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La Villa Savoye after Le Corbusier, une Longue Histoire
Get PDFThis is a study of the microhistory of Villa Savoye that has already been realized, which thus does not concern its genesis (almost too studied by others). In the construction site of microhistory the reduced scale of observation is the space which may permit the reconstruction of interpersonal relationships as a historical subject and to experiment with new procedures and put interpretative categories to the test. The problem regarding the construction defects is more or less a constant in the work of Le Corbusier, in addition to the speed of the processes of both ageing and decay which are characteristic of the materials used in modern architecture. In this sense the restoration of the works of Le Corbusier is also an opportunity to bring back to the center of the critical and theoretical discussion crucial topics regarding the reflection on modern architecture: originality and authorship. Restorations such as the ones undertaken for Villa Savoye reopened the discussion on the topic of the restoration of an auteur architecture, beginning from its foundations
The villa Le Lac by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret at Corseaux-sous-Vevey. The Color Rediscovered
Get PDFIn 2011, the Fondation Le Corbusier took the fortunate initiative of requesting a historical study prior to the restoration of the villa Le Lac, built in 1924 at Corseaux-sous-Vevey in Switzerland. Submitted in 2012, the study sought to provide objective and factual information about the construction and physical evolution of the building, by exposing the initial intentions of the architect and his wishes, fulfilled or not, for its transformation, restoration or improvement, through research in several archives (Fondation Le Corbusier, Communal Archives of Corseaux and Vevey, G.T.A. in Zurich, Cantonal Archives…). The Corbusean archives, as well as the local archives and several periodicals and reviews of the period, both French and foreign, were combed. The research, based mainly on primary sources, was completed by reading the writings of the architect, his contemporaries and historians. Having been carried out prior to the material analysis of the building, the study revealed a series of new features of the house and its environs, including the garden. Thanks to an analysis of the numerous documents mentioned above, an attempt to put photographs of this evolving building in chronological order was carried out with Bénédicte Gandini. This article seeks to examine one of these new features. A feature of fundamental importance as it calls into question a well-anchored myth and is connected to recent discoveries made during restoration works on Corbusean villas of the 1920s
Renovation and Restoration (the 3 R’s)
Get PDFThe Modern Movement has demonstrated its long term legitimacy, as a concept endowed with an extraordinary and lasting longevity. Either way, it becomes increasingly important to acknowledge and value this heritage, in order to enable a skilled, informed and enlightened intervention. Such matters as materials and technology reuse, spatial and functional transformations as well as updating legislation, are part of the contemporary agenda. Knowing that many modern architects sought new heights of functionality and changeability, the challenge for today is how to deal with the heritage in relation to its continuously changing context, physical, economic and functional, as well as socio-cultural, political and scientific. I consider that the reuse project is starting to “make history” and I share the idea that heritage transforms itself with us. Therefore, modern architecture can be a resource that asks for our attention in terms of quality, economy and sustainability
Renovation and Restructuring the Cité de Refuge by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. Preserving the Dual Functional and Architectural Identity of the Masterpiece
Get PDFThe Cité de Refuge, for the Salvation Army, was built in Paris by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, in 1933. For Le Corbusier, it represented a formal, technical and mainly social architectural manifesto, as part of his idea of new society published in La Ville Radieuse, in 1935. Seventy years after, the building is deeply transformed because the everyday use is inadequate for the contemporary community standards for the reception of homeless and current climate standards. The challenge of the last restoration campaign (2007–2015) was to reconcile the current demanding standards while maintaining and upgrading the architectural qualities of the building
A New Future for the Montréal Mies Gaz Station
Get PDFWhen it comes to ensuring the authenticity of an architectural conservation project, is an architect’s interpretation of the original sufficient in itself? Or should the architect’s largely intuitive understanding of a site be complemented by the knowledge of the architectural historian? The adaptive reuse of the Île des Soeurs service station, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1967 and renovated by architect Éric Gauthier in 2011, raises such questions. The unique value of this small facility is recognized by its designation as a historic monument. Today, it is a multigenerational activity centre where youth and seniors can gather to learn, play, and socialize
Restoration of the Petite Maison, Corseaux, 1924, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. Construction Practice as Research
Get PDFThe Petite Maison, or the villa Le Lac was built by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret at Corseaux, near Vevey, in 1924 for the parents of the former. Various modifications were made from then until 1973. The exteriors, façades, gardens and enclosures of this emblematic work were repaired and restored based on detailed research of the fabric and a well judged program of conservation which concluded in June 2015. This essay reports on some of the specifics of the project, the construction itself, the problems of ageing that the architects had to address, and the most recent conservation works (2013–15)
Efforts to Improve the Earthquake Resistance of the Kagawa Prefectural Government Office East Building
Get PDFThe Kagawa Prefectural Government Office East Building, designed by Kenzo Tange, was completed in 1958, and in addition to acting as an important disaster prevention base facility, it possesses a cultural value through its many spaces open to the public and its expression of traditional Japanese architectural ideas in concrete. It is part of the current government offices, and while the concrete itself is expected to be viable for over 50 years, it will require substantial improvements in order to meet the most recent earthquake resistance standards. As such, Kagawa Prefecture, through advice from specialists and discussion in the Prefectural Assembly, has considered the possible earthquake resistance improvements that could be made, including reconstruction, seismic isolation retrofitting, and seismic strengthening. It was concluded that in consideration of earthquake resistance, its office functions, costs involved, and the cultural value of the building, it would be appropriate to preserve the building and improve its earthquake resistance through base isolation construction methods, and efforts are being made to gain the support and understanding of the people of the prefecture and pursue this policy going forward
On Collective Form
Get PDFThe following article is an edited version of the keynote address presented at the 13th International docomomo Conference that took place in Seoul, Korea, in September 2014. In this essay, Fumihiko Maki's urban design theory and practice are traced through nearly 60 years of written and built work. Extensive travel and observations of village formations (under the auspices of the Graham Foundation) in 1958, research and writing "Investigations in Collective Form" at Washington University in St. Louis, and associations with the Metabolist Group and Team X are elements which Maki has stitched together to form his understanding of urban architectural group form strategies. These strategies have been tested in a variety of projects throughout Japan and elsewhere; together with his texts, they form a continuing body of work that exhibit how successful, quality urban environments are created
Maison Curutchet, La Plata, Argentina
Get PDFThe Maison Curutchet is the only house by Le Corbusier in America. The project was developed between 1948 to 1949 and built between 1949 to 1955 as a single-family dwelling and as a professional medical office to the well-known Dr. Pedro Domingo Curutchet in La Plata, Buenos Aires. In 2013–2014, Colegio de Arquitectos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CAPBA) which head office is settled there, decided to carry out a full maintenance, done with the strict criteria of minimizing the impact on the house and using as reference the original documentation. The process was coordinated by CAPBA's Enhancement Research Institute, led by the architect Pablo Mastropasqua, and directed by the architect Julio Santana
Reuse, Transformation and Restoration
Get PDFIn the period I was teaching at the Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands, from 1984–1998, I often had the privilege to welcome our first year students entering the faculty of architecture. After I had paid my compliments to the students for having chosen a fascinating study and future profession I told them that for environmental and climate reasons, it would be best not to build at all any longer. And since this was unrealistic, the next best thing was that we should learn how to renew the world with things that exist already. Laughter was always their response. Didn’t the nutty professor notice that outside an enormous boom of new building was going on as a result of the neo-liberal wave that was hitting Europe and North America? Besides, the ambition of most of them was to become the future Rem Koolhaas or Norman Foster. So please don’t spoil the party. Directly after my talk they were embraced by the faculty staff to fulfill their dreams