Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye

If you had to guess what year this house was built, when would it be? It bet you wouldn't suppose that it is nearly 80 years old! One of the most famous houses of the 20th century, and one of the most recognizable examples of the International Style of architecture - Villa Savoye was completed between 1929 and 1930. Designed by Le Corbusier, it was built as a weekend home outside of Paris for Mr. and Mrs. Savoye and their son. Today it is a museum open to the public.


Professor Norman Reuter, who teaches our architecture course and led the trip, explained the significance of the building. It represents Le Corbusier's "Five Points" of modern architecture incorporating reinforced concrete:

1) Raising the building up on columns preserves usable land underneath the structure for practical purposes
2) A flat room also reclaims space and actually increases the property's usable outside space
3) The elimination of interior load-bearing walls allows for more freedom in layout decisions
4) Horizontal windows allow for increased natural lighting that is even across the room
5) Facades are not load-bearing and can act as a thin skin with windows over a frame

These "Five Points" had already been tested after WWI. Le Corbusier designed a simple 2- story reinforced concrete shell, including a concrete roof and stairs, that could be finished into houses to replace those lost in during the war. Families would start out by finishing off the second story, and later when they had enough money, they could do the lower level. Hundreds of these were constructed across Europe after WWI.


As you enter the front door, there is a front foyer that now serves as a desk and gift shop for the museum. Originally, the driver would have driven the family to the front door, and they would enter while the car was parked in a built in garage around the corner. While this spiral staircase connects all levels of the house, it is not the intended route up to the second floor where the living quarters are (the servants lived on the first floor). To the right of the staircase is a long ramp that leads upstairs. This feature is something that first dates back from the ancient Greeks - you were never supposed to walk up to a Greek temple straight on. It is more impressive to approach a building at an angle so that you can see its depth. There is another ramp that leads up to the rooftop terrace - making the whole house essentially handicapped accessible, although that was not the purpose of doing it.


This combination of sun/living room predates today's mainstream concept of the "great room". On the left next to my classmates in the photo you can see an example of Le Corbusier's design for a leather chase lounge. For the past several decades, a company owned the copyright for this design and one would cost you $3,000. Fortunately, the patent recently expired and now you can get one for $300. They are supposed to be very comfortable, as several members of my class on the trip verified! On the ceiling you will notice the long shiny metal fixture running the length of the room. Florescent tube lighting had just been invented, and this is perhaps one of the first designs for up lighting where the light is reflected off the ceiling rather than shine down directly. This building was truly ahead of its time, it is just incredible to walk through this knowing it is 80 years old. Other than the aging of the materials, this building would be very modern even today.


The kitchen is off one end of the great room shown above. The family would not have done their own cooking most of the time, but they would be served their meals at the dining table in the great room. It has a very practical layout, which is customary of Le Corbusier's designs. He viewed houses and all buildings as "machines for living". For this reason, he made no effort to hide structural elements such as columns as well as other useful fixtures like the radiators you can see under the counters here.


This is the view looking out from the great room onto the lower level of the outside terrace. You can see how columns like the one to the right allow for the elimination of load-bearing walls. Instead, plate glass windows create a seamless blend of inside and out and let natural light flood the room. Outside you can see the ramp to the left that goes up to the roof-level terrace. The floor tiles are placed on the ramp at an angle so the water can drain down the grooves in between.


Mrs. Savoye's bathroom flows right into the room, with a privacy curtain that can be closed if desired. I took this picture from where the bed would have been. The tiled lounge is electrically heated underneath so you could lay there and dry off. The toilet was in a separate little room behind the black door. Again, natural light is allowed to enter through a skylight in the ceiling.


Looking from the lower lever terrace at the ramps up to the roof, you can't help but notice the ocean liner inspired elements. There is a ship-like railing on the ramp, and on the roof there is a privacy wall that looks like ship's funnel. Le Corbusier was fascinated by the modern day ocean liner, which he viewed as a floating city...a machine that supported life and fostered interaction. As a result, many of his buildings have similar elements, especially the funnel. The funnel shaped wall here gave privacy to members of the family who wanted to sunbathe - a trend that was new in the 1920s. It had been a popular activity in Roman times, but had fallen out of style for several centuries until the beginning of the 20th century.


