Le Corbusier architecture of the 20th century. Moscow projects of the great architect Le Corbusier. Monastery of La Tourette in Lyon

Biography(materials from “One Hundred Great Architects”, D. Samin)

       The real name of the architect Le Corbusier is Charles Edouard Jeanneret. He was born on October 6, 1887 in Switzerland. He received his education in Vienna, Paris, and Berlin, where he studied with famous architects of the 19th century. At the age of 35, he opened his own workshop, where he worked with his brother for a long time.

       In the early 1920s, Le Corbusier formulated the principles of house building, which took shape under the name of purism. Le Corbusier propagated his position in the magazine Espri Nuovo (New Spirit), which he himself published in 1920-1926. He formed five principles: the house should be on pillars, with a flat roof, with a flexible internal layout, ribbon windows and a freely organized facade. They express not only material, but also aesthetic aspirations. These principles were reflected in the construction of many of the architect's buildings. In particular, the Savoy villas in Poissy near Paris.

       The architect also created a number of utopian urban planning projects for different countries. As for Paris, according to the architect's ideas, the capital of France was to become a vertically oriented structure in which people lived in tiers. At the same time, the city was divided into functional zones. From the outside it looked as if we were talking about creating a smoothly working mechanism with human cogs. One of these projects was proposed for Moscow. However, it turned out to be too unrealistic. The architect did not take into account the historical type of development of Belokamennaya and the specifics of the landscape. But a couple of more “earthly” buildings designed by Le Corbusier did appear in the Soviet capital.

       Like his contemporaries, Corbusier constantly experimented, strove to master materials to perfection, find optimal ways to use them, and develop the most economical structures that could be standardized and industrialized. Le Corbusier was first and foremost an engineer and could not imagine architecture without engineering. For him, architecture was primarily the realm of precise mathematical calculations. He came to this understanding through his passion for cubist painting and for a long time remained, as he called himself, “a fan of the right angle.” The architect saw the spirit of the times in modern technology and it was in it that he looked for the basis for updating architecture. “Learn from machines,” he proclaimed. A residential building should be a perfect and comfortable “machine for living,” an industrial or administrative building should be a “machine for work and management,” and a modern city should live and work like a well-oiled engine.

      Corbusier's projects were implemented in India, USA, Russia, Switzerland, France, Algeria, Italy, Brazil, Japan. One can only marvel at the productivity of the founder of the new style. Indeed, in addition to practical work, he created many theoretical works. About 50 articles appeared in journals.

       In 1942-1955, Corbusier developed the modulator spiral, a dimensional scale by which all construction could be carried out on a human scale. The architect focused on human movement - how he walks, sits, lies. He himself was in constant motion, dying at the age of seventy-eight after swimming too far on the Cote d'Azur in the Mediterranean Sea.

        MATERIALS

Charles Le Corbusier is Swiss by birth, but is known as a French architect. A short biography of Le Corbusier will allow you to learn more about this talented man and significant figure of the 20th century.

In fact, the French The specialist in the construction industry had a different name, his real name was Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris. Le Corbusier was born in 1887, from the age of 13 he studied decorative and applied arts, at the same time he began to improve in jewelry making. Charles created his first modern project at the age of 18 in collaboration. The earnings went towards an educational trip: in Vienna he designed, studied new things, met other representatives of the profession, then worked in Paris, listed as a trainee draftsman. In 1910, he completed an internship with architectural specialist Peter Behrens.

Travel and work in France

A year later, Edouard went to the eastern territories, and in order to further expand his knowledge, he visited the Balkans, Greece, and Asia Minor. Traveling allowed us to study folk construction projects, traditions, folklore and greatly influenced the formation of tastes, which later began to reflect the buildings erected by Le Corbusier.

For Le Corbusier, architecture was his main activity. After the trip, he completed several works, and in 1914 he became the owner of his workshop. In the same year, with M. Dubois, the water tower in Podensac was created, which became an innovation for buildings from large elements.

