Villa Savoye and Maison A Bordeaux Case Study

STRUCTURE VILLA SAVOYE LE CORBUSIER 1929

MAISON A BORDEAUX REM KOOLHAAS 1998

Critical Historical Practices ARCH 7035, 2018 Mitchell Heynen mitchell.heynen@student.adelaide.edu.au

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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Structure

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CASE STUDIES Key Words and Phrases

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INSTABILITY + BALANCE

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CIRCULATION + FUNCTION

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PRIVATE + UN-PRIVATE

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CONCLUSION Summary

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REFERENCES End Notes Images Bibliography

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Figure 1 (cover page): Villa Savoye Teaser Figure 2 (cover page): Maison A Bordeaux Teaser

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introduction / Structure

INTRODUCTION STRUCTURE

Le Corbusier explored many idealistic themes in his Villa Savoye design following his influential phrase “a house is a machine for living,” from his text, Vers Une Architecture (Toward an Architecture).1 The Villa Savoye displays the house as a necessity based design which, in a post war period, demonstrated experimental construction and spatial qualities.

Rem Koolhaas’ had the responsibility of responding to his client’s physical and psychological requirements in Maison A Bordeaux after he was left paralysed following a car crash. With the job to design a house that “would define his world,”2 Koolhaas was able to design a complicated multi-level stacked dwelling for his client which featured a hydraulic lift, bringing to life his quote, “The machine is the heart of the house.”3

In both cases, Villa Savoye and Maison A Bordeaux exhibit bold qualities of unconventional structural methods, functionality and spatial hierarchy. The following case studies highlight the similarities of themes addressed by both Le Corbusier and Rem Koolhaas.

Figure 3: Villa Savoye, axonometric, M Heynen

“A house is a machine for living”

- Le Corbusier

“The machine is the heart of the building”

- Rem Koolhaas

Figure 4: Maison A Bordeaux, axonometric, M Heynen

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case studies/ Structure

CASE STUDIES

KEY WORDS AND KEY PHRASES

THEME KEY WORDS

VILLA SAVOYE - LE CORBUSIER FROM THE ARCHITECT

VARIOUS

MAISON A BORDEAUX - REM KOOLHAAS FROM THE ARCHITECT

VARIOUS

INSTABILITY + BALANCE

PILOTIS RIBBON WINDOWS CANTILEVER ORTHOGANAL STRUCTURAL GRID UNITY CONSTANT CHANGE FIVE POINTS OF ARCHITECTURE

REINFORCED CONCRETE SLAB STABILITY FRAMING ELEVATE LIGHT UNCONVENTIONAL FLOATING BOX MODERNISM IDEALISTIC

TENSION ROD WEIGHTLESS DRAMA BOX IN THE AIR THREE HOUSES STRUCTURE INSTABILITY RELIANT SHELF BEAM

SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE COUNTERBALANCE CANTILEVER BALANCE SUSPENDED WEIGHT DEFYING UNCONVENTIONAL HEAVY MECHANICAL FACADE

CIRCULATION + FUNCTION

OPEN PLAN PROMENADE OBJECT MACHINE AUTOMOBILE TURNING RADIUS ROOF GARDEN

EXPERIENCE RAMP HEIGHT ASCEND DESCEND ORDER STRUCTURED VISUAL

PLATFORM COURTYARD UNCONVENTIONAL HYDROLIC LIBERATE MACHINE MOVING STATION

FLEXIBLE OPEN CAVE LIKE COMPLEX WHEELCHAIR CAR VERTICAL MOVEMENT CLIENT FREEDOM DEFINITION TRANSPARENT

PRIVATE + UN-PRIVATE

PLAN LIBRE MACHINE UNEXPECTED VERS UNE ARCHITECTURE

HIERARCHY OPEN OUTSIDE INSIDE RATIONAL STRUCTURED VISUAL CONNECTION

COMPLEX PRIVATE UN-PRIVATE ZONING VOLUMINOUS

OPEN VOID STACKING CHANGE FLOATING HOUSE THREE HOUSES COURTYARD

KEY PHRASES

“A HOUSE IS A MACHINE FOR LIVING”

“A MACHINE IS THE HEART OF THE HOUSE”

“STAIRCASE SEPARATES ONE FLOOR FROM ANOTHER; A RAMP CONNECTS”

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“THE HOUSE WILL SIT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEADOW, LIKE AN OBJECT, WITHOUT SPOILING ANYTHING.”