Finally, this is a storage area of the son's room. The empty room is a reminder of this house's sad history. The Savoye's were Jewish, and during WWII when the Nazis invaded France all three members of the family were sent to concentration camps. Only the mother survived, and when the war was over she never returned to this house. By the end of the war there wasn't much to come back to anyway. Hitler hated Le Corbusier and his modern architecture - he considered it fit only for Arabs, who he also didn't like. The Nazis took over the house and used it for storage. By the 1960s, it had fallen into complete disrepair. In fact, the school next door bought the property and planned to demolish it for a playground. Luckily a high ranking government official heard what was about to happen, and realizing its historical significance, put a stop to it and made it a landmark. Over the past several decades it has been restored to its current state, and stands for thousands of visitors to appreciate as one of the greatest buildings of the 20th century.

The Grande Arche

In the United States, presidents build libraries. In France, presidents build monuments. The Grande Arche was commissioned by French President Mitterrand, and the winning design was by a Dutch architect. Construction started in 1982 and it was completed in 1990. Each side is 30 stories high and houses government offices and the top is an exhibition space. It was designed to be a modern version of the Arche de Triomphe, which is directly in line with the Grande Arche with a long boulevard connecting them.

Visitors can take elevators up to the top (we didn't) to see some spectacular views of the city. At the top of the stairs are staggered plexi-glass panels that go all of the way across in several rows. Norman explained that when the building first opened, there was a wind tunnel effect and that these prevent people from getting blown over. Tall buildings like these are rare in Paris. Skyscrapers are actually banned in the central city area. There is only one, which was built I think in the 60s. When it was done Parisians decided it was so ugly that there would be no more. The Grande Arche is in a cluster of modern office buildings on the other side of the highway that goes around the perimeter of the center city area. These office towers started going up in the 70s, and Norman said that despite loving modern architecture, that most of them are complete crap. He says that new ones have been getting better in recent years.

Building height has long given Paris a distinct look. Before elevators were invented, officials set a limit of six stories (mainly to assist fire fighting). That stuck, and now almost all buildings are the same height - between 5 and 6 stories. Having long boulevards with lines of equal height buildings on each side is a beloved feature of Parisian streetscapes, and is something you usually don't see anywhere else.

Weekend trip to Paris

Last Thursday was a busy day - one that was full of multitasking and organizing in preparation for a trip to Paris. I got up around 11 in the morning, put a load in the wash and went out to grab a sandwich from Sticklers - my favorite little lunch cafe right down the street. I came back, ate lunch, and threw my clothes in the dryer before I left to get a haircut. I also had time to stop in a couple of shops before coming back to the flat to pack. We had to be at St. Pancras Station by 5 pm to check in for the Eurostar high speed train to France.

Jessica and I made it in plenty of time, and got dinner at one of the sandwich bars at the international terminal. There were 30 students and three leaders. The trip was in association with the one of my classes: London - History through Architecture, and was led by our professor, Norman Reuter. Because of this, we were able to see many interesting sights that we never would have found on our own, and got to see a lot of great architectural features of Paris.

The train left at around 6pm London time. The high-speed train travels at speeds up to 186 mph and the trip from London to Paris via the Chunnel takes about 2 and half hours. Since Paris is one hour ahead of London, we arrived at Gare du Nord ("Paris North Station") a little after 9:30 local time. Norman led us down several streets for about 20 minutes until we arrived at our hotel a little after 10. It was called "Hotel Victoria" off of Rue Bergere near Grands Boulevards. The hotel looked okay at first, but we soon realized it was kind of a dump. There was mold in between the bathroom tiles, the hallways smelled like cigarette smoke, and some of the ladies on the trip complained that they couldn't leave at night! They tried to go out with some friends sometime after midnight, and the man at the front desk said they couldn't. For several hours overnight there is no one at the desk and the front doors are locked.