By 1917, he left his hometown forever, and Le Corbusier, whose photo many contemporaries now recognize, moved to Paris. Active work on buildings was carried out there; by 1922, Jeanner opened a design office. He gave the world many magnificent buildings, including 31 monumental projects. Le Corbusier's life ended in 1965. The monument to a creative and gifted person reminds of his contribution to world architecture.

Le Corbusier's theory

Le Corbusier developed five rules, as they are also called - the basic principles of global style. In them he tried to show the architecture of modern times.

Le Corbusier's principles of architecture are as follows:

1. Using pillars as supports. The building is raised above the ground using reinforced concrete supports, freeing up space below for a parking lot or garden.
2. Roof terraces are flat in shape. In that century, the main ones were sloping roofs with an attic. Thanks to the innovation, people were able to organize a flat roof and create a garden or recreation area on its terrace.
3. Free layout. Le Corbusier's projects made it possible to get rid of load-bearing wall structures, so you can create any, even the most spectacular ideas. The basis was a reinforced concrete frame.
4. Strip glazing. The new type of construction made it possible to choose any variations of windows; if desired, you can use them in a row along the entire length of the wall.
5. Facade without restrictions. Supports were placed inside, and fragile or transparent materials in any configuration became acceptable for external structures.

Modulor

Le Corbusier's modulor briefly combined the listed principles and became a system of harmonic quantities. A tool for designing proportions in architecture was created in 1942–1948. The system uses human proportions instead of quantities and also includes mathematical calculations. The principles made it possible to place elements according to the dimensions of the human body.

Le Corbusier is a French architect who was able to link various spaces for a person with his gestures, and select the optimal dimensions. By 1950, the system had been improved and was used by the inventor to work on buildings.

Style

Interiors in the style of Le Corbusier are not uncommon in Moscow and other megacities. In his opinion, it is important to achieve cleanliness and aesthetics; functionalism is also used by current specialists in the design of premises. The space of objects should flow, be dynamic; the functionality of the initial projects of the architects was close to absurdity.

With practice, Le Corbusier's work improved; the architect brought his style to the ideal, making it comfortable, flexible, and ergonomic. Comfort and convenience became the basis; the interior content became functional without losing its attractiveness.

The basic requirements: light walls, arrangement of windows based on cardinal directions, compact shelving, built-in wardrobes, space saving. For zoning, screens, blinds, etc. were created, and each element must be mobile and functional.

Projects

Architecture

At one time, Le Corbusier's ideas caused real furor and indignation. Work was carried out on buildings of various types, including residential units (they built many cottages), pavilions, Domino, Tsentrosoyuz in Moscow.

Also among the works it is worth highlighting Chandigarh, the chapel, Citroen, Cabanon, the Radiant City, and Villa Savoy. Each of Le Corbusier's houses was distinguished by a non-standard approach to planning; there was always something to surprise, how to make everything unusual, but functional. For example, Radiant City included a laundry and other public facilities inside the complex, and even a kindergarten on the 17th floor with access to a terrace.

Furniture

Le Corbusier's style is also embodied in a large list of furniture; he designed beautiful and comfortable chaise lounges, armchairs, seats, lamps and much more. Each item does not take up unnecessary space, and neither beauty nor convenience is lost.

The Jung Le Corbusier series immediately gained popularity, including sockets, switches, frames, all of them stand out in bright colors.

Collections of home accessories are regularly released in the style of the famous constructivist. In 2017, Italian ceramics manufacturer Gigacer released a range of tiles named after the architect.

Books

Le Corbusier's book "The New Spirit in Architecture" and many others provide a deeper understanding of his work and creativity. Works also include:

• “Modulor. MOD 1. MOD 2". The book describes the nuances of a new dimension of space;
• "City Planning";

• "Journey to the East." The publication was published 54 years after the incredible trip. Here his knowledge of the play of light and new forms is revealed;
• "Creative path". The author transferred all the most important things to paper pages;
• "Architecture of the 20th century." This included selected Le Corbusier heritage projects.

