Villa Savoye: Relationship Between Detail and the Whole

Villa Savoye is based on Le Corbusier's notion of a "machine for living", where "efficiency" is being highly regarded.  With its ribbon windows, its proportion and its location on the site, the house has many similarities with a steam ship.

Model showing how columns are moved away from the grid to make way for different elements, such as the staircase, the ramp and the entrance on the ground floor.

A diagram of a classical temple is carved into the transparent and being overlaid onto the Villa Savoye.  This tries to show that Villa Savoye is related to classical architecture, with abstracted columns, entablature and roof. 

Villa Savoye: Relationships Between Interior and Exterior Spaces

The opening on the wall of the roof level acts as picture frame, limiting one to look at only the views desired by the architect.  With walls blocking the views when travelling up the ramp and on the roof, this opening also acts as a guide, encouraging people that are curious about the surroundings to go all the way up the ramp to have a better view. 

Model exploring the pattern of trees surrounding lawn on the site and walls surrounding courtyard in the house.  This creates a sense that a piece of the lawn is being lifted up and into the house, making a hanging garden.

Model showing different views from different levels.  On the ground floor, one's views are being limited to the lawn and the trunks as the roof hover above them.  The long horizontal windows on the first floor allow views of the canopy.  And as they move up to the roof, the emphasis is being focused on the sky and also views beyond the vegetation.

Villa Savoye: Public & Private Spaces and Circulation

The large glazed side of the living room allows natural light to penetrate into the space, illuminating this semi-public space, while private spaces such as bedrooms are more shaded. 

Model exploring the views along journey up the ramp.  Lighting and depth of views play important parts in the experience, and lead one up all the way to the roof.

Model showing the private (whiteboard) , semi-public (balsa) and public spaces (boxboard).

Villa Savoye

Le Corbusier's notion of a house as a "machine for living" is truly reflected in the Villa Savoye.  Classical buildings are made up of columns and entablature.  Le Corbusier abstracted all of these elements and proportions into simple geometry forms and applying them into the house.  This bring back one's familiarity of how buildings should be without designing a house set out by classical architecture rules.

Villa Savoye is located on a open field with a ring of vegetation surrounding it.  The walls and roofs bounds the courtyard of the house, replicating the environment surrounding it inside the house, creating a hanging garden that floats above the ground.

The pillars on the ground floor not only support the building, but also act as elements that defines space, claiming the land in front of the entrance.  The size of the pillars also has a relationship with the trees around it, and just like them, the pillars act as an invisible barrier, dividing the spaces.

Private spaces are located around the courtyard and the screen on the roof level creates a private area behind it, allowing one to look out without being too exposed.  The first floor with the help of the pillars, defines the spaces of the ground floor, separating it from the other places of the lawn.

The ramp is an important element of Villa Savoye.  When one enter through the entrance on the ground floor and goes up the ramp, light floods through the side windows and shine on the upper areas of the ramp, leading one upwards.  Then a wall blocks the way, making one to decide to wander out to the courtyard or remain inside.  Continuing the journey up the ramp, views of the surroundings are limited as the horizontal nature of the openings blocks the view.  In order to get a better view, one has to go all the way to the top, where a "frame" is waiting and one can enjoy the green landscape with blue skies in the background.

The ramp is like a conveyor belt in a machine, transporting one to different desired destination. The sloping nature of the ramp lengthens the time to travel, allowing one to fully "appreciate" the architectural experiences of Villa Savoye.