Spontaneous Architecture: Le Corbusier

Showing posts with label Le Corbusier. Show all posts

9/28/2014

Sketches

Mill owners house

Chandigarh Capitol Complex

Diu

8/01/2014

Maristella Casciato: Introducing Pierre Jeanneret — architect, designer, educator — in Chandigarh (Mellon Lecture 18 November 2010, Canadian Centre for Architecture)

‪Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier arrive at the dedication of Chandigarh, March 1955‬

Maristella Casciato, CCA Senior Mellon Fellow and Professor of Architectural History, School of Architecture “Aldo Rossi” at Cesena, University of Bologna, speaks on the pivotal contribution of Pierre Jeanneret to the construction of Chandigarh, India:

The Swiss born architect Pierre Jeanneret (1896-1967) is mostly known to the public as the cousin of Le Corbusier. He was associated to the office from 1922 to 1940 and fully participated in designing all major works and competitions. This seminar will present “another” Pierre, without ignoring his previous seminal experience as chef d’atelier at the office in rue de Sévres. My focus will shift to a continent far away from Western culture, i.e. India, specifically after the end of the British rule. I will examine Pierre Jeanneret’s pivotal contribution to the construction of Chandigarh, the new capital of Punjab and the first modern city after Indian independence.

I will attempt to explain the reasons that convinced Pierre Jeanneret to become the architect coordinator of the Chandigarh project, and I will retrace the steps of his full immersion into Indian culture without betraying his education as a modern architect in Western countries.
This seminar will take out of the shadows Jeanneret’s skill as designer, planner, technician, manager, and educator facing the construction of Indian post-colonial new architecture.

the full lecture is here

Source: http://www.cca.qc.ca/system/items/8449/original/Mellon20-MC.pdf?1331821448
Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), Mellon Lecture 18 November 2010

The CCA Mellon Foundation Senior Fellowship Program was established in 2001 to encourage advanced research in architectural history and thought. With the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, distinguished scholars of international repute are appointed Mellon Senior Fellows during residencies of one to eight months at the Study Centre. As part of their residency, Mellon Senior Fellows deliver a public lecture at the CCA.

10/27/2012

Le Corbusier / Villa Shodan

I was told that when he was young, in order to get to his bedroom on the first floor, Mr. Shodan used to climb the ramp riding on the back of his horse. Now he gets to his bedroom with an elevator that he installed few years ago. With all these architectural tourists coming to spy and to take photos, he must regret the day he gave the job to LC. It has been years that he would not let anybody in; whenever someone comes, the servant draws the curtain.

9/17/2011

Le Corbusier / Architecture Lesson

Edict of Chandigarh

This edict of Chandigarh was prescribed by Mon Le Corbusier, the planner of Chandigarh for its citizens to follow in future The object of this edict is to enlighten the present and future citizens of Chandigarh about the basic concepts of planning of the city so that they become its guardians and save it from whims of individuals. This edict sets out the following basic ideas underlying the planning of the city.

Human Scale
The city of Chandigarh is planned to human scale. It puts in touch with the infinite cosmos and nature. It provides us with places and buildings for all human activities in which the citizens can live a full and harmonious life. Here the radiance of nature and heart are within our reach.

Sectors
The city is composed of sectors. Each sector is ( ½ mile x ¾ mile) 800 meters x 1200 meters enclosed by roads allocated to fast mechanized transport and sealed to direct access from the houses.

Each sector caters for the daily needs of its inhabitants which vary from 5000 to 25000 and has a green strip oriented longitudinally stretching centrally along the sector in the direction of the mountains. The green strip should stay un-interrupted of the mountains. The green strip should stay un-interrupted and accommodate schools, sports, walks and recreational facilities for the sector.
Vehicular traffic is completely forbidden in the green strips where tranquility shall reign and the curse of noises shall not penetrate.

