Le Corbusier

Lore & Background

Le Corbusier was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, to French-speaking Swiss parents. His father enameled boxes and watches, and his mother taught piano. He attended a kindergarten using Fröbelian methods and later entered the municipal art school at age fifteen. He lacked formal architectural training but was influenced by his teacher Charles L'Eplattenier and architect René Chapallaz. His first house, the Villa Fallet (1905), was a large chalet with a steep roof and colored geometric patterns. He traveled extensively, working as a draftsman for Auguste Perret in Paris and for Peter Behrens in Germany, where he met Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius. In 1911, he traveled to the Balkans, Turkey, Greece, and Italy, filling sketchbooks with renderings including the Parthenon.

Reader's Guide

Le Corbusier's significance lies in his role as a pioneer of modern architecture and his influential urban planning ideas. He considered that 'the roots of modern architecture are to be found in Viollet-le-Duc.' His Dom-Ino House (1914–15) proposed an open floor plan using reinforced concrete slabs and columns, allowing flexible interior arrangements. He prepared the master plan for Chandigarh, India, and designed several government buildings there. In 2016, seventeen of his projects across seven countries were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. However, his legacy is contested: some of his urban planning ideas have been criticized for indifference to pre-existing cultural sites and social equality, and his alleged ties with fascism, antisemitism, eugenics, and Benito Mussolini have caused continuing contention. He also designed well-known furniture, including the LC4 chaise longue and LC1 chair.

Did You Know?

• Le Corbusier acquired French nationality in 1930.
• He was a founding member of the Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM).
• His pseudonym was inspired by his ancestors' surname Lecorbésier.
• He designed the LC4 chaise longue and LC1 chair in collaboration with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"It is a question of building which is at the root of the social unrest of today: architecture or revolution." — Le Corbusier "Modern life demands, and is waiting for, a new kind of plan, both for the house and the city." — Le Corbusier "The Despot is not a man. It is the Plan. The correct, realistic, exact plan." — Le Corbusier "The object of this edict is to enlighten the present and future citizens of Chandigarh about the basic concepts of planning of the city so that they become its guardians and save it from whims of individuals." — Le Corbusier