ARCT-1052

The
simplicity
as a
guiding
principle
in the
work of
Le
Corbusier

Ana-Maria Ciubuc

The purpose of this essay is

life and the origin of his idea of

to show how the architectural

simplicity.

theory and the practice of Le

Le Corbusier journey begun

Corbusier has both as a guiding

at the age of 14 at the Art School,

principle and a final goal the

then

simplicity. The main argument will

Germany

the simplicity concept from its

in

the

modern

how

characteristic

opinion

different

be

studied

inspired

different

by

he

it.

attended

workshops

commissioned

the
of

in

and

to

was

decorate

buildings,

such

as

Le

chapels and concert halls. This

is

facts contradict the people that

simplicity. Since his lifetime Le

criticised him for not being able to

Corbusier was known mainly for

enjoy the beauty of nature.

Corbusiers

feature

to

Furthermore,

thought,

documentation and calculation.

my

even

on

man, to live close to nature and

caprice but the essence of a very

In

later

thought him to be an out-door

Corbusier is not a moment of

of

he

study

he met a distinctive teacher who

to prove that the simplicity for Le

process

and

to

during his years in the Art School

architecture. The essay is meant

long

on

decorative art. He confesses that

birth to its consecration as the

aim

went

architecture

follow the development path of

ultimate

he

architecture

the fact that his buildings were

totally

lacking

Moreover,

many

criticised

him

In the period of his studies

decorations.

of architecture and decorative art

architects
for

he has travelled a great deal, has

not

visited numerous museums and

understanding the beauty of a

libraries

flower or the rhythm of a musical

piece,

that

theoretical

he
ideas,

feeds
that

and

has

worked

for

different architects in many cities.

upon

On this occasion he encountered

his

various

imagination is dry. Towards the

cultural

styles

in

his

pursuit to understand the origins,

end of his life he replied to those

principles and uses of art. During

critics by telling a little story of his

his
2

journey

he

has

saw

the

Parthenon, Coliseum and Pompeii

that

and has come to understand that

everything when has made that

the architecture has nothing to do

decision.

with decorations. His idea was

consistent
previous

with

that

employer,

Perret,

who

of

For

his

forms

in

magnificent
light,

play

steps

of

the

the

means

of

reaching

simplicity is done through the

coherent

connection with the concepts of

clarity,

1925, p. 210-214).
story

Corbusier

designing a building. In these five

intellectual system'(Le Corbusier,

His

account

materialized in the five steps of

For Le Corbusier the architecture

a

Le

into

an abstract concept but it is also

that

ornament hides imperfections.

meant

taken

simplicity is not only regarded as

Auguste

emphasised

has

proportions,

utility

and

emotions.
continues

by

The first step targets the

showing the cultural context of

determination of characters. This

the beginning of 20th century,

method contains the first very

when the people felt the need for

important decision, namely the

simplification because they were

choosing of the buildings shape,

fed up with the pretentiousness,

which needs to be simple and

kitsch and vulgarity and no one

clear in order to create emotions.

knew what to do, there has been

Le Corbusier names the shape

a state of confusion. Le Corbusier

character because it is mans

felt that he needed to act and

the first contact with the building,

that simplicity for him was an

it creates the first sensation, the

answer to a vital need.

very first emotion. That is why he

What I wanted to highlight

stresses

the

is that he is not an architect that

choosing

the

has rejected the decorations from

because every arrangement of

the

volumes

beginning

as

personal

importance
buildings

creates

of

shape,
different

inclination, but someone that has

impression. Moreover, once the

studied them to their origin and

character, therefore the emotion,

tried to capture their essence and

have been chosen they cannot be

3

changed,

it

will

influence

the

final

decisively
piece,

and

no

mind

to

everything

clearly

perceive

together.

This

matter what are the decisions

argument is supported by the new

made in the subsequent steps.

element that Le Corbusier adds to

the

definition

of

architecture:

architecture is proportion a
pure creation of the mind (Le
Corbusier, 1925, p. 9).

Le Corbusiers sketch of the characters

The purpose of the second

step

is

to

determine

the

proportions of the elements of the

facades and also the proportions
between
argues

them.
that

Le

those

Le Corbusiers sketch of a faade to show its

Corbusier

proportions using the Golden Ratio

proportions

The third step is also about

need to have a mathematical

the interplay of volumes, surfaces

truth in order to continue the

and openings this time considered

work of creating emotions. He

from the inside the house. Le

emphasises

the

Corbusier is concerned how the

architects duty to transform the

same elements are continuing the

practical

of

purpose of creating emotions in

having holes in the facades for

the interior in relation to the light.

the light to get in, into geometric

He says that once the ratio of the

figures, equations. The idea of Le

openings has been decided, it

Corbusier is that if there is a

also determines where the walls

mathematical truth, an accord, an

should be placed, in order to best

equilibrium

the

interact with the light. Likewise,

elements, it is simple for the eye

he highlights all these choices

that

problem,

it
the

between

is
one

make a house beautiful and not

vitrines,

the

replaced

ornaments

which,

as

we

previously saw, are the last resort,

were
by

removed

uniform

and

modular

elements.

because they have little effect, or

The next step is made of Le

none at all.