Roads
The roads of the city are classified into seven categories known as systems of 7 Vs as below :

V-1 Fast roads connecting Chandigarh to other towns.
V-2 Arterial roads.
V-3 Fast vehicular sector dividing roads.
V-4 Meandering shopping streets.
V-5 Sector circulation roads.
V-6 Access roads to houses.
V-7 Foot paths and cycle tracks.
Buses will only ply on V-1, V-2, V-3 and V-4 roads. A wall shall seal the V-3 roads form the sector.

Areas of special Architectural interest
Certain areas of Chandigarh are of special architectural interest where harmonized and unified composition of building is aimed at. Absolute architectural and zoning control should remain operative.
Along V-2 central (Dual carriage-ways, Madhya Marg and Uttar Marg where sky-line heights, character and architecture of buildings as planned shall not be altered.
No building shall be constructed north of the Capitol Complex.
Along V-2 beyond dual carriage way, areas are reserved for cultural institutions only and shall never have any residential buildings.

City Centre
The central plaza in Sector-17 was designated by Le Corbusier as “ Pedestrians Paradise”. No vehicular traffic will be permitted in the plaza.

Industrial Area
Only such industries as are powered by electricity would be permitted in the Industrial Areas so that atmosphere is saved from pollution.

The Lake
The lake is a gift of the creators of Chandigarh to the citizens to be at one with nature, away from the hubbub of city life. There shall be no commercial exploitation of the lake and its environment and its tranquility shall be guaranteed by banning noises.

Landscaping
The landscaping of this city bases on careful observation of the vegetation of India. Selected ornamental trees, shrubs and climbers have been planted according of colour schemes to beautify it. In future planting and replacement, these principles must be kept in view. There should be no haphazard replacement so that the avenues retain their harmony and beauty.
The Leisure Valley, the Rajindra Park and other parks shall be developed as parks only and no building other than already planned shall be permitted.

No Personal Statue Be Erected
The age of personal statues is gone. No personal statues shall be erected in the city or parks of Chandigarh. The city is planned to breathe the new sublimated spirit of art. Commemoration of persons shall be confined to suitably placed bronze plaques.

Truthfulness of Building Materials to be Maintained.
The truthfulness of materials of constructions, concrete, bricks and stone shall be maintained in all buildings and constructed or to be constructed.

“The seed of Chandigarh is well sown. It is for the citizens to see that the tree flourishes”.

Mon Le Corbusier

8/01/2011

Chandigarh, the Capitol / Le Corbusier

Secretatiat Building, Le Corbusier

Parliament, Le Corbusier

High Court, Le Corbusier

The Open Hand, Le Corbusier

The Mountain, Le Corbusier

Wind Tower, Le Corbusier

7/25/2011

Villa Sarabhai, Ahmedabad (Le Corbusier)

cover photo: SABA 2013, Spring in Hiriya: Guy Ehrlich, Michelle Hites, Shamir Zalkin / Humanesting

In spring 2013 SABA arrived at Park Ariel Sharon in Hiriya. Initiated by Dr. Martin Weyl and planned by Latz+Partner, this project strives to rehabilitate the garbage mountain that has been sprawling in this place since the end of the Independence War, to develop 8000 Dunums of open areas, fields, streams and ponds and to re-use them for various cultural, natural and leisure activities. During the semester, the students studied the park and its environmental challenges; they had to plan and to build 4 structures that cast shadows of 25 sqm each. The budget was fixed to zero. The structures will stand in the park from June 24th for 10 days.

Toward a non-violent architecture: Summer 2014 in India

‪In summer 2014, between September 11th and October 23rd, Spontaneous Architecture returned to India for an International studio held in collaboration with CARE school of Architecture in Trichy.