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instability + balance / Structure

INSTABILITY AND BALANCE

One primary aspect of these two houses which demands respect, is their structural systems. Both experimental and influential, yet decades apart.

Corbusier created and experimented with a structural system on the Villa Savoye that pays tribute to his Five Points of Architecture.4 Primarily, slabs carry the majority of loads throughout the project which were then distributed through columns, famously referred to as “pilotis”.

These are dispersed through the project, projecting through multiple levels and could sit within walls, allowing them to be placed where seemingly necessary.5

In contrast to the Villa Savoye’s very geometric structural layout, Maison A Bordeaux boasts a creative, seemingly impossible structural system. On one end of the building, the penetrated concrete facade of the upper most level sits on a shelf beam, while it hangs from a roof girder at the other end. An anchored weight suspends from the roof girder which ensures balance across the heaviest element of the building.6 These individual elements are part of Koolhaas’ masterfully balanced stability.

Figure 5: Maison A Bordeaux, structural concrete facade and shelf beam

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Figure 6: Villa Savoye, internal pilotis

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instability + balance / Structure

Figure 9: Maison A Bordeaux, structural elements; roof girder, concrete facade, shelf beam and stairwell

Figure 10: Maison A Bordeaux, structural elements; roof girder, concrete facade, shelf beam, stairwell and tension road and weight

Figure 7: Villa Savoye, exploded axonometric displaying primary structural elements

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Figure 8: Maison A Bordeaux, exploded axonometric displaying primary structural elements

Figure 11: Villa Savoye, display of structural pilotis and floor slabs

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circulation + function / Structure

CIRCULATION + FUNCTION

Function in both the Villa Savoye and Maison A Bordeaux has been established through means of experiential vertical movement.

Noticeably the journey through each house starts with the emphasis on a vehicle’s approach from which occupants are then treated to constantly changing conditions.

Famously, Maison A Bordeaux is molded to Koolhaas’ client’s brief with a hydraulic elevator rising through each floor of the building.7 The uppermost level of Maison A Bordeaux functions as bedrooms with the lift serving the parents and a spiral staircase on the other side of the house entering the childrens’ rooms. The elevator provides

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opportunity to access all floors and is big enough to function as a space itself. Often seen as a moving study, the elevator passes a library beside on the ground and first floors.8 Corbusier made great emphasis of the ramp in Villa Savoye, suggesting “staircase separates one floor from another; a ramp connects.”9 In this case, this is very true, offering one to pass through the space in both a vertical and horizontal manner.

Weaving from the ground floor to the roof terrace, the ramp is an example of continuous movement and interaction with a space.

Figure 12: Villa Savoye, exploded axonometric displaying movement through three floors; and accompanying stairs and ramp pull outs

Figure 13: Maison A Bordeaux, exploded axonometric displaying movement through three levels; and accompanying hydraulic lift pull out

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circulation + function / Structure

Figure 15: Villa Savoye, ground floor movement diagram

Figure 16: Villa Savoye, first floor movement diagram

Figure 17: Villa Savoye, second floor movement diagram

Figure 14: Villa Savoye, Le Corbusier’s famous ramp to roof terrace

Figure 18: Maison A Bordeaux, hydraulic lift and flexibility of the feature through dual purpose

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Figure 19: Maison A Bordeaux, ground floor movement diagram

Figure 20: Maison A Bordeaux, first floor movement digram

Figure 21: Maison A Bordeaux, second floor movement diagram

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private + un-private / Structure

PRIVATE + UN-PRIVATE

Corbusier and Koolhaas have created buildings which mix many uses of private, semi-private and public space. Visually, both architects have allowed a lot of connection between the outside and inside, guided partially by the idea of having a floating box structure above mainly glass lightweight spaces.