Le Corbusier as an artist

Le Corbusier's other work is also highly appreciated - his paintings. He masterfully conveyed the feeling of space and light. Each subject was written in volume, since the author saw poorly and examined everything closely.

The images have a unique texture; everything in the paintings is drawn in an ideal section and plan. Sculptures were created based on the works. A huge number of exhibitions of artistic compositions took place. And to perpetuate the architect’s contribution, a monument to Le Corbusier was erected on Myasnitskaya Street in Moscow.

Le Corbusier Museum

A studio apartment in Paris is associated with creativity; it is filled with light and has a large space, but the more significant object is the buildings erected in 1925 - Maison La Roche-Jeanneret. The project embodies a revolutionary approach; there is practically a museum there, although it is considered a foundation.

An outstanding architect of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Charles Edouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier, was born in the Swiss town of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Charles initially chose the profession of a watchmaker-engraver, which was more of a family tradition, but he was soon fascinated by architecture. By chance, the bright architect of the 20th century could not receive a special education for his hobby, and his schools of architecture were only museums, libraries, travel, as well as creative communication with the luminaries of that time.

Villa Savoy 1929-1931

The years 1910-11 for Le Corbusier were spent in Berlin working in the workshop of P. Behrens, where he met Walter Gropius himself. By the beginning of 1916, the 29-year-old architect arrived in Paris to work at a building materials factory. On rest days or in the evenings, Corbusier studied art theory and painting, after which in 1918 he and his friend A. Ozanfant published the manifesto “After Cubism.”

Villa Savoy. Plans.

This literary appeal revealed the formulation of the main provisions of purism - a new trend in conventional painting. Afterwards, friends published the magazine “Esprit Nouveau” (new spirit), it was on its pages that Charles first signed the pseudonym “Le Corbusier,” the surname of his mother’s relative.

The year 1922 prepared changes for the young architect. Le Corbusier left the factory and, together with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret, opened his own design workshop in Paris.

The main theme of his work was the development of theses for the construction of modern cities and housing. Back in 1914, Charles put forward the idea of ​​a “House with Cells” (the “Dom-Ino” project). The plan of this building resembled lined chains, like in the game of Dominoes, with columns in the form of points on the knuckles. In essence, this was the very first frame-type house project for serial construction.

Thanks to his famous Five Points of Architecture, formulated in 1926, modern man can study buildings such as:

• Swiss Villa Fale 1905
• Parisian House-atelier of Ozanfant 1922
• Paris Exhibition Pavilion "ESPRI NOUVEAU" 1924
• Salvation Army Parisian Home of Refuge (1926)
• Moscow House of the Centrosoyuz (1928-33)
• Villa Savoye in Poissy, France (1929-1931)
• House of Curuchet in the provincial Argentine town of La Plata (1949)
• Punjab Palace of Justice in India (1951-55)
• Art Museum in Japan, Tokyo (1957-59)
• Last built Boston Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts in 1962

Pavilion "Esprit Nouveau" 1924

Salvation Army House 1926

Assembly building. Chandigarh is the new capital of Punjab, India. 1951-1962

The main five architectural qualities in the works of Le Corbusier were the free layout of the building, so that it was possible to arrange the internal partitions in any way. In addition, the building had to stand on supports in the territory of the green cover, the free facade (not load-bearing) was designed depending on the layout. The buildings were to be crowned with flat roofs in the form of a terrace with a garden to restore the greenery taken away by the building. And finally, the window openings were merged into one strip window to create a special façade pattern and improved lighting of the premises.

Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, he first spoke about the need for fundamental changes in architecture. But even today his plans are no less revolutionary than many decades ago. Le Corbusier is the greatest and at the same time the most controversial architect of the 20th century. A passionate writer, art theorist, sculptor, furniture designer and painter, loved and hated by many, he forever changed architecture and the world in which we live.

