Born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret

October 6, 1887 La Chaux-de-

Fonds, Switzerland

Died August 27, 1965 (aged 77)

Nationality Swiss / French (from 1930)

Influenced Oscar Niemeyer, Richard Meier

Awards AIA Gold Medal (1961)

Buildings Villa Savoye, France
Notre Dame du Haut, France
Buildings in Chandigarh, India
T
H
E
M
O
D
U
L
A
R
• Le corbusier used the golden ratio in his
modular system of the scale of architectural
proportions
• It is an anthroprometric scale based on
height of english man with height raised
• He saw this system as the tradition if
vitruvius, leonardo de vinci
• They used proportions of human body to
improve appearance and architecture of
building
 EXAMPLES

Unite d habitation in
marseilles

Church of sainte marie de la tourette

Carpenter centre for the visual arts

RONCHAMP – 1955 ( Chapel of Notre Dame du
Haut )
The Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut is located in
Ronchamp, on the hilltop of Bourlemont. In the middle
age, this place was a catholic pilgrimage center dedicated
to the Virgin Mary. The Chapel suffered a voracious fire in
1913, consequently was rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style. In
1944, was bombarded by the Nazis.
In 1950, Le Corbusier accepted rebuilt of the chapel at the
request of archbishop of Besancon. The master is touched
by the significance of the site, because was a place of
bloody battles. After five years of technical difficulties and
the constant critic, is finished in June 1955.
• Location: Ronchamp, France
• Date: 1955
• Building Type: church
• Construction System: reinforced
concrete
• Climate: temperate
• Context: rural, mountains
• Style: Expressionist Modern
 INTRODUCTION

Physical Characteristics:
• Simplicity
• Oblong nave
• Two side entrances
• Axial main alter
• Three chapels
• Three towers
• 4 ft to 12 ft thick, whitewashed, sprayed concrete walls
• Beton brut roof
• Southern facing wall of windows
• Exterior alter
• Sculpture of the Virgin Mary
• Approach route of the chapel is from the Southeast .
• Chapel is placed at the high point on an East West
axis.
• The site is high on a hill near Belfort in eastern
France
To the west is located
a bell tower, a very
simple composition,
comprising a metal
frame holding 3 bells.
Towards the southern THE RESIDENCE
end, and in a lower area
of the topography,
stands a rectangular
volume made
of concrete, that
contrasts in both form
and color with
chapel. This volume,
perpendicular and closer
to the access path,
contains the residence of
the monks . The
building, austere and
sober, has classrooms,
library, refectory, kitchen
and cells for monks.
 THE PYRAMID

At the northern end a

stepped pyramid is
located, built with the
remnants of the
original church, which
serves as a
monument to peace.

MONUMENT OF PEACE
PLAN OF
THE
CHAPEL
 WATER
COLLECTION

The billowing roof of

concrete was planned to
slope toward the back,
where a fountain of abstract
forms is placed on the
ground. When it rains, the
water comes pouring off the
roof and down onto the
raised, slanted concrete
structures, creating a
dramatic but natural
fountain.
 EXTERIOR ALTAR
CONFESSIONALS

CONCRETE BLOCKS CREATING A

VISUAL FRAME
Le Corbusier made use of curved surfaces of reinforced concrete to generate a form that
is bold and organic. Since its construction, the building has evoked poetic notions in the
mind of the visitor observing the play of light and shadow on different surfaces
• Le Corbusier was given free reign to create a total work of
art, the way he liked it.
• The south and east walls act as receptors for the majority of
sunlight that enters the chapel through the gap between the
roof and the vertical surfaces in an attempt to break the
static nature of the enclosed interior space, whereas the
north and west walls act as containers that define the
sacred from the profane in a manner that removes any
immediate connection with the outside environment.
• The slope of the floor follows the natural slope of the hill,
and slopes towards the alter.
• Towers are stone masonry topped with cement domes
• Concrete roof is the shell
 Sculpture of
the Virgin
Mary
This wooden sculpture is placed in a high niche. Above the
plain altar, the east wall is punctuated by several pinhole-
windows and by a single substantial window with the Madonna
and Child in silhouette; through the window this image also
serves the outside altar used during pilgrimages.
The interior of the chapel is modest, with plain pews down the south side only.
The walls curve, the roof curves, and even the floor curves down towards the
altar, following the shape of the hill.
 PLAY OF LIGHT
The shell has been put on
walls which are absurdly
but practically thick. Inside
them however are
reinforced concrete
columns. The shell will
rest on these columns but
it will not touch the wall. A
horizontal crack of light
10cm wide.
 SOUTH WALL
• The chambers within
this thick wall are
splayed and tapered to
delay and trap passing
light, making each void
inwardly strategy
excludes sky glare
stabilizing incoming
light and créâtes a
contemplative
luminious environnent.
• The south wall which is
punctuated with deep
splayed windows of
variable sizes and in
some cases fitted with
colored glass.
Corbusier has been able to use the light of the sun in a most articulate way,
expressing the daily life of the sun as its light, thereby glorifying the creator of it.
Walls become dark as light streams from their openings with great intensity. While
light brought from above the private chapels is soft and comforting, one might feel a
certain sense of unrest due to the power of the light entering through specific
The structure is made mostly of concrete and
is comparatively small, enclosed by thick walls,
with the upturned roof supported on columns
embedded within the walls.
It has been filled with stone
recovered from the ruins of the
old chapel. The roof is
composed of two membranes,
each of which acts as a thin
shell separated by a gap of 2.26
m conforming to the modular
proportion.
Simplicity- The chapel appears completely organic both in form and in materials.
Notre Dame Du Haut lacks any obvious attempts at accentuating geometry. The
materials are left in the raw and allowed to age naturally. The simplicity of form gives
the chapel the feel of sculpture.

