designboom book report: le corbusier and the maisons jaoul

author: caroline maniaque bentonpublication date: april 2, 2009publisher: princeton architectural pressISBN: 978-1-56898-800-9_________________________________________________________________________________________

designboom rating: _________________________________________________________________________________________ contentle corbusier examined the art of living, while simultaneously offering a critique of rationalist modernity,  for which he himself had played a key role as protagonist for over thirty years.

did the idea of a modern lifestyle inherently imply the renouncement of a more sensual way of life? does the emphasis on standardization and uniformity automatically eliminate the need for the specific exclude the expression of the individual? does mechanization or industrialization always conflict with craftsmanship? does the search for the universal automatically eliminate the need for the specific? why is it so difficult to resolve the conflict between intimacy and grandeur?

this book aims to respond to such questions. the first chapter evokes the artistic milieu shared by the jaouls and le corbusier during the 1940s and ’50s, followed by a description of the history and genesis of the projects, and phases of the design process, from le corbusier’s preliminary site sketches to his detailed proposals, plans, and invitations to bids. the second chapter considers the amicable relations that le corbusier cultivated with his collaborating teams of artisans and the adventurous climate of the construction world in those days. the third chapter addresses the art of living as a general theme and raises the issue of intimacy. the fourth chapter covers the critical reception of the houses, mainly in the anglo-american press of the fifties and sixties, and concludes with a summary of the various renovations and changes that have taken place up to the present day.

this book relies predominantly on written, iconographic, and oral sources. ‘le corbusier and the maisons jaoul’ is the first book -length, detailed examination of lesser-known, yet architecturally significant, houses. built for andré jaoul, a french steel and electrochemical manufacturer, his son, and their wives, these twin homes encompassed four years of intense design activity. valuable insights are gleaned from conversations between clients, draftsmen, and craftsmen; firsthand documents; and letters in le corbusier’s own hand.

is it for me?this book is well suited to designers and architects and those who either admire or dismiss le corbusier to reexamine their assumptions and prejudices about the most famous modern architect of the twentieth century.

letter from le corbusier to andre jaoul, may 1953

extract from claviers de couleurs, basel, salubra, 1953.the two salubra albums (1931 and 1959) assemble wallpaper samples designed by le corbusierand offer the possibility of choosing color combinations with the help of special eyeglasses and a ‘keyboard of colors.’

living room in house A, 1986. by the late 1920s, le corbusier had understood that ‘color modifies space,classifies objects, simulates physiological reactions and has a strong effect on our sensibilities’

extracts from ‘la première residence créée par le corbusier depuis 1935 (the first private residence created by le corbusier since 1953),’ the first coverage of his houses in maison & jardin(house and garden,) n° 34, feburary 1956, front cover and 37. jaoul archives. advertisement for le modulor in l’architecture d’aujourd’hui, n°30,1950.

from the left to the right: ground-level plan. on september 20, 1951, the garage was oriented toward the northeast. FLC 10022.basement plan. on october 4, 1951, the garage was oriented toward the northwest, its definitive position. FLC 10342.ground-level plan. on october 15, 1951, the garage occupied three bays at the center of the site. FLC 10333.

book jacket designed by le corbusier, les constructions ‘murondins’ ( the ‘murondins’ buildings), paris/clermont-ferrand, 1942.

l: paperback cover, andré missenard, l’homme et le climat(man and climate), paris, plon, 1937.r: metal latches on the wood shutters in the kitchen of house B.