Someone Has Built It Before

From Eliinbar’s Sketch book 2012 – Le Corbusier’s dream and broke

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This post tells Le Corbusier’s tragic story ….

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Le Corbusier is a visionary…. outstanding architect ….who left us unique and inspiring projects such as :

1.Ron champ chapel –https://archidialog.com/2012/07/30/

2.la Tourette Monastery –https://archidialog.com/2012/09/09/

3.Unite D’habitation in Marseille – https://archidialog.com/2011/11/28/

4.Palace of the Assembly in Chandigarh- https://archidialog.com/2012/10/08

And other masterpieces….

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Certainly Le Corbusier is the most significant “Source of Inspiration” for architects, in the last century.

Unfortunately Le Corbusier is also the most significant “Source of Inspiration” for architects who their planning processes is more like the “Unconscious inspiration”= “Copy Paste”

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And this is how the  story starts….

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It all started with Le Corbusier’s Vision of a La Ville Radieus = Radiant city, in the 30s’ of  the last century.

La Ville Radieus promised future of sunshine, fresh air and greenery for city-dwellers.

The design maintained the idea of high-rise housing blocks, free circulation and abundant green spaces…. The blocks of housing were laid out in long lines stepping in and out, and were raised up on pilotis.

They had roof terraces and running tracks on their roofs. La Ville Radieus will be the vertical garden city….

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See the next sketches by Le Corbusier showing the  high-rise housing blocks 

And the green, landscaped spaces surrounding them

“The city of tomorrow or the relationship between nature and man will be restored”= La Ville Radieus = Radiant city

 sketch by Le Corbusier showing the Radiant city

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sketch by Le Corbusier showing the Radiant city, high-rise housing blocks  and the green landscaped spaces surrounding them….

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 The next sketch by Le Corbusier, is showing a typical section of  Unite D’habitation =high-rise housing block .

notice it is raised up on pilotis  ,the green landscape spaces surrounding it exactly as  Le Corbusier’s Vision for “La Ville Radieus”  =  “radiant city”

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Unite D’habitation in Marseille was the first order Le Corbusier received from the French state starts to be scheduled immediately after the Second World War (1945-46), and was finished in 1952.

1. Le Corbusier’s Unite D’habitation in Marseille comprises 337 apartments arranged over twelve stories.

2. The apartments are suspended on large piloties .that aloude free circulation and abundant green spaces….“Sport at the foot of the houses”

3. The building also incorporates  with shops ,sporting, medical and educational facilities, a hotel which is open to the public, and a gastronomic restaurant.

4. Its flat roof is designed as a communal terrace with sculptural ventilationstacks, a running track, a shallow paddling pool for children, and an open-air theatre.

5. The building is constructed in béton brut (rough-cast concrete).  

Le Corbusier Architect

Unite D’habitation

 Marseille 1947-1952

Notice the Uniqueness of this building…. 

piloties that aloude free circulation and abundant green spaces,The flat roof designed as a communal terrace, The Internal Street(third floor), with shops, medical and educational facilities….

 Le Corbusier painted the apartments in different colors, to create an identity for each resident..

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Now let’s examine how  Le Corbusier vision for the “Radiant City” and the”Unite D’habitation”

Inspired ,architectural projects, being built in our time….

renewable area (A “Radiant city”?) near Hong Kong’s airport ,

Built in recent years….

Where are the fresh air and greenery?

Where is the vertical garden city?

Where are the “green, landscaped spaces”?

Is this the “radiant city”Corbusier imagined?

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From Eliinbar’s Sketch book 2012 – Le Corbusier’s dream and broke the “radiant City”

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And this is a typical “Unite D’habitation” …. Hong Kong’s style….built in recent years.

Where are the raised up pilotis?

Where are the green landscape spaces?

Where are the communal terraces?

Is this the“Unite D’habitation” Corbusier imagined?

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What is remained from le Corbusier’s vision of the “Unite D’habitation”?….

A giant apartment-block with endless repetitive apartments,

Lacking uniqueness….

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From   Eliinbar’s Sketch book 2012 – Le Corbusier’s dream and broke “Unite D’habitation”.

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And this is exactly a typical case of “Unconscious Inspiration”=

Getting inspired Unconsciously….

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This post is the first in a series of posts

I will present projects designed according to the principles of “Conscious Inspiration” and “Unconscious Inspiration” for you to judge….

