SWE 5 Cabanon

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CABANON Located in Roquebrune-CapMartin– a small enclave between Monaco and Manton on the south coast of France– It has been given ample coverage in tourist guidebooks to the Côte d’Azur NINA CAMILLE PILAPIL

and marks its designer’s mythical hermitage. Le Corbusier was said to have spent every August for 18 years in the cabin since it was built in 1951. Le Corbusier, one of the most renowned architects of the

20th century and a key member of the Modernist movement, designed the Cabanon as a seaside escape away from Parisian city life. But what else can we learn from the Cabanon and its history?

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Isolate yourself from the rest of the world and take refuge in 15 square meters of perfect proportions. The lesson of a Modernist architecture master resounds now more than ever.

Today, in the middle of a global pandemic: the places of our daily life such as bars, gyms, schools are closed, mobility is limited. Thus citizens are forced to remain in the home, the only accessible place. A new experience: for the inhabitants and for the houses. A forced isolation we weren't prepared for.

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A rectangular enclosure of 3.66 x 3.66 x 2.66m, the height of a raised hand of the ideal man. The dimensions of the cubicle accurately corresponded well to the canon dictated by the numerical series Modulor. Everything was made in the most simple and just adequate to meet basic needs. Near the entrance lies the toilet. The living space is reserved for two beds and a table that rests on the wall and a single circular wooden pillar. In a corner, the sink. And at the other end, a master closet. Two small stools shaped wooden boxes with drawers used to sit and store.

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...context?

Le Corbusier first came to Cap Martin in the 1930s to visit friend Eileen Gray, an Irish designer who had built a house here. Le Corbusier loved the area and visited often.

During one of his stays, however, Le Corbusier decided to paint the interior of Gray’s villa without her permission. Gray was understandably furious: Le Corbusier’s paintings had ruined the perspectives of her design, and she was offended by the subject matter.

No longer welcome as a guest, Le Corbusier did come back to Gray’s villa in 1949, but as a tenant. It was during that stay that he met Robert Rebutato, owner of L’Étoile de Mer, the next-door cafe where he ate his meals. Friendship blossomed between the two men, and in 1951 they agreed on the construction of a beach house next door to L’Étoile de Mer so that Le Corbusier could have his own space.

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– Eileen Grey, probably

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– understand user needs and requirements (in this case, Le Corbusier’s own needs) – consider existing elements both built and natural (site analysis, always) – utilize what is already there (in this case, functions available in the restaurant) – anthropometrics in space and furniture design (use of Modulor) – yeah, also, maybe don’t paint your friends’ houses without permission – lastly, every project has its own history, regardless if the designer was a master of his time (look into project context and history when using references)

speaking of references, HERE’S MINE

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