The Villa Savoye is a prime example of plan libre (the free plan)10, offering flexibility and the option to alter each floor. Free flowing in movement, the Villa Savoye is more publicly accessible to occupants and guests.

With services and entrance strictly on the ground floor, Corbusier takes to the tradition piano nobile and the social hierarchy of classical architecture.11 The Maison A Bordeaux is complex, much to the desire of the client.

Disconnected from the main house

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of Maison A Bordeaux are living quarters for guests and the maid at the time. Also on this ground floor are service areas, carved into the landscape. Above situates living conditions; first floor hosting open plan living spaces and the second floor housing bedrooms that are solely private, both visually and accessibly.12 This is similar to the Villa Savoye’s floating box which is seemingly private from outside but has plenty of connection to the outside from inside.

What helps define and also, undefine these spaces, is the connection to both structure and circulation of movement. The structural stability allows for open space and circulation allows for the interplay of spaces.

Figure 22: Villa Savoye, social hierarchy across floors

Figure 23: Maison A Bordeaux, social hierarchy across floors

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private + un-private / Structure

Private Semi-Private Un-Private Outdoor

Figure 24: Villa Savoye, ground floor spatial hierarchy

Figure 27: Maison A Bordeaux, ground floor spatial hierarchy

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Figure 25: Villa Savoye, first floor spatial hierarchy

Figure 26: Villa Savoye, second floor spatial hierarchy

Figure 28: Maison A Bordeaux, first floor spatial hierarchy

Figure 29: Maison A Bordeaux, second floor spatial hierarchy

Figure 30: Maison A Bordeaux, roof plan

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conclusion / Structure

CONCLUSION

Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye follows a strict set of rules developed in the early 20th Century, whereas Maison A Bordeaux by Rem Koolhaas is a concept challenging late 20th Century contemporary structure. Even though decades apart, both architects challenged the conventional, experimented and developed impacting works of architecture.

Structurally, Corbusier developed and employed a system which creates openness and flexibility, while Koolhaas achieved the seemingly impossible at Maison A Bordeaux using minimal primary structural elements.

Corbusier places emphasis on the journey throughout the building in Villa Savoye with the use of a ramp, transforming the way one passes and experiences a building and

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space. Koolhaas has similarly, having taken into account the physical and psychological requirements of his client, developed a vertical circulation system which creates experiential excitement and complexity.

The most common connection between the two projects is the division and connection of private, semi-private and public spaces.

Boundaries between these spatial qualities are created through the physical accessibility and openness of space.

The quality and scale achieved over many years of technological developments in Maison A Bordeaux sets these projects apart. At the core of both projects however, lies shared quality in the themes of structural stability, circulation and function and hierarchy of space.

Figure 31: Maison A Bordeaux, rear, carved into landscape

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end notes / Structure

END NOTES

1. Le Corbusier (1986). Towards a New Architecture. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc. 2. Dominic Bradbury, The Iconic House: architectural masteworks since 1900 (London: Thames & Hudson, 2009), 66.

3. Wouter Vanstiphout, “Rockbottom; Villa by OMA,” Harvard Design Magazine, no. 5.

4. Richard Weston, Key Buildings of the 20th Century: Plans, Sections & Elevations (London: Laurence King, 2010).

5. Richard Weston, Key Buildings of the 20th Century: Plans, Sections & Elevations (London: Laurence King, 2010).

6. Unwin, Simon. Twenty-Five Buildings Every Architect Should Understand. 2nd Edition. New York: Routledge, 2015, 114.

7. Richard Weston, Key Buildings of the 20th Century: Plans, Sections & Elevations (London: Laurence King, 2010).

8. Riley Terence, The Un-Private House. (Manhattan: MOMA, 1999), pp 92-95.

9. Ching, Francis. A Global History or Architecture. 2nd Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2011, 720-721.

