Aretrospectivecloses this weekend at MoMA on Swiss designer Le Corbusier , best hump for his residential labor likeVilla Savoye(as well asthat death chair ) . But I ’d argue that his most genius work wasÉglise Saint - Pierre , a singular cathedral in Firminy , France . Here , Le Corbusier manages a kind of architectural interpersonal chemistry : creating the impression of stained Methedrine window with only key and concrete .
What may be Le Corbusier ’s good employment comes with an star : He died in 1965 , five geezerhood before construction began on the building . Then , due to fiscal hardship and political agitation , the Christian church was notcompletely fetch up until 2006 . However , the construction was supervised by the original project architect , José Oubrerie , who oversee the project for almost four decennary .
The church is part of a larger visual modality call Firminy - Vert or “ fleeceable Firminy , ” which hoped to counteract the city ’s repute as a minelaying and industrial shopping centre . Le Corbusier ’s other works in the urban center admit a schooltime , a swim pool , an athletic field and one of his Unite d’Habitation apartment complexes . They all have the same undimmed colouring material and naked as a jaybird concrete , build them almost sense like they were carved out of the quarry in the center of the townsfolk .
Stepping into the church service your eyes slowly line up to the nigh - darkness . Although you begin to acknowledge the front of light , it direct a while to understand what ’s going on . Each side of the structure glows with a different colour , which you may see streaming through the windows and glisten on the polished concrete floors . Behind the altar is a different consequence entirely : round holes the size of drunkenness glasses punched into the wall like bantam virtuoso .
Above , the ceiling glows with “ weak cones , ” apertures in the concrete also painted with dissimilar colors . These apparently random geometrical skylights are actually commit intentionally to straighten out the altar on specific holy days . Although it was a cold day when I visited , I swear the brightness from the blood-red and jaundiced fanlight felt like endure under a heat lamp .
As the sun go throughout the daytime , the “ stained glass ” reflections shift along the floor , as do the waves of lighter that travel along the interior walls . I sit for a very long time in the balcony , observe a square of aristocratical travel from one church bench to the next , illuminate citizenry ’s faces as they cast the stairs .
Does Église Saint - Pierre “ count ” as a Le Corbusier project ? Some designer do n’t live to see the closing of their kit and caboodle , of course , but the project was also understand using textile and techniques that were developed decade after it was designed . construction codes also changed , requiring pregnant modifications like change to the size of bulwark and windows . Oubrerie says that were he active , his hirer would have approved of the use of founding like promptly - set concrete and prefabricated construction . “ Le Corbusier was always interested in experimenting with new engineering , ” hetold the New York Times in 2005 .
But it ’s clean-cut that Le Corbusier did n’t need 40 age of tech advances to make this Christian church a triumph . The refined simpleness of his vision interpret just fine . It ’s down - tech , timeless genius .
ArchitecturefranceMoMA
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