A school trip to Paris and Villa Savoye in Poissy outskirt of Paris left us wondering. Does the master architect still exist? And what makes one a master?
Is it being a philosopher, a founder of a movement, a think-tank, being an outlier or an entrepreneur? In our exploration journeys, heavy weights like Da Vinci, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and Raphael often feature, but one man seems to embody all of the above. The man Charles-Édouard Jeanneret aka Le Corbusier is the master of performance. His looks resembled a sly villain in a Hollywood blockbuster. Even the name carries some attitude like some sort of a movement.
Poissy, France
The journey to Poissy, France, a small middle- class town west of Paris was quite rewarding by exploring one of his most important works. Villa Savoye. Nested among a thick canopy of European fir, this masterpiece represents the freedoms of modernist architecture that we call open-plan nowadays.
The 5 Principles of design
Le Corbusier did it and it revolutionised design principles by employing the five points of architecture; Pilotis (pillars), roof garden, open floor plan, long windows and open facades.
Conserved as an important building in France nowadays, the visit rekindled the memories of second year architecture reading his book.
This time, I’m part of the book exploring the design language. Experiencing his work reveals he was truly a master of the game.
Interiors
Experiencing works of Le Corbusier has been one of the most fulfilling in my architectural exploration journeys. Especially when I get to see the liveliness on students’ faces.