Each morning we had breakfast in the basement - plain yogurt, coffee, a croissant and baguette, and juice. We had to meet out front at 9 to either board a bus or start a walking tour. It was a busy weekend to be sure, with many stops and lots of walking! Norman had prepared a note packet highlighting each of our group stops and giving us all of the background information we needed to appreciate what we were looking at. A lot of the stuff we had also learned about in his lecture, but those who were not part of the class were filled in. See the posts above for details on the individual stops and sites we experienced.

Hampton Court Palace

Yesterday we had a school field trip to Hampton Court Palace. It was mandatory for my Crime and Punishment class, and our professor gave us a thorough tour of the complex. He explained its past importance as a center of power. The original part of the palace (from the beginning its purpose was as a grand palace and not as a defensive castle - it was built after England's castle-building period had ended) was constructed for Cardinal Wolsey around 1514. The palace was much nicer than that of King Henry VIII at Whitehall, then called York Palace. In 1529, the King took over the Hampton Court as his personal residence and began expanding it.

The Palace would see many more changes starting in the late 17th century when William and Mary came to power. They began a major development project where they planned to replace all but the Great Hall of the Tudor Palace. They charged Sir Christopher Wren with the task of transforming Hampton Court into a new Baroque-style residence to compete with Versailles. Work was half done when Queen Mary died and William lost interest. Work stopped and the palace was left mostly the way it is today, with the front half in the Tudor style and the rear in Baroque.


This is the original Tudor-style entrance that was built for Cardinal Wolsey. Almost all of what Wolsey built remains today. The front was made to look grand, and to leave an impression of power with any visitor to the Palace. The only major changes that have been made are the chimneys, which were added in the 18th or 19th century. Originally there was a mote that went around the palace. The trench is still there on the other side of the low brick wall behind the grass.


As we went in, we saw this old car come out from one of the side driveways. I have no idea what kind it is or when it's from, but sure looks nice!


When you walk through the main gate, this is what you see. It is a large rectangular courtyard called Base Court that leads to the next gate. The large section on the far left of the picture is King Henry VIII's Grand Hall.


Walking through the next gate takes you into Clock Court. This side was modified with the columns under Wren's design. Most of this court retains it's original Tudor-period construction, and this is as far as Wren's alterations go.


This post-Copernican astronomical clock was installed over the second gate (the one that leads into Clock Court) in 1540. It still works, and tells the time of day, month, moon phase, quarter of the year, date, star and sun sign, and high water at London Bridge. It is considered to be one of the finest astrological clocks in England.


The kitchens originally were designed to prepare enough food for everyone in the King's Court and any guests visiting (this would have amounted to at least 1,000 people). The enormous fireplace speaks to the huge amounts of food prepared each day. Notice the loft on the top right: most of the people who worked in the kitchen also lived there, with the exception of the top chef. There would have originally been several more levels (you can see the holes in the wall were support beams used to be), each filled with straw to provide a place to sleep.


"The Kitchen" was actually made of up several different areas that were linked together with little alleyways, which are common all around the Tudor half of the castle.


The next room contained this arrangement that functioned like a huge stove. Charcoal was burned in the hollowed-out areas below and heated the kettles on top. Charcoal was used because it produced a better taste that wood-fired stoves, and it was cheaper than coal.


This table sits in front of a smaller fireplace. Our professor told us that in the past there was a display of a rotisserie mechanism that worked much like a grandfather clock. A combination of a pendulum and moving weights would automatically turn the meat on the spit so the kitchen workers could attend to other things. The display also gives you an idea of what some of the bowls and pottery looked like in Tudor times.


This cellar is where the drinks were stored. I'm not sure if this was all wine, or ale. I think it was probably a combination...ale for the workers and wine for the King and the aristocratic members of the court.


King Henry VIII's Great Hall was used for dining and probably for entertaining as well. It was built between 1532 and 1535, and features one of the best hammer-beam ceilings in England. It was the last medieval great hall built for an English monarch.


This is where the King and his wife would dine in state at the head of the Great Hall.