Lack of ornate detail allows the building to completely exist as a religious space without
any distractions to pilgrims and worshippers. Lacking mass-produced materials the
structure is pure and simple exemplifying the desired way of life for those who came to
the chapel.

Beton Brut Roof-It is said that the smooth curve of the roof is symbolic of praying
hands.

South Facing Wall of Windows-Light has been a long time symbol of religion. Gothic
Architecture took this concept to the extreme considering light one of the most
important elements of any religious structure. Light gives the space an ethereal quality.

Sculpture of the Virgin Mary-

 CAPITAL
COMPLEX,
CHANDIGARh
Taking over from Albert Mayer, Le
Corbusier produced a plan for Chandigarh on the
foothills of the Himalayas that conformed to the
modern city planning principles of Congrès
International d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM), in
terms of division of urban function, an
anthropomorphic plan form, and a hierarchy of road
and pedestrian networks, Inherently, the Secretariat
building is the largest edifice in the Capitol Complex
and is the headquarters of both the Punjab and
Haryana governments.
• Le Corbusier’s plan for the capitol consisted of four
buildings (or “edifices”) and six monuments arranged on
a single site, loosely conceptualized as three interlocking
squares.
• Only three of these four buildings were ever realized (the
High Court, the Legislative Assembly, and the
Secretariat) and were designed to represent the major
functions of democracy
• The fourth building, the Governor’s Palace, was never
built.
 `
OPEN HAND

GOVERNOR,S
PALACE
HIGH COURT

ASSEMBLY

SECRETARIAT
THE SECRETARIAT ,1958
• The Secretariat building is a long, horizontal concrete slab form,
254 meters long and 42 meters high, and marks the edge of the
Capitol Complex on the left side.
• The building is composed of six eight-story block divided by
expansion joints and measures over 800 feet long, bookended by
two sculptural ramps providing vertical circulation throughout the
facilities’ levels..
• Completed in 1952, the Secretariat building functions as the
headquarters of the Punjab and Haryana municipal governments
and is the largest of Corbusier’s three completed administrative
buildings.
• The massive, horizontal complex is comprised of 8 stories of
rough-cast concrete.
• The building has notable similarities with Corbusier’s Marseille
block and had an equally lofty goal: to revolutionize the modern
office building.
• The Secretariat was among the first buildings designed as a
“healthy building” with careful attention paid to natural lighting,
ventilation, and organizational efficiency.
 RAMP
ENCLOCURE
SQUARE
WINDOWS
ROUGH CONCRETE
FINISH

FREE
FACADE

PROJECTED
PORTICOS
SMALL
ENTRANCE

BIG
ENTRANCE
 INTERIOR VIW OD
RAMPWAY
FENESTRATIONS

EXTERIOR VIEW OF
THE RAMPWAY
FENESTRATION
THE HIGHCOURT
 HT OF 2
STOREYS
LEFT OPEN

• The plastic emphasis is given to the

building by free standing exterior
ramps through concrete walls.
• For supplementary communication
with in the building, each of six
blocks are equipped with interior
stairways and limited elevator
services.
• Horizontal circulation by means of a
central corridor
• For minister’s, the block the bay
size is increased and the column is
thickened
COLUMNS SUPPORTING
1 ½ BLOCK
• The high court formed a part as “ A GREAT ARCHITECTURAL
VENTURE” using very poor materials and a labor force quite
unused to modern techniques.
• An entire structure has resulted in the use of double roof.
• The upper roof cantilevered out of the office block in the manner
of parasol shading the lower roof.
• The space between the two roofs is left open to enable currents of
air to move between the flat roof of the office block and the
underside of the parasol roof which slopes towards center in the
form of rows of arches.
• In the plan the building took the form of abbreviated L-shape with
long façade gracing the capitol plaza to contain court rooms.
• The building is a rectilinear frame within which the interior
functions are defined.
 PARASOL ROOF
FORMING ARCHES

