11 - Maison du Brésil

11 - Maison du Brésil - Le Corbusier - 1959

7L Boulevard Jourdan, Paris

The Brazilian government commissioned the building in 1952 to provide a residence for Brazilian students. To design the building, they selected Lúcio Costa. After initial sketches, he reached out to Le Corbusier to aid in the design process and overlook construction. Rather quickly, Corbusier made significant changes to Costa’s original design for the building. Although the major forms of the building remained the same, the changes were enough to estrange Costa from the project, and he would eventually have his name removed from the design.

The building, is a five story concrete volume that stands above the ground on stilts. Beneath this volume is an irregular first floor that houses administrative spaces in the west wing, and communal spaces in the east. The two wings are joined underneath by a curvilinear passage that acts internally as an intermediate space, and externally as a boundary for outdoor arcades.The large volume above, which houses the residential spaces, is laid out with rooms in the west wing and communal kitchens, stairwells, and other facilities in the east. As such, the eastern and western facades differ according to their respective interior functions. The eastern facade has large glass expanses in the middle to allow for light and openness, and small square windows on either side to allow light to enter the flanking stairwells. Balconies painted with polychrome colors make up the entire western facade

Created as a microcosm of Brazilian culture, Maison du Bresil is a significant example of Le Corbusier’s high-density residential design. This house stands out as a representative work of 20th century architecture. The use of rough-cast concrete, the contrasts between masses and materials, the polychromy, the use of prefab, and the rationalist design of the interior - whose furniture was designed by Perriand and Prouvé - make this building a recognized element of modern architectural heritage, listed on the French inventory of historic monuments since 1985.