10. Flora Samuel and Peter Blundell Jones “The Making of Architectural Promenade: Villa Savoye and Schminke House,” Architectural Research Quarterly 16, no. 2 (2012): 118.

11. Flora Samuel and Peter Blundell Jones “The Making of Architectural Promenade: Villa Savoye and Schminke House,” Architectural Research Quarterly 16, no. 2 (2012): 118.

12. Richard Weston, Key Buildings of the 20th Century: Plans, Sections & Elevations (London: Laurence King, 2010), 242-243.

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image references / Structure

IMAGE REFERENCES

1. Daniel Naegele, “Savoye Space,” Harvard Design Magazine, no. 15 (2001).

17. Heynen, Mitchell, Villa Savoye Movement Diagram 3 (2018)

2. Dominic Bradbury, The Iconic House: architectural masteworks since 1900 (London: Thames & Hudson, 2009), 314.

18. Dominic Bradbury, The Iconic House: architectural masterworks since 1900 (London: Thames & Hudson, 2009), 316.

3. Heynen, Mitchell, Villa Savoye Axonometric (2018)

19. Heynen, Mitchell, Maison A Bordeaux Movement Diagram 1 (2018)

4. Heynen, Mitchell, Maison A Bordeaux Axonometric (2018)

20. Heynen, Mitchell, Maison A Bordeaux Movement Diagram 2 (2018)

5. Dominic Bradbury, The Iconic House: architectural masteworks since 1900 (London: Thames & Hudson, 2009), 313.

21. Heynen, Mitchell, Maison A Bordeaux Movement Diagram 3 (2018) 22. Caccia, Susanna, and Carlo Olmo. “La Villa Savoye After Le Corbusier, Une Longue Histoire.,” 40.

6. Caccia, Susanna, and Carlo Olmo. “La Villa Savoye After Le Corbusier, Une Longue Histoire.” p45.

7. Heynen, Mitchell, Villa Savoye Structure (2018)

23. Dominic Bradbury, The Iconic House: architectural masterworks since 1900 (London: Thames & Hudson, 2009), 314.

8. Heynen, Mitchell, Maison A Bordeaux Structure (2018)

24. Heynen, Mitchell, Villa Savoye Spatial Hierarchy Diagram 1 (2018)

9. Riley Terence, The Un-Private House. (Manhattan: MOMA, 1999), p93.

25. Heynen, Mitchell, Villa Savoye Spatial Hierarchy Diagram 2 (2018)

10. Riley Terence, The Un-Private House. (Manhattan: MOMA, 1999), p93.

26. Heynen, Mitchell, Villa Savoye Spatial Hierarchy Diagram 3 (2018)

11. Caccia, Susanna, and Carlo Olmo. “La Villa Savoye After Le Corbusier, Une Longue Histoire.” p40.

27. Heynen, Mitchell, Maison A Bordeaux Spatial Hierarchy Diagram 1 (2018)

12. Heynen, Mitchell, Villa Savoye Circulation (2018)

28. Heynen, Mitchell, Maison A Bordeaux Spatial Hierarchy Diagram 2 (2018)

13. Heynen, Mitchell, Maison A Bordeaux Circulation (2018)

29. Heynen, Mitchell, Maison A Bordeaux Spatial Hierarchy Diagram 3 (2018)

14. Daniel Naegele, “Savoye Space,” Harvard Design Magazine, no. 15 (2001). p7

30. Heynen, Mitchell, Maison A Bordeaux Spatial Hierarchy Diagram 4 (2018)

15. Heynen, Mitchell, Villa Savoye Movement Diagram 1 (2018)

31. Dominic Bradbury, The Iconic House: architectural masterworks since 1900 (London: Thames & Hudson, 2009), 315.

16. Heynen, Mitchell, Villa Savoye Movement Diagram 2 (2018)

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