Le Corbusier's architecture is rightfully considered innovative. He invented a new architectural language that marked a final break with the traditions of the past. The modernist abandoned unnecessary decorative elements, following the philosophy of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe “less is more” and introduced simple geometry of forms, asymmetry, horizontal planes and free layouts into practice. He appreciated natural light and preferred colors from a calm color palette: white and shades of gray. Le Corbusier was one of the first to actively use industrial materials such as concrete, steel and glass.

Whatever project the architect took on, be it private villas, residential complexes or churches, he always went beyond conventions. His contribution to modernism is invaluable, and the principles of Le Corbusier's functionalism became the basis of the international style. Below we present ten grandiose works of the architect from around the world.

Villa La Roche

Place: Paris, France
Years of construction: 1923-1925

The house consists of two separate isolated rooms and consists of the residential residence of the architect's brother and the art gallery of the collector Raoul La Roche, who is passionate about the art of cubism. The villa currently operates as a museum and exhibition space for the Le Corbusier Foundation.

At Villa La Roche, Le Corbusier first realized his revolutionary plans. He would later call them the “five starting points of architecture”: pilot posts, a flat roof that can serve as a garden and terrace, open-plan interiors, ribbon windows and a facade independent of the supporting structure. The project is rightfully considered the first truly modernist house with its unusual geometric shapes, minimalist aesthetics and muted color palette.

Villa Savoy

Place: Poissy, France
Years of construction: 1929-1931

In a wooded suburb of Paris, Villa Savoye was designed by Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret as a family country house. This project is a striking example of the master’s architectural innovation and the embodiment of Le Corbusier’s five principles of new architecture, which he finally formulated in 1927.

The building stands on pillars that support the weight of the structure, raised above ground level. Le Corbusier leaves the structure free of internal supporting walls and relieves the façade of its load-bearing function. The architect strives to “dissolve” the house in the surrounding nature with the help of wide ribbon windows, continuous glazing, greenish thin columns of the first floor and a flat roof-terrace.

Chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut

Location: Ronchamp, France
Years of construction: 1950-1955

The Roman Catholic Chapel at Ronchamp is one of Le Corbusier's most radical projects. This building marked a rejection of the functionalist philosophy that characterized the early works of the modernist.

“Everything in it is interconnected. The poetry and lyricism of the image are generated by free creativity, the brilliance of strictly mathematically based proportions, and the impeccable combination of all elements.”

The chapel was built on a previously existing pilgrimage site, which was completely destroyed during the Second World War. The soaring concrete roof, reminiscent of a seashell, is supported by thick, curvilinear walls with a scattering of irregularly shaped windows.

Residential complex in Berlin

Place: West Berlin, Germany
Years of construction: 1956-1957

Due to extensive bombing, Berlin experienced a major housing crisis after World War II. As a solution to the problem, the architect developed a project for multi-storey social housing consisting of 530 apartments. The concrete building, reminiscent of an ocean liner, became a symbol of post-war modernization in Germany and a prime example of Le Corbusier’s “machine for living.”

The "dwelling unit" concept was first successfully implemented in Marseille. The Berlin housing complex is an almost exact replica of the Marseille housing unit, recognized as the most significant example of Brutalism of all time. Corbusier sought to create a “city within a city” that would meet everyday human needs.

“This is not architecture for kings or princes, this is architecture for ordinary people: men, women, children”

National Museum of Western Art

Place: Tokyo, Japan
Years of construction: 1957-1959

The art gallery, located in the center of Tokyo, is the only project of the great modernist in Southeast Asia and one of the few examples of architectural brutalism in Japan. In its artistic significance, the building is in no way inferior to the paintings of Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and Pollock, presented in the museum’s exhibition.

The three-story building, lined with textured concrete panels, was called by Le Corbusier a “square spiral.” From structural elements to architectural details and interior items, everything is built according to the Modulor system, based by Le Corbusier on the proportions of the human body. The staircase, symbolically placed outside the building, is an allegory of ascent to the temple of art.

