Villa Savoye’s Architectural Promenade by Le Corbusier/Teaching Modern Architecture

►Analysis of Villa Savoye’s architectural promenade by Le Corbusier in Poissy, France (1929-1931). The formal analysis includes explanation of the experience of Villa Savoye’s circulation, as well as its conceptual ideas.
►For design tutouring, architectural writing, and essay help, feel free to contact me: [e-mail]
►Villa Savoye is considered a masterpiece of modern architecture, using the Parthenon of Greece’s Acropolis as a precedent to create a “temple” to the modernist movement. Le Corbusier embraces modernism’s optimism towards standardization, industrialization, and streamlining, to work towards a perfect standard for housing architecture, just as the Parthenon did for its historical building type. Although words such as “standardization” are commonly associated with the austerity of mere building “function,” the priority for Le Corbusier’s buildings, as evidenced by his manifesto, was the art of architecture, and the beauty of architectural experience.
Ultimately, the Villa Savoye is the best manifestation of Le Corbusier’s 5 points of architecture-pilotis, free plan, free façade, roof garden, ribbon window-and the best encapsulation of the ideas of his 1923 manifesto to modernism, “Towards An Architecture,” also known as “Towards A New Architecture.” Using photographs, diagrams, sketches, and plan drawings, this explanatory walkthrough conducts formal analysis of the project’s entry experience, circulation ramp, vestibule, garden terrace, and solarium.

[@nickwodzianek8929]

This video really showed me a lot of how I view architecture now. I enjoyed all the interesting and unique aspects of the building, especially not having a definitive "front" face.

[@kakak3282]

Thanks! You are helping me in understanding the architecture. This video is so well done and you are explaining things super clearly. Wonderful!

[@familydinner1]

This is very good info. Nice job!

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

I'm glad you liked it.

[@mariperez8337]

This is still so great! Would love to see more!!! Maybe the Barcelona pavilion you mentioned in the video? Hope to see more posts soon 💜

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

Thanks so much, I appreciate it. I'll think about doing the Barcelona Pavilion. Have you ever read the book Fear of Glass by Josep Quetglas? I recall that being the most interesting book on that project. Mies's work is really interesting to try to conduct formal analysis on because it is so incredibly reduced that there isn't much to say; and I mean that in a very complimentary way to Mies. It's sort of like he achieves the ultimate architectural statement, with the fewest amount of "words", yet somehow still manages to "say it all", if you know what I mean... so anyone trying to add any further comment about it doesn't have much to say. Have you ever had the chance to visit Seagram in NYC? I highly recommend having a few beers with some architecture friends, and then walking over to Seagram around 2am and analyzing it. I did that and it was one of the best nights of my life, ha! Take care.

[@mariperez8337]

@@teachingmodernarchitecture8587 wow this all sounds great! Will take note haha. Hope to see u post more, I really enjoyed this 😁💜

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

@@mariperez8337 Glad to hear that. Thanks, Mari!

[@muhammedruzebvadgama8514]

He is just awesome, explains so well. 😁👍

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

Thank you, brother!

[@jonnay99]

I've heard it was brilliant but now I understand why

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

💪

[@jhonnyleonr.2699]

Great work!

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed.

[@samangheidi]

Great information, 👍👍👍

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

Thanks, man. Appreciated.

[@anonymousjustice4357]

Went there, gave me anxiety and negative feeling been inside, specially on the outdoor upper leve terrace … I will stick with his furniture instead , love the LC4 😊👍🏼

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

Interesting. Do you mean you were a bit uncomfortable with the openness of the structure, or you literally had significant anxiety? Ronchamp is much more intimate as a project than Savoye and it is very enclosed; maybe you'd like that one better :) It's fun to stay until closing because you can have the chapel all to yourself. Thanks for watching! And agreed, the LC4 is cool. It's interesting to see how he responded to the problem of furniture by proposing a very specific ergonomic position, which is inherently a much different creative problem than a building.

[@anonymousjustice4357]

@@teachingmodernarchitecture8587 yes, the opening of the terrace knowing that you have to go through so many shifts in motion to leave the place. It is interesting the psychological aspect of architecture which makes you think that architecture is not a one solution for everyone. As a product designer I definitely can relate product psychology with architectural psychology which is sometimes not applied as it should in places designed for more that one individual. It is very hard to understand the psychological implication of a structure as it relates with a personal relationship between the form and the individual. Some people feel safe in enclosed structure but others feel claustrophobic. It has to do with a relationship and influence of how they grew up. It is very interesting that a house that I admired so much for many years would cause me to get so much anxiety 😊 … UNITÉ D'HABITATION is another place that would cause a lot of anxiety for me although I have not have the opportunity to visit… I agree totally with you about the chapel , such a gorgeous structure and so ahead of its time. I consider LC as a great Master furniture designer and great conceptual Master architect 😊👍🏼

[@mikebuhayTV]

great video!

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

Thank you, Michael! Glad you liked it.

[@mikebuhayTV]

@@teachingmodernarchitecture8587 I’m proud to be the 10th subscriber hahaha. I hope you release more videos soon! :D

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

@@mikebuhayTV Cheers, brother! I am very glad to hear that. See you soon 😄

[@florianejarry909]

comment était isolé la villa Savoye ? Avec quels matériaux ? Merci beaucoup pour cette vidéo

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

Pas probleme. Pour emplacement du bâtiment... prière de se référer à 0:34 dans le video. Merci d'avoir regardé. Vive la France!

[@YelloBeam]

Yeahhh boiiiiii

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

Glad you enjoyed, brother.

[@robabel7264]

Did you take these photos yourself?

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

Yes. At that time, I was documenting them pretty thoroughly because I was going to give a lecture on Le Corbusier precedents when I returned to SCI-Arc after summer vacation. So, I have some pretty good photographs of several of them. Thanks for watching!

[@robabel7264]

Teaching Modern Architecture Nice. I went there years ago. It was incredible. 😀

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

@@robabel7264 Sounds like an amazing trip!

[@dhungryarchitect]

Didnt this house leak so much a week after owner lived in it ending up threatening to sue le corbu?

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

Don't quote me, but I seem to recall that there were leaks, yes. I don't really know where you stand on this issue but I'll take the opportunity to address it: In my view, that fact doesn't disqualify the building from being extraordinary, though. The architectural act is composed of two considerations, both art and utility. In this case, it is the art component that is emphasized by Le Corbusier, and it also happens to be particularly special. (The building is also excellent functionally, which in this case is quite the accomplishment, considering the fact that the building has so many other successes.) Many seem to want to use these types of arguments, or the fact that the client was displeased, as an argument for it being a lukewarm achievement. Personally I simply don't agree. But, your opinion on the success of Villa Savoye will partly depend upon your expectations for architecture, and your personal definitions for what architecture should be. In this case, the building has influenced so many designers in a positive way that I personally don't care at all if it leaked, just as I wouldn't disqualify Barcelona Pavilion's achievements simply due to it not having program. A building cannot do everything, as Mies has noted: The designer must often choose which considerations to embrace, and which to intentionally ignore. Another consideration that is typically not talked about is that when innovating, a designer is inherently creating something new: and yes, that can lead to imperfections in the building performance. So, in being the first of its kind, of course it wasn't yet technically perfect. But, we don't say Leonardo's Last Supper is a failure because he used a new type of paint that degraded on the canvas over time.

[@prabhakarmahto594]

Can u pls share the measurements??

[@teachingmodernarchitecture8587]

How? hahaha :)

[@MrReedling]

Yeah lets remove all these useless objects that doesn’t fit the spirit of the time and leave only the inhumane machine :). A machine for living, who wants to be a cog?