When I had dreams of being an architect I was completely in awe of a French urbanist named Le Corbusier. He was an architect and a writer and a painter and basically just the shit. Le Corbusier used all his experiences and spirituality in his designs. His goal was to make life better for anyone who came in contact with his art.
Le Corbusier is the founder of modern architecture’s clean and somewhat sterile presentations and symmetrical proportions. He envisioned modern cities with towering residential skyscrapers and sprawling green spaces at their bases. Co-Op City would have been a triumph of the Le Corbusier vision if capitalism and poverty hadn’t gotten in the way.
If economics and race weren’t so important to maintaining the class hegemony here and abroad the Le Corbusier designs would have been magnificent. Architectural critics like to sound off on Le Corbusier’s designs as if he meant for them to segregate people from one another but that was never his aim. Le Corbusier wanted the modern city to be an independent, sustainable model that supported all modes of functions and means of transportation, especially the pedestrian.
This apartment complex in Marseilles, France is one of my favorite projects which he completed. You can see his adoption of the Mondrian primary color neoplasticism style in the facade’s design. Corbusier also designed furniture which borrowed from this rigid Dutch artform but Le Corbusier gave his furniture a softer feel with rounded shapes and edges. The poured concrete forms are indicative of the type of architecture America would produce throughout the 1960s.
I’d like to think that I bring a planned aesthetic to the outfit architecture that I compose from time to time. I understand context and revel in history as my method for building my swag. I also respect the architects because they understand the importance of knowing a little bit. About a LOT of things.
i used to dream of bein an architect easier said then done believe me its hard to get outta the projects……
When you start speaking Spanish.
Great post Dallas! We have a few of towers built here in the early 70’s that attempted to emulate Le Corbusier in design and use of primary colors. The story behind them and their history of what they hoped they would become is interesting.
Dymaxion Swag!!
Excellent post DP– esp. as I oppose the vilification of Corbusier and also Robert Moses. The latter of whom made mistakes, and was probably prejudiced, but his critics are far more racist/patronizing than the man himself was.
The construction and management of some public housing projects might have been (was) flawed/negligent but most of the concepts are, I believe, sound. The folks who strongly disagree are usually wholly ignorant of the conditions public housing was meant to ameliorate.
I don’t have link at hand but over at Library of Congress there’s a great series of photographs documenting the opening of Red Hook Houses, which at the time (c. 1939) was largest of all (later surpassed by QB).
The problems of Pink, Park Hill, Mott Haven Houses are America’s, ** not ** architecture’s per se.
I’m also reminded of an article several years ago in Harper’s which detailed the planning aspect of public housing in Camden, NJ. The planning of the housing would be blamed for the community failing instead of the disappearance of industry and the introduction of drugs. SMH to that
Highly recommend you read ‘The Architecture of Happiness’ by Alain de Botton.