Monastery of Sainte-Marie de la Tourette

Location: Eveux-sur-l'Arbresle, France
Years built: 1953-1960

The monastery of the Dominican Order near Lyon, built for a community of monks, looks more like the ruins of a long-forgotten civilization than a religious building: rough concrete surfaces, color contrasts, flat roofs covered with grass, asymmetry and illogical architectural composition.

The complex consists of many different rooms: one hundred separate cells for secluded worship and relaxation, a library, monastery premises, a church and study rooms. Unlike most of Le Corbusier's buildings, the structure does not harmoniously complement the surrounding reality, but sharply dominates the landscape, contrasting the stern purposefulness of faith with the chaos of an uncontrollable nature.

Palace of the Assembly

Place: Chandigrah, India
Years of construction: 1951-1962

The monumental eight-story Palace of Assembly is part of the Capitol, a government complex located in northern India at the foot of the Himalayas. Here Le Corbusier first put into practice some of his ideas about the ideal city. The raw concrete technique used in the construction of the Capitol became the starting point of Brutalism.

“The city is a powerful image that affects human consciousness. Can’t he be a source of poetry for us today?”

The main entrance is decorated with a portico in the shape of a curved boat supported by eight concrete pylons.The core of the building is the meeting room located in the inner cylindrical structures piercing the ceiling like a huge chimney. Bright contrasting elements of the facades enliven the heavy composition.

House of Culture Firmini

Location: Firminy, France
Years built: 1961-1965

House of Culture, completed in the year of Le Corbusier's death,built on the steep cliff of a former coal mine. The architect decided to preserve the old coal seam, thereby achieving a “poetic resonance” between industrial and natural materials, a symbiosis of the building with the environment.

The asymmetrical curved roof, reminiscent of an inverted vault, is the result of an innovative technical solution: concrete slabs were laid on tension cables. Another feature of the building is a special glazing system with special partitions and glass panels of various sizes.

Heidi Weber Pavilion (Le Corbusier Center)

Place: Zurich, Switzerland
Years built: 1963-1967

Le Corbusier's last lifetime project was commissioned by Heidi Weber, a Swiss designer and great admirer of the great modernist. The building, intended to house a collection of graphic works, sculptures, furniture and sketches by Le Corbusier himself, later became his creative testament. Today there is a museum dedicated to the life and art of the architect.

The building was built from materials atypical for Le Corbusier: glass and steel. Instead of the usual late-period concrete slabs in the architect’s work, there are enameled colored panels.The roof, assembled from steel sheets, is independent and clearly separated from the main structure. She, like a giant umbrella, protects the master’s artistic heritage from the outside world.

Church of Saint-Pierre de Firminy

Location: Firminy, France
Years built: 1971-1975, 2003-2006

The church in Firminy is the last major project that was never implemented during Le Corbusier’s lifetime, begun in 1960 and completed 41 years after his death. The concrete pyramidal church looks more like an industrial structure or a spaceship than a place of religious worship. The choice of such an unusual form is explained by the architect’s desire to convey the spirit of the place: the building was built in a small mining town.

“The church must be spacious so that the heart can feel free and elevated, so that prayers can breathe in it.”

Simple geometry with complex cosmological symbolism: toThe square structure at the base narrows as it rises, losing the severity of its form, metaphorically denoting the transition from the earthly to the heavenly.Tiny round windows dotting the wall like a constellation of stars project beams of light onto the constellation Orion onto the east wall of the church.Multi-colored cone windows, symbolizing the heavenly bodies, illuminate the room differently depending on the time of year and religious holidays.

Le Corbusier- French architect of Swiss origin, who was also a designer, artist, writer and publicist. He is a pioneer of modernism, a representative of international style architecture, and embodied the ideas of functionalism in architecture. The buildings designed by him are located all over the world: in Europe, America, India, Japan.

