Villa Savoye and its 5 Principles

Villa Savoye: 1929 – 1931
The Villa Savoye is a small representation of Le Corbusiers ideal city only at a micro level. The divisions of services and circulation zones below, a piano nobile and the celestial level above. The building is seen as an expression of the Utopian dream. The practises of the middle-upper classes where translated into the ideal modern life. This is expressed by separating people from the vehicle, terraces open to the sky and a ramp celebrating movement.
The building is separated from nature and elevated at a higher intellectual plane the Villa Savoye is coated in the colour white to represent simplicity and purity. Modernist’s believed that everything should be coated white.
The ramp was designed to allow free flowing movement between spaces and it was also a way of controlling light throughout the spaces. As you ascend from the ground level natural light becomes more obvious and eventually you are presented at the top of the ramp with a celestial zone (the roof top).
The spaces within the rectangular volume are quite simple and the experience comes from the interrelationships of various spaces, composition, massing and sequence of movement around them. The sequence of movement is more an experience. It’s through the movement one perceives the compositional arrangements. This highlights the importance of the ramp.

Its design and ideas was based upon Le Corbusier’s 5 principles:
1 The Piloti or the colonnade –Le Corbusier believed the building had to be raised 3-6 meters so that the Villa Savoye could be removed from soil therefore introducing it to light and air. The elevated rectangular structure allowed the garden to flow underneath the extruded form gave the building a sense of weightlessness. There are no primary spaces on the ground floor consisting of the garage and servant headquarters; the separating of the house from the ground floor allows the perception and experience becomes more cerebral. The colonnade continues up through the structure supporting the house.

2 The Free Plan – Resulting from the colonnade which continued through the entire structure; this allowed the design to have no load baring considerations amongst the walls. With no load baring considerations amongst internal walls you have the ability to create large open spaces without affecting the buildings structure.

3 The horizontal windows or ribbons –Offered an image of the new and the modern emphasising the breakaway from past traditions. This (the windows) was seen to liberate, illuminate and ventilate the house. The use of new technology such as reinforced concrete allowed the building to have windows which stretched from one end of the building to the other. This was seen as revolutionary and was celebrated in the modernist movement. The windows also allowed views to be seen from all directions from the elevated house. The facade also resembles images of the cruise liner which is an example of Verse une Architecture.
On the ground floor the use of windows are used to separate the interior from the physical landscape. It was seen as a way to control the randomness of nature. This separation worked alongside the modernist movement as it played a part in interacting with the house.
The ribbon windows offer a direct connection & association with the horizon . It mediates ones perception of nature for example: The natural surroundings and the horizon are perceived and framed by the man made structure.

4 Free facade - As the facade is freely designed it is unconstrained by load baring considerations. It only consists of a light skin of insulating walls and windows. The idea of having no load baring walls on the facade; in theory allows an easier application of regulating lines and etc. In contrasting with the past as many of the geometrical forms where constructed with load baring practises.
The approach to the house is specifically designed to mimic the turning capabilities of a vehicle. As you pass underneath the building the vehicle follows the curved form around a thin layer of industry glazing. The demonstration of this was to allow human and machine to work in harmony.

5 Roof top garden/terrace – Le Corbusier believed in compensation for lost space by reclaiming the building site situated with level One and the Roof Top. With reinforced concrete it was a way of unifying the roof structure. Le Corbusier intended to bring the living space outside to the courtyard by applying large windows which allowed light to flourish within. Breaking from the 19th century traditions; the occupying of the roof top with a accessible/liveable function was a way of showing this because it was new and modern. Other examples of this would be the Unit’ d habitation which has various leisure able functions and the Fiat factory in Italy (not designed by Le Corbusier) which presents us with a race track on the roof.