Incorporating Le Corbusier

Monon Cafe - East elevation perspective

As an architecture student I have started to develop my own style and theories of design. One of the main influences on my design work is Le Corbusier and his 5 points of architecture (listed below). One of my most recent designs was a multi-use facility, cafe/residential apartments located on the Monon trail in Indianapolis, Indiana. The structure was to stay within a 30' x 100' x 40' envelope. The cafe is located on the first floor and two separate housing apartments located on the 2nd and 3rd floor.  

Le Corbusier had 5 points of architecture

1 - the pilottis elevating the mass off the ground
2 - the free plan, achieved through the seperation of the load-bearing columns from the walls subdividing the space
3- the free facade, the corollary of the free plan in the vertical plane
4- the long horizontal sliding window
5- the roof garden/terrace

This particular design of mine incorporates 3 of the 5 Le Corbusier points of architecture.

The design consists of a two way slab with beam concrete spanning system. This structural system allows for a free facade and open floor plan. The free facade allows for a first floor curtain wall system. This facade will allow for a transparency between the interior and exterior seating area to become a blurred space and transparency between the spaces. This also allows the floor plans to be designed without the use of load bearing walls.

Structural system

Between the two apartments on the second floor there is an exterior roof terrace. The terrace is a space shared between the residents. It is an area designed to be used as a roof top garden, seating area, and semi-public space.

North-South Building Section

Much like Le Corbusiers modular system, I have used a grid system to help influence my designs. With this particular piece of architecture I have used a one-third grid system as a division of space and fenestrations. This particular grid system allows for pure geometric forms and parallel lines to become apparent within the design.

Grid System

As I continue my studies and career I will continue using Le Corbusiers 5 principles of architecture and start to develop my own principles.

Open architecture plan

Blog #4



The open floor plan in architecture has been used for many years to allow for design decisions to not be restricted by structure but who were some of the first architects to start using the open floor plan? Two of the first were Le Corbusier and Mies Van Der Rohe. Each architect would design with different styles but one parallel between the two was the open plan.
Le Corbusier had 5 points of architecture

1 - the pilottis elevating the mass off the ground
2 - the free plan, achieved through the seperation of the load-bearing columns from the walls subdividing the space
3- the free facade, the corollary of the free plan in the vertical plane
4- the long horizontal sliding window
5- the roof garden

Le Corbusiers second point of architecture can be seen in one of his more famous works the Villa Savoy. Where the columns are expressed by removing them from within the wall structure and showing the grid pattern. With the structural support taken out of the wall system it opens the facade up for horizontal fenestrations. When looking at the structure in plan the columns continue the grid pattern while the form has a combination of curves and orthogonal lines. This would not of been possible without the open rectilinear column grid system.

Villa Savoy Floor Plan

Villa Savoy

Like Le Corbusier, Mies Van Der Rohe also experimented with the open floor plan but took a different approach. He tried to use the structure and give the illusion of the building being suspended from the ground. A good example of this is the Farnsworth house designed in 1951. The Farnsworth house has the structure exposed on the exterior of the facade, leaving the floor plan open from any load bearing walls on the interior or exterior. The floor plane is suspended above the ground plane to give the illusion of a suspended building. The exterior structure and open facade also allows for large fenestrations in the exterior facade. Mies Van Der Rohe capitalized on this in the Farnsworth house to give the appeal of the transparent facade and being able to look though the building as if it is not there.


Farnsworth House