‪The program combined a 3-week intensive traveling seminar in 3 very different Indian Cities (New Delhi, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad) with a 3-week spontaneous architecture workshop at the KVK research agricultural farm in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.‬

‪During this workshop, Israeli and Indian students worked together and designed and built 6 small structures that would serve for farmers' markets and exhibitions.‬

Black Water, Grey Water: Spring 2014 at OCCUPYTLV Tent City

In summer 2011 Tel Aviv experienced a huge wave of protest, mainly due to the housing prices. The protest occupied the city's center during all the summer, From July 14th, when young Dafni Leaf spontaneously erected a tent in Rothschild Boulevard to the September 3rd "One Million Demonstration" in Kikar Hanedina [State Piazza). Soon later, most of the protesters packed their tents and went back to their too expensive homes, leaving behind only those who insisted to stay and many others, who did not have anywhere else to go.

On November 27th 2012, in accordance to an agreement originally made between the activist Tamir Hajaj and the Tel Aviv Municipality, the remains of the summer 2011 Tel Aviv protest Tent City were removed from Rothschild Boulevard and exiled to the Volovelsky-Karney park. Situated in the Tel Aviv's north eastern margins, the park was a green island surrounded by one of Israel's heaviest traffic, Tel Aviv's Central railway Station, Namir Road, Petach Tikva Road, Ayalon Freeway (hence its most common name, "Tsomet Parachat Drahim" - Crossroads Junction). The location was chosen because it was one of the only parks in Tel Aviv with public toilettes.

In 2013, a large portion of the park, about a third, was fenced to become the construction site of the "Loop", a new, gigantic infrastructural project which is to add a new connection to the Ayalon freeway and maybe one day would become a new station of Tel Aviv's mysterious Metropolitan train system. Tent-dwellers residing in the fenced area where asked to move to the unfenced area. The public toilettes was demolished; chemical toilettes offered and maintained by a private subcontractor of the project 's contractor were placed instead.

Today, OCCUPYTLV Tent City oscillates between a protest sit-in, a homeless shelter and a favela, and is occupied by few dozens of individuals . Each one of the occupiers has his own reasons to be there, they all protest either by protesting or by their mere survival in this place. However, apart sharing the shrinking space and infrastructures, the only thing they have in common is that none of them wishes to form a community with the others, and they do not form any organized community.

During spring 2014 SABA worked at OCCUPYTLV Tent City.

Summer 2013, Mitzpe Ramon

Located almost in the middle of route 40 from Beer-Sheva to Eilat and situated on the edge of the Ramon Makhtesh - the world's largest makhtesh (erosion cirque in the form of crater), Mitzpe Ramon was first settled in 1951 for a brief period of time by the asphalt workers of the route.

Few years later, in 1956, it was founded as a cooperative settlement for the mineral mining workers. A year later the cooperative was dismantled and the state took over: the small settlement soon became a tiny "development town" designed according the state planning apparatus of the late fifties, stacking new immigrants from Morocco in public housing projects.

In the following decades few more populations moved in:

During the Eighties, with IDF's redeployment in the Negev after the retreat from Sinai, Mitzpe Ramon absorbed a new population of Military professionals' families; in the Nineties new immigrants from former USSR; from the end of the 20th century few religious communities as well as a massive wave of young population of professionals and artists attracted to the spectacular landscapes of the desert.

Mitzpe Ramon is toady a local Council surrounded by the Har Hanegev Regional Council. Mitzpe's population counts some 5000 inhabitants. In the last decade Mitzpe Ramon tries shifting from the industrial and mining uses originally planned to eco-tourism: The hangars industrial zone has been transformed into an arts and crafts quarter, the stone quarries have been closed down and are about to be restored, a new luxury hotel, "Bereshit", was built near the Makhtesh's cliffs.

SABA will be working in Mitzpe Ramon from August 25th 2013 to October 2nd.

Spring 2013: Spring in Hirya

During the semester, the students studied the park and its environmental challenges; they had to plan and to build 4 structures that cast shadows of 25 sqm each. The budget was fixed to zero. The structures will stand in the park from June 24th for 10 days.