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Check the   NEW  CONSCIOUS  INSPIRATION  PAGE

in my Facebook

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“Epilog”

I can’t finish this post with bad taste….

So what do you think about  MVRDV’s  Mirador residential building shown in the next image?

This apartment block is probably inspired from Le Corbusier’s Unite D’habitation ….is this an example of “Conscious Inspiration” or “Unconscious Inspiration” ?…… for you to judge….

MVRDV Architects

Mirador residential building

 Sanchinarro Madrid-Spain

( in Collaboration with Blanca Lleo’ Asociados)  2001-2004

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MVRDV Architects Mirador residential building communal terrace

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You are invited to visit my relevant post and learn more about:

MVRDV & Le Corbusier and the ultimate inspirational roof terrace

https://archidialog.com/2011/12/05/

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Eliinbar sketches 2011  Le Corbusier’s ultimate inspirational roof terrace

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Conscious Inspiration Posts about Le Corbusier’s Ronchamp Chapel 

Le Corbusiers’ – Ron Champ Chapel -“Conscios Inspiration”

https://archidialog.com/2010/08/30/

Le Corbusier Ronchamp Chapel  ” Sacred Inspiration” 2

https://archidialog.com/2010/12/01/

Le Corbusier Ronchamp Chapel “Sacred Inspiraion”

https://archidialog.com/2010/11/28/l

Le Corbusier-Ronchamp Chapel “Conscious Inspiration” 2

https://archidialog.com/2010/11/24/

Zaha hadid and Le Corbusier ….Playing musical chairs….

https://archidialog.com/2012/07/30/

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Conscious Inspiration Posts about Le Corbusier’s la Tourette Monastery

Rafael Moneo’s and SANAA’s “Ideal Disorder Façades” ,The most common Inspiration source today….

https://archidialog.com/2012/09/09/

Le Corbusier La Tourette Monastery

https://archidialog.com/2010/03/08/

Le Corbusier – La Tourette Inspiration Sources – “Conscious Inspiration”

https://archidialog.com/2010/09/11/l

Le Corbusier & Tadao Ando “Conscious Inspiration”

https://archidialog.com/2011/02/19/l

La Tourette ” Conscios Inspiration” 2

https://archidialog.com/2010/09/20/

La Tourette – “Conscious Inspiration” 1

https://archidialog.com/2010/09/14/

La Tourette – Le Corbusier

https://archidialog.com/2010/09/05/

Le Corbusier is here…. and his alive ….

https://archidialog.com/2012/05/15/

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Conscious Inspiration Posts about Le Corbusier’s Unite D’habitation

MVRDV & Le Corbusier and the ultimate inspiration building, Le Corbusier’s “Unite D’habitation” in Marseille

https://archidialog.com/2011/11/28/

MVRDV & Le Corbusier and the ultimate inspirational roof terrace

https://archidialog.com/2011/12/05/

Bjarke Ingels Group – BIG…. the most Conscious Inspiration firm working today -Chapter two

https://archidialog.com/2012/05/23/

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Conscious Inspiration Posts about Le Corbusier’s  Palace of the Assembly in Chandigarh

Le Corbusier…. Do we need more evidence that he is the most significant source of inspiration for architects, in the last century?

https://archidialog.com/2012/10/08/

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A “small talk” about “Conscious inspiration”

With the methodology of “conscious Inspiration”, we don’t need to be intimidated to get inspired from relevant buildings.

Be inspired consciously from existing buildings, and you will experience a unique design process that will serve your creative desires….

But first we must develop our “TOOLS” or in other words, our” Codex rules”…. 

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The abundance of information in the Web affects us all, as I illustrate in my posts.

I Believe that designing is a process formed from three main phases:  knowledge, tools and invention.

“Knowledge”:  as many said, and wrote before – Knowledge is the foundation for all designing process. We architects and designers are obliged to be informed about everything that was designed in the past and on a daily basis….

“Tools”:  develop tools to analyze buildings and “Understand” them,  tools that will cope with the abundance of architectural information…

(I intend to demonstrate some of my ideas in future posts)

“Invention”:  with the methodology of “conscious Inspiration” , we don’t need to be intimidated to get inspired from relevant buildings.  Once we develop our tools, it will lead us to high quality and creative architecture.

Eli Inbar