I love the old brickwork in the palace, and the lighting in this picture does a nice job of showing it. If only these walls could talk...


I took this picture through a second story window that faces one of many sections of gardens. Our professor tells us this is a recreation that was built about 15 years ago. The original had become so overgrown and inaccurate that it was necessary to start over. I believe that this is supposed to be one King Henry VIII's gardens.


This is the public bedroom where the King would be ceremonially put to bed each night. After all of the people left, he would go to a real bedroom nearby where he would sleep. In the morning another waking up ceremony would take place back in the room shown here.


This is a study in the state apartments near the bedrooms.


This what King Henry VIII's toilet looked like.


Back on the ground floor is a dining room in the Wren-designed portion of the palace. During the time of William and Mary, it was common to dine in front of members of the public on Sundays. Normal people would be allowed in to see their King and Queen, and their family, eat. There were some reports that hundreds of people sometimes showed up and bleachers were set up to accommodate everyone.


One of the many grand Baroque staircases in the palace.


The Fountain Court - the major court designed by Wren (the other two big ones are original Tudor).



The two pictures above are the Baroque gardens designed to compliment Wren's vision. The garden photos below are from a side garden. I'm not sure which era the side garden is from, but I suspect it is from the Tudor period. There is also a hedge maze in this section, but unfortunately it had closed for the day by the time we got there. This is a great time of year to see the gardens though, with all of the flowers out and the trees blossoming.








One last look at the entrance on the way back to the bus. It was strange to see nobody there! Although it was supposedly a quiet day, we had run into elementary school groups several times during the course of our tour.


The weather was very strange. Sometimes there was a beautiful blue sky, and other times...


...the dark clouds rolled in and we had to get out the umbrellas. It did allow for a great combination of cloud and sky shots though.


Finally, my favorite picture of the day saved for last. I took this as I crossed the bridge over the River Thames that runs right next to the Palace. I was walking back to the bus and I happened to look over and see this amazing lighting...dark clouds in the background and the last rays of sun illuminating the Palace. I had to take a picture, and here it is.

London Transport Museum

Last Saturday I walked over to Covent Garden to visit the London Transport Museum. I have wanted to go for a while now, and I have a paper coming up on London's Tube stations, so I decided it was time to stop by. I walked in the front door and paid the 5 pound reduced entry fee for students, and was handed the green card pictured above. The woman at the desk explained that the museum was testing a new interactive feature to help guide visitors through the exhibits. In each of the 13 areas, there would be a hole punch machine that would mark your progress. She acknowledged that it seemed childish, but promised that it would be addicting. Indeed it was.

I headed through the door and up the ramp to the elevator. The building is set up so that you start at the 2nd floor (really the third, floor because what we call the first floor in the US is the ground floor in Europe, so the second floor is the first, and so on) and work your way back down. The top floor was all about the days of transportation before cars and electricity. To get across the River Thames, you took a steamboat or the London Bridge. To get around the city streets you took either a horse-drawn cab or bus. For long distance trips between cities, you could travel by stagecoach. Each of the horse-drawn vehicles were on display. They were either restorations or exact replicas, but I think that they were restorations.

The next level down was all about the birth of the steam locomotive and the development of the first railroads in England. Again, they had a real steam engine and several passenger cars on display that you could look in...a few you could even go inside. The exhibit also explained how railroads allowed for the expansion of London and the growth of its suburbs. What used to be far off country land became easily accessible communities for those who wanted to continue working in London but move the family outside of the harsh conditions within the city.

Finally, I reached the ground floor where the exhibits were more relevant to today's world. It described the evolution of the London Underground (the world's oldest subway system) from competing individually owned lines to one unified system. That system would eventually grow to include the bus and cab system. They had restored motor-driven buses on display, including the most famous London bus: the Routemaster. There were also displays on the future of London transport - in particular the extension of the Tube to the 2012 Olympic site. I spent about 3 hours there and had a great time...I have a feeling that I might have to go back before I leave, especially since I left my camera at home on this trip!