Corbusiers theory about the right

angle, which he calls the centre
of

all

measurements

the

intersection of a horizontal line

with a vertical one. His argument
is that only the right angle creates
the emotion and the clarity that
the human needs in order to
understand and to feel at ease
with

A room designed by Le Corbusier

Parthenon

Le Corbusier went forward with

where

he

links

of

the

Rouen

the

right

angle

of

the

Parthenon.

house is a machine for living

to

with

does not compare to the brilliance

definition of a house arises: a

is

basic

the sinuous lines of the Cathedral

utility, where from his famous

purpose

His

Cathedral, in which he says that

the

concept of simplicity to the one of

whose

building.

instance is the comparison of the

In terms of interior design,

furniture

the

function

smoothly and effectively. The idea

of simplicity in the interior of a
building

is

also

supported

by

Arthur Ruegg in his essay Le

Corbusier

at

home

(2007,

p.

119), where he argues the Le

The comparison between the Parthenon and the

Rouen Cathedral

Corbusiers era is the priode de

vacuum-cleaning because all the

The fifth and final step aims

non-essential pieces of furniture,

at how a building is integrated in

such as chests, dressing tables,

its

surroundings.

Le

Corbusier

emphasises that when designing

a building an architect has to take
into

account

they

need

the
to

environment,

be

considered

together because the vicinities

could offer additional guidelines
for portioning the constructible
space. He goes on saying that the
outdoor envelopes the building in
its totality, like a bigger room.
Therefore, if the architect wants
to

create

an

emotion

the

buildings design has to be in

Le Corbusier sketch of the same building placed in

harmony with its surroundings. He

different vicinities

says that the character of the

same

building

different

is

modified

surroundings,

rectangular

prism

so

will

What I wanted to show with

by

those steps is that Le Corbusier

has

be

well-defined

plan

for

designing a building and the basic

perceived differently on a flat

principle of this plan is simplicity.

plain than it would be on the hills,

In

between the mountains or at the

this

process

he

uses

the

concepts of clarity, proportions,

intersection of two roads, under

utility and emotions, to reach the

the pressure of other buildings.

final goal the simplicity. Next I

will state what the concept of
simplicity means for Le Corbusier;
it can be summed up by his
affirmation simple does not mean
easy (Jenger, 1993, p. 132).
The architect believes that
mankinds
architecture

direction
has

led

of
to

the

discovery of simplicity and that

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great art is produced by simple

crime and the lack of decoration

means. He explains that simplicity

was considered to be a source of

is the product of judgement and

spiritual

choices, it is a sign of control and

explained that his aim was always

knowledge.

clearly

towards simplicity, the result was

perceptible play of forms, a clear

not always the desired one, which

geometric

(Guiton,

is why he has been criticised by

1981, p. 34). In the context of

many architects, especially for his

new construction techniques (for

urban planning designs. They said

his time was reinforced concrete

that the principle of simplicity is

or steel), he stated that simplicity

was not achieved at a large scale,

is the work of synthesis, it is not

but only to the private dwellings;

equivalent to poverty, it is a

at the macro scale Le Corbusiers

choice,

city was an urban agglomeration.

Corbusier,

His answered to this critiques that

It

is

statement

discrimination,

crystallization

(Le

1930, p. 81).
In
principle

Le

the

he

the houses are spacious, peaceful

basic

Corbusier

and light-filled. Although he has

is

been criticised during his lifetime,

simplicity. This principle has been

contextualised,

Although

even if the city is agglomerated

conclusion,
of

power.

analysed

Le Corbusier has remained an

and

inspirational

sometimes materialised to the

regarding

extreme: in that period traditional

simplicity.

ornamentation was branded as a

source
the

especially
architectural

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Laurentiu Trandafir, MA Psychoanalysis student at
Middlesex University, for his help and support with language difficulties
and grammar spelling.

Bibliography:
Key reading:
Guiton, Jacques (1981) The Ideas of Le Corbusier on Architecture and Urban
Planning, George Braziller, New York
Jenger, Jean (1993) Le Corbusier, Architect of a New Age, Thames & Hudson
Kries, Mateo (ed.) (2007) Le Corbusier The Art of Architecture, Vitra Design
Museum & NAI & RIBA
Le Corbusier (1923) Towards a New Architecture, Rodker, London: 1927
Le Corbusier (1925) The decorative art of today, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass:
1987
Le Corbusier (1930) Precisions on the Present State of Architecture and City
Planning, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass: 1991

General reading:
Baker, Geoffrey H. (1984) Le Corbusier, an Analysis of Form, Van Nostrand
Reinhold Co. Ltd, Hong Kong
Birksted, J.K. (1946) Le Corbusier and the Occult, the MIT Press, Cambridge,
Mass: 2009
Gans, Deborah (1987) The Le Corbusier Guide, Princeton Architectural Press, NY
Heer, Jan de (2009) The Architectonic Colour, 010 Publishers, Rotterdam
Holm, Lorens (2010) Brunelleschi, Lacan, Le Corbusier, Routledge, London
Mostafavi, Mohsen (2003) Le Corbusier & the Architecture of Reinvention, AA
Print Studio, London
Richards, Simon (2003) Le Corbusier and the Concept of Self, Yale University
Press, London
Risselada, Max (ed.) (2008) Raumplan versus Plan Libre, 010 Publishers,
Rotterdam
Samuel, Flora (2004) Le Corbusier Architect and Feminist, Willey-Academy,
England
Sbriglio, Jacques (1996) Apartment Block 24 N.C. and Le Corbusiers Home,
Foundation Le Corbusier, Berlin
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Sibriglio, Jacques (2008) Le Corbusier The Villa Savoye, Foundation Le Corbusier,

Boston
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-legacy-of-le-corbusier429194.html
http://www.architectural-review.com/rethink/viewpoints/1987-january-aparadoxical-avant-garde-by-richard-etlin/8605929.fullarticle
http://www.architectural-review.com/buildings/by-architect/le-corbusier/theclassical-ideals-of-le-corbusier/8619974.fullarticle

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