Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture
[7] The pilotis elevate the structure from the ground, allowing for automobiles to drive underneath through a sweeping enclosure corresponding to the turning radius of a car as it curves around the house to afford direct entrance.
[10] The roof terrace flows seamlessly from Madame Savoye's bedroom suite, constituting the culmination of the free plan and collapsing distinctions of interior and exterior space, while providing sweeping views of the pastoral visage.
[9] The spatial properties of the free design, particularly, the circulation of ramps and stairs that flow through the house, have been extensively examined, as expressions of Le Corbusier's notion of the "promenade architecturale".
However, Le Corbusier did not formally recognize many of these functional defects, and the space continued to be afflicted with problems, with the extensive leakage eventually causing the owners to abandon habitation around 1939.
[12] Upon learning of the structure's potential demolition, Le Corbusier utilized his global prominence to garner worldwide support from influential figures and institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art and Time magazine, eventually contributing to the successful campaign.
[18] This vertical configuration was partially due to the constraints of an urban environment, with limited external dimensions, it was logical to conceive of a stackable cube, separated into four levels and bookended by an underside entrance and a large roof garden.
[4] The centrepiece of the residence is the roof terrace, spherically enlarged to afford distant views of the Bois de Boulogne parklands, serving as a refuge from its congested surroundings.
[9] However, the majority of the structure does not seek to integrate interior space and outdoor landscape, but rather, more tightly obscures its spatial arrangements from all sides of the façade, as the ribboned windows and flat roof conceal the double-height living room.
[18] Additionally, as the focal central column divides interior bays into even numbers, the path of movement is less varied, resulting in a more logical hierarchy of motion that ascends through a tight and discontinuous axis.
[6] The free design of the plan is supported by the large pilotis, offering greater flexibility in utility, enabling open creative spaces, as well as multiple arrangements to accommodate exhibitions or cinema screenings.
[6] Further, a delineated line of movement is facilitated by the central ramp, providing a gradual ascension that seamlessly links the interior spaces, while offering passersby a glimpse into the studios and galleries.
[6] Fundamentally, by combining his earlier architectural practices with revised elements from the Five Points, the Carpenter Center embodies the synthesis of Le Corbusier's previous concepts and newer compositions, resulting in a sophisticated configuration of diverse possibilities.
[22] Evidently, this was a shift from the more Purist designs of Five Points, and Le Corbusier sought to reconcile his five classifications with greater flexibility, creating a fusion between mechanistic order and natural chaos.
