An Empathic Description and Interpretation of Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye The Machine Design

• Published in: The Meaning of Modern Architecture pp. 43 - 52
• Main Author: Morgenthaler, Hans Rudolf
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Routledge 2015; Taylor & Francis Group
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Art styles: c 1960; History of architecture; Psychological theory & schools of thought; Theory of architecture; Theory of art; Julius Posener; Balcony; Straight Edges; Chaise Lounge; Wölin; Deutsche Bauzeitung; Schminke House; Glass Wall; Le Corbusier; 18th Century Architect; Architect Le Corbusier; Tugendhat House; Wittgenstein House; Follow; Dutch Group Portrait; Floor Living Spaces; Paul Westheim; Exterior Lead; Author's Collection; Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye; Barcelona Pavilion; Villa Savoye; Clever Design Solutions
• ISBN: 9781138572348; 9781472453013; 1138572349; 1472453018
• DOI: 10.4324/9781315555669-3

Not all Modernist buildings are like the Wittgenstein House. Other architects proposed different avenues toward expressing the characteristics of their time in their designs. One among them was the architect Le Corbusier. What do we think when we approach his Villa Savoye (Poissy, 1929-1931) (Figure 2.1)? Let us try to answer this by identifying only what we see. This means that we should not think of any other buildings we have seen in the past. We also should not try to figure out how the building was constructed. All we should use are our natural capacities to see things and figure out what they are. Seeing and interpreting a building requires that our mind thinks both in a spatial and a temporal manner. According to the philosopher William James, human beings can decide for themselves, by paying attention to particular aspects, how they see the universe. 1