Villa Savoye: five principles of modern architecture in one house

Useful to know

The Villa Savoie in Poissy, near Paris, was designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret in the late 1920s and was completed in 1931. Orderers Pierre and Eugénie Savoye sought a house to rest and welcome friends.[1][2] This private task became one of the famous examples of modern architecture. However, the importance of the building is better understood through its organization than only through the recognizable white volume.

The villa brings together the five principles associated with Le Corbusier's architectural program: props pilots, a free plan, a free facade, horizontal windows, and a roof terrace. [1] What they have in common is the change in the relationship between the supporting structure and the other parts of the house. "Free" here does not mean arbitrary or devoid of technical limitations, but less dependence on continuous bearing walls.

The Le Corbusier Foundation explains how the columns free up space on the terrain, and the curved shape on the ground level is related to the movement of the family car. The internal ramp and ladder organize the passage through the house. [2] This is an example of architecture that is revealed consistently: the look and connection to the external space change along the route. The photo on the facade can show the proportions, but it cannot itself convey what happens in this movement.

The roof terrace and the long window stripes are involved in the same idea of a connection between the habitation and the surrounding area. A useful exercise when considering a plan or photographs is to trace the difference between the aperture as a light source and the aperture as a view frame. Then you can look for how the inner route connects them. This is a proposed way of observation, not a universal rule for any modern house. In Savoy, it helps to read individual principles as a general design.

The history of habitation is not without its problems. The villa's official website describes leaks and heating difficulties that the family wrote to the architect about. [1] These reports do not erase artistic significance, but add a necessary practical perspective. Assessment of architecture can involve both the innovative idea and the behavior of the building in use. Admitting problems does not mean missing the achievement; it also means viewing the work as an actual dwelling with specific occupants.

In 2016 the villa became part of the UNESCO series site dedicated to the architectural work of Le Corbusier. The site includes seventeen locations in seven countries and presents the international development of his ideas. [3] In this context, Savoy is particularly convenient to study: a relatively clear residential program gathers several basic principles into one building. Reading it through construction, route, light and real habitation gives a more complete picture than the definition of a "white modern house".