Amanda Valenzuela

ARC160c1

Short Essay 6

12-06-2017

Modernist Architecture

Le Corbusier’s world renown concepts of the “5 Points of Modern Architecture”

are presented in architecture schools nearly everywhere. This list is basically the

essentials that Le Corbusier understood to be the ideal modern house, and what it had

to have in order to provide their residents with the healthiest possible conditions.

Compared to typical

historicism that we

see in architecture, Le

Corbusier made these

points to fit the needs

of a new era. (2)

Essentially, gaining

the most possible

amounts of natural substances such as light and air, and incorporating cleanliness and

clean lines were the capstones of his work. Le Corbusier stated that ‘a house is a

machine for living in’ (3) and his principles stay true to that.

1. Kostof, Spiro. Chap. 26, Modernism, A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals. New York,
NY: Oxford University Press, 2010.
2. Arwas, Victor (1992). Art Deco. Harry N. Abrams Inc.
 3. Burchard, John; Bush-Brown, Albert (1966). The Architecture of America- A Social and Cultural
History. Atlantic, Little and Brown.

Le Corbusier’s points overall were: pilotis, roof garden, free facade, free plan

and, horizontal windows. (1) Pilotis is the

method of how buildings are built and

frameworks. Luckily, the introduction of a

stronger concrete frame allowed a simpler

design pattern and more simple base. The

roof gardens were ultimately a way to get

even more nature in and around the house.

One of Le Corbusier’s inspirations were streamliners, which was a large structure

placed high above the earth in order to more clearly see it. Similarly, Le Corbusier’s

opened roof of his building on this idea. Free facade went along with pilotis because

since the base and

frame were mostly

concrete that meant

that the need for

traditional walls

were much less,

therefore freeing

the structure. The

free plan was also

an element of his

similar construction, because then the floor plan is no longer as crucial to the base of
the building thus freeing this area as well. Due to this ‘free’ design and plan, the effect

of those meant that windows didn’t have to be as traditional. (3) The windows were

horizontal, to let more light in and ultimately brought the view of outdoors into the living

space.

1. Kostof, Spiro. Chap. 26, Modernism, A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals. New
York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010.
2. Arwas, Victor (1992). Art Deco. Harry N. Abrams Inc.
3. Burchard, John; Bush-Brown, Albert (1966). The Architecture of America- A Social and
Cultural History. Atlantic, Little and Brown

The singular building that came the closest to perfection, in Le Corbusier's eyes,

turned out to be villa Savoye. (2) Even today it is seen as a great work of art. It is the

first villa which rose the entirety into the air. Although the atmosphere inside seemed

stark to people, it is

a unique type of

architecture labeled

‘mathematical

lyricism’, (3) this

was the result of the

combined efforts of
Five Points of Modern Architecture.

1. Kostof, Spiro. Chap. 26,

Modernism, A History of
Architecture: Settings and
Rituals. New York, NY: Oxford
University Press, 2010.
2. Arwas, Victor (1992). Art Deco.
Harry N. Abrams Inc.
3. Burchard, John; Bush-Brown,
Albert (1966). The Architecture
of America- A Social and
Cultural History. Atlantic, Little
and Brown.

Bibliography

Kostof,

Spiro. Chap. 26,

Modernism, A

History of

Architecture:

Settings and

Rituals. New York,

NY: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Arwas, Victor (1992). Art Deco. Harry N. Abrams Inc.

Burchard, John; Bush-Brown, Albert (1966). The Architecture of America- A

Social and Cultural History. Atlantic, Little and Brown.