DOUBLE ROOF
GAP LEFT BETWEEN
TWO ROOFS

COLOURED MASSIVE PILLARS

FULL HEIGHT ENTRANCE

 REAR VIEW

DOUBLE ROOF

APPROACHED THROUGH ROADS ROUGH CONCRETE FINISHED RAMP

THE ASSEMBLY HALL
• The assembly was conceived as a rectilinear structure.
• It is square in plan with a monumental portico facing the main
plaza
• On the lateral façades both the portico and the office block would
be defined by solid end walls
• The large chamber is in hyperbolic form of the cooling tower
• The upper portion of the tower is extending above the roof line
• An assembly chamber 128 ft in dia base rises upto 125 at its
highest point
• This tower was designed to ensure the natural lighti, ventilation
and proper acoustics
 INTERIOR
VIEW OF A
CHAMBER

• Of all the buildings in the

capitol complex, the
assembly is the most
intricate in planning.
• Employing a system of
individual entrances,
stairways, lifts and ramp ,
a complete segregation is
provided
• There are two galleries for
men and women in council
chamber MUSHROOM
COLUMN
SUPPORTIN
G ROOF
VILLA STEIN
 INTRODUCTION

• Villa Stein - de Monzie

• Architect: Le Corbusier
• Years of construction: 1926-1928
• Location: Garches, Paris, France
• Le Corbusier designed spacious homes in middle
class neighborhoods on the outskirts of Paris,
though not all came to be built.
• The Stein house was designed for Michael Stein,
brother of the writer Gertrude Stein, and his wife
Sara, and later was home to Gabrielle Monzie,
divorced from the radical socialist Anatole Monzie
and faithful supporter of Le Corbusier.
• Monzie added the pavilion in 1925.
• The luxury of these spaces disturbed critics
worried about the social dimension of modern
architecture
 CONCEPT
• The architect, in the "Four Compositions," says that his conception
of volume in his designs comes from his solid modelling.

• Stein's house, according to this thinking, is part of the second type

that says, "The second shows an understanding of the organisms
inside the rigid packaging, absolutely pure. The difficult problem,
perhaps to the delight of the mind, is the cost to spiritual energy tied
in the middle of the restrictions imposed."

• This is an exercise in which the intuition of the exterior of the

building is secondary to the space and functional elements.

• In the imposition of classical reminiscences, this is resolved based

on criteria established by the previous ideology of the Modern
Movement.
 SPACES
• Villa Stein-de Monzie is a building of isolated space and
surrounded by gardens, with the servants quarters located
next to the iron access gate.

• It features open spaces formed by the various terraces and

levels.

• The cubical feeling is broken only with oval shapes, inspired

by the chimneys of the big transatlantic luxury ships.

• However, there is still a classic principle in both shapes: the

proportions of the facade are purely Palladian. The vertical
arrangement of the space is quite clear and logical.
 FLOORS
• Ground Floor

 Access, on the ground floor, is through a large entrance hall that is

surrounded by servant’s quarters. The garage is also located on the ground
floor.
 The main entrance emphasizes a projected balcony, flanked symmetrically
by the service entrances.
• First floor
 A split-level staircase connects the entrance hall on the ground floor with
the kitchen and dining area on the terrace level. These areas were shared
by the families of Stein and Gabrielle Monzie.
 A curved wall separates the dining room and salon; spaces that hang like a
balcony over the foyer and provide a cover for the lower level. The Stein
house strives to improve upon the land-use strategy utilized by Frank Lloyd
Wright in his "prairie house" era (A Home in a Prairie Town) where the
plane of the house was introduced as part of the land.
• Second floor

 The second floor consists of the bedrooms and is accessed by a staircase

located differently from the initial staircase. The bedrooms are distributed as
a soft and sensible succession of spaces.

 On this floor reserved for the bedrooms, the separation of the environments
of each family is more obvious: there are two apartments, each provisioned
with provision bedrooms and annexes. The design shows that Le Corbusier
possessed knowledge of the art elaborate distribution developed in the
eighteenth century by French architects such as Jacques-François Blondel.

• Flat roof

 The top floor is dedicated in totality to ample terraces. A rectangular window

opens toward the front of the house, but more windows spread widely into
the garden. It is also accessed by spiral staircases from the bedrooms.
 FACADES
• Front Entry

 The facade of the entrance is very flat and the design

follows a method that defines the extent and location
of the windows, based on the regular Aureus number.

• Rear Facade

 Volumetrically, Stein's house is broken into an airtight

parallelepiped rear facade. This transparent garden
facade shows the complexity of the inner volumes
shows the outer staricase and walks that connect the
terraces and the garden.
GROUND FLOOR
PLAN FIRST FLOOR
PLAN

SECOND FLOOR
PLAN
VIEW OF THE VILLA