier did an excellent job of creating a modern, fully functional, machine-like home. As of today, Villa Savoye sits in its clearing in the countryside, fully restored, as a beautiful landmark of modern architecture.
Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture
Le Corbusier’s Five Points of Architecture
Because he had been given a lot of freedom for the design of this project, Le Corbusier was able to incorporate a very important set of elements that he had created, referred to as his five points of architecture. These points were developed early in his career and were published in a book of his in 1923. All five points are very evident in Villa Savoye, arguably more so than any other work of Le Corbusier. These points include pilotis, open floor plan, free façade, ribbon windows, and roof terrace. The grid system of pillars throughout the house are the pilotis. These serve as a base to replace the need for, and look of, structural walls underneath the main level. The open floor plan, as employed in this instance, is a direct result of the pilotis system. Since the pillars serve as the main support, none of the interior walls are load-bearing, and can therefore be configured however desired. The free façade is evident in how the exterior walls of the main structure give no hints as to the interior spatial functions. The windows on the main floor that run equally along each side are considered as the ribbons. This also ties into the concept of the free façade, since the windows do not appear to be restrained or dictated by what is happening on the inside. The roof terrace at the very top was intended to make use of the space of the roof, and to make up for the space in nature that the house takes up.
Site Plan
Section to Plan
Circulation
Circulation
The Savoyes' request to include space for cars played a large part in dictating how the ground floor was set up. The driveway on the site leads the car under the main level of the house, around the front, and into the garage. The garage fits three cars and is angled for parking convenience. The car path circling around the ground level creates a sense of movement, and adds function to the covered, open area.
Continuing with the overall path of circulation throughout the house are the ramp and the spiral staircase, both of which lead all the way up to the roof. They serve as cogs in the machine of a house that Le Corbusier has created. The ramp allows for a more gradual, smooth transition, whereas the spiral stairs provide a more choppy, efficient route.
Final large-format posters.