In an effort to make life easier for residents of overcrowded cities, Le Corbusier was actively involved in urban planning and was one of the founders of the International Congress of Modern Architecture (CIAM).

Biography

Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris was born on October 6, 1887 in the Swiss town of La Chaux-de-Fonds into the family of a watchmaker and enamel maker.

Since childhood, young Charles was attracted to the fine arts and he entered the School of Arts in Chaux-de-Fonds on the course of Charles Leplatenier, his architecture teacher was René Chapallat, who greatly influenced his early work. From the moment he entered school, he began to independently engage in jewelry making, creating enamels and engraving monograms on watch covers.

In his youth, he tried to leave the provincial atmosphere of his hometown and traveled around Europe. In September 1907 he made his first trip to Italy, then via Budapest to Vienna, where he stayed for four months and met Gustav Klimt and Joseph Hoffmann. Then in 1908 he travels to Paris, where he finds work in the office of Auguste Perret, a French pioneer in the field of reinforced concrete. All these trips influenced him and he began to develop his own architectural style. Between October 1910 and March 1911 he worked near Berlin for the famous architect Peter Behrens, where he may have met Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius. At that time, he visited a nursing home and its monastery in the Ema Valley, and this greatly affected his position in life. From now on, he began to believe that all people should have the opportunity to live quietly and calmly, like monks in their monastery.

Later, in 1911, he traveled to the Balkans and visited Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece, returning with approximately 80 notebooks full of sketches of what he saw, in particular the Parthenon. He will then praise its forms in his book “Towards Architecture”.

During the First World War, Le Corbusier taught at his home school of art in Switzerland and returned to Paris only when the war was over. During these four years in Switzerland he worked in the field of theoretical architecture, using modern techniques. Among others was the Dom-ino House project, a model proposing an open plan consisting of concrete slabs supported by a minimal number of reinforced concrete columns at the edges. This design became the basis for most of his buildings for the next 10 years.

He soon began his own architectural practice, together with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret. This collaboration lasted until the 1950s, with a break during World War II.

In 1918, Le Corbusier met the cubist artist Amédée Ozanfant, in whom he found a kindred spirit. Ozanfan encouraged him to paint and they began to collaborate. Dismissing Cubism as irrational and “romantic,” they published their manifesto, After Cubism, and founded a new artistic movement, Purism. Ozanfant and Le Corbusier founded the magazine L "Esprit nouveau (New Spirit).

In the first issue of the magazine in 1920, Charles-Edouard Jeanneret took the pseudonym Le Corbusier (a slightly modified surname of his grandfather), under the auspices of the idea that everyone could create a new themselves.

In the period from 1918 to 1922, Le Corbusier did not build buildings, focusing entirely on the theory of purism and painting. And in 1922, he and his cousin Pierre opened an architectural studio in Paris. In the 1920s, Le Corbusier designed several villas that brought him fame. Almost all of them are located in the vicinity of Paris. All of them are buildings in the modernist style. They started talking about Corbusier, the new aesthetics of the villas excited the minds of the European public. The most notable works are Villa La Rocha/Jeanneret (1924), Villa Stein in Garches (now Vaucreson, 1927), Villa Savoy in Poissy (1929). All of them are distinguished by simple geometric shapes, white smooth facades, horizontal windows, and the use of a reinforced concrete frame. In these buildings, Corbusier applied his architect's code - "Five starting points of architecture."

In 1925, Corbusier and Pierre presented the "Plan Voisin", a proposal for the reconstruction of Paris. The plan called for the demolition of about 240 hectares of old buildings and the construction in their place of eighteen identical skyscrapers of 50 floors. In this and subsequent plans, Le Corbusier proposed new planning methods that would improve the comfort of living in cities, create green areas and a network of transport routes in them.

In 1940, Le Corbusier closed his Paris workshop and moved to a farm in the Pyrenees. At this time, he was engaged in theoretical developments, in particular the Modulor proportion system, which he then actively used in buildings.

