Le Corbusier: A Colossus of Architecture
Charles-Edouard Jeanneret was born on October 6, 1887 in the tiny Swiss city of La Chaux-de-Fonds, to Edouard Jeanneret, an artist who painted watch dials and piano teacher Jeannerct-Perrct. Around the age of 20, he chose the pseudonym Le Corbusier, by which he became popularly known.
Le Corbusier grew up with his elder sibling, Albert. After receiving basic education, he enrolled in a municipal art school in his home city at the age of 15. Three years later, he joined a decoration course at college where he was taught by well-known painter and architect Charles L’Eplattenier. Though he did not received any formal training in architecture, Le Corbusier began picking up the basics of the subject in libraries and museums, among other places.
Beginning a career
In 1905, he worked with fellow students to design the first house for a friend of Professor L’Eplattenier. After it was completed, he designed two similar houses in the city. In 1907, Le Corbusier travelled to Italy and then to Vienna. Around 1908, he went to Paris and worked as a draftsman under the famous Austrian architect Auguste Perret.
Thereafter, he moved to Germany and worked with architect Peter Behrens for four months. He then travelled across Europe, and made random sketches of structures. In 1912, Le Corbusier began designing his first remarkable project — a new house for his parents in his own city.
New techniques
Apart from teaching architectural theory and modern techniques in La Chaux-de-Fonds, he also continued to expand his horizons. Working with engineer Max Dubois and Auguste Perret, an expert in the use of reinforced concrete, he came up with a plan for the Dom-Ino House around 1914, coinciding with the start of the World War I. The initiative introduced a new paradigm in the design of buildings. In 1922, he proposed a plan for the Ville Contemporaine, an ideal city for a million people. In 1923, he published his collection of essays, Towards an Architecture, considered one of the most influential books of architecture.
Going global
In 1926, he participated in a competition to design the League of Nations headquarters in Geneva. In 1929, he designed the Cite de Refuge in Paris, his first urban housing project. The UN headquarters in New York was built on the basis of a joint plan drawn up by Le Corbusier and Brazilian architect Niemeyer. In 1955, he designed the iconic religious structure Notre dame du Haut in France.
Designing Chandigarh
In 1950, India’s then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru invited Le Corbusier to design Chandigarh, a Union territory, as the nation’s first planned post-independence city. He drew up a project plan along with British specialists Jane Drew and Mazwell Fry. He made a creative master plan for the entire city but the three administrative buildings – the High Court, Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat -- are considered examples of Le Corbusier’s signature design. This group of buildings, together known as the Chandigarh Capitol Complex, is part of the Unesco World Heritage list.
Interesting facts
1. With a belief that anyone can reinvent himself, in 1920, Charles-Edouard Jeanneret adopted his pseudo name, Le Corbusier. The single name was simpler and convenient for people to remember.
2. In 2016, 17 projects designed by Le Corbusier featured in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as the Architectural Works of Le Corbusier an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement.
3. Le Corbusier was also an author. He wrote more than 17 books on architecture and urban planning. Many of them explored the concepts of modern architecture and are considered authoritative works.
4. Le Corbusier never attended any architecture college. He attended a course in decorative arts when he was 18 and developed his interest in architecture and learnt mostly by sketching and painting.
5. Various streets in Canada, Switzerland, Argentina and France are named after Le Corbusier. Museums dedicated to his works have also been built in many parts of the world, including Chandigarh and Germany.
Source: Wikipedia, Biography.com