After the end of World War II, restoration work began in France and Le Corbusier participated in it at the invitation of the authorities. In particular, he carried out plans for the reconstruction of the cities of Saint-Dieu (1945) and La Rochelle (1946), which became a new original contribution to urban planning.

For Saint-Dieu, Le Corbusier designed the building of the Claude et Duval manufactory (1946-1951) - a four-story block with production and office premises, with continuous glazed facades. During the construction of the Duval manufactory, so-called “sun cutters” (fr. brise-soleil) were used - special hanging structures invented by Corbusier that protect the glazed facade from direct sunlight. Subsequently, “sun cutters” became a kind of trademark of Corbusier’s buildings, where they simultaneously perform both a service and a decorative role.

In 1947, construction began on the famous “Marseille Housing Unit” - an apartment building with complete infrastructure located inside one building.

In 1950, Corbusier began implementing his most ambitious project - the new capital of the state of Punjab, the city of Chandigarh. Corbusier developed the administrative center, residential areas with infrastructure, schools, and hotels. The city was built over approximately 10 years. Corbusier himself directly designed the Capitol, the administrative center of the city. These are the buildings of the Secretariat, the Palace of Justice and the Assembly. Each of them is distinguished by a bright characteristic image, powerful monumentality and represents a new word in the architecture of that time.

In the 50s and 60s, Le Corbusier already enjoyed a recognized reputation as an architectural genius. He was inundated with orders, his name resounded throughout the world. During this time, he built several structures that cemented his title as Europe's number one avant-garde architect. These are the Ronchamp Chapel in France (1955), the Brazilian Pavilion on the campus in Paris, the complex of the La Tourette monastery (1957-1960), the building of the Museum of Western Art in Tokyo (1959).

One of Corbusier's last major works was the cultural center of Harvard University, the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts (1959-1962), built in the United States.

In 1928, Corbusier took part in the competition for the construction of the People's Commissariat for Legislative Industry building (House of the Centrosoyuz) in Moscow. It was subsequently built according to his design. The Centrosoyuz building was a completely new example for Europe of a modern business building solution. Construction was carried out under the direction of architect Nikolai Kolli.

In 1928, 1929, and the early thirties, the architect often came to Moscow in connection with construction. Here he met with Soviet cultural figures, in particular Meyerhold and Eisenstein, and admired the creative atmosphere that reigned in the country at that time. He was especially impressed by the achievements of the Soviet architectural avant-garde - the Vesnin brothers, Moses Ginzburg, Konstantin Melnikov. Later, Le Corbusier participated in the international competition for the building of the Palace of Soviets for Moscow (1931), for which he made an extremely bold, innovative project.

"Five Starting Points of Architecture"

Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture were published in L'Esprit Nouveau in the twenties. In these seemingly simple rules, Corbusier tried to formulate his concept of modern architecture. Here is their free paraphrase:

Support pillars. The house is raised above the ground on reinforced concrete pillars, which frees up space under the living quarters for a garden or car parking.

Flat roof terraces. Instead of the traditional sloping roof with an attic underneath, Corbusier proposed a flat roof-terrace, on which a small garden could be planted or a place to relax.

Free layout. Since the walls are no longer load-bearing (due to the use of a reinforced concrete frame), the interior space is completely freed from them. As a result, interior layout can be organized with much greater efficiency.

Ribbon windows. Thanks to the frame structure of the building and, therefore, the absence of load-bearing walls, windows can be made of almost any size and configuration, incl. stretch them freely with a ribbon along the entire facade, from corner to corner.

Free facade. The supports are installed outside the plane of the facade, inside the house (literally from Corbusier: freely located indoors). External walls can be made of any material - light, fragile or transparent, and take any shape.

Modulor

Modulor is a system of proportions developed by Le Corbusier. He described it as “a set of harmonious proportions, commensurate with the human scale, universally applicable to architecture and mechanics.”