Les Cinq Points d'une Architecture Nouvelle

Author(s): Werner Oechslin and Wilfried Wang

Source: Assemblage , Oct., 1987, No. 4 (Oct., 1987), pp. 82-93
Published by: The MIT Press

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3171037

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 Werner Oechslin
Les Cinq Points d'une
Architecture Nouvelle

Translated from the German by Within Le Corbusier's abundant literature, the essay "Les
Wilfried Wang Cinq points d'une architecture nouvelle" represents the
only self-contained normative work that satisfies the classic
Werner Oechslin is Director of the functions of architectural theory: it attends to practical
Institut ffr Geschichte und Theorie
questions of architectural design, and it intends to establish
der Architektur at the Eidgen6ssiche a theoretical basis and codification. Given Le Corbusier's
Technische Hochschule in Zurich.
extensive written work, this observation may come as a
surprise; however, it can be supported by just a few refer-
ences. Comparable texts, such as those on the develop-
ment of fundamental elements (cellule) and figures of
the maison standardisee, which is generated from these
parts,' or those on the various forms of (plan-related)
composition,2 are essentially restricted to their typological
expression and lack the fundamental, substantive relation
to the project-making process peculiar to the five points.
Despite copious applications, other theoretical attempts, as
for instance those around the Modulor, do not attain the
degree of explicit relation to the design process and to the
ultimate architectural search for form that characterizes the
five points. On the contrary, they could be characterized
more readily and exclusively as purely theoretical efforts,
even though Le Corbusier himself was of the opposite
opinion. The same applies to the fundamental, constantly
recurring observations on the subject of the architect versus
the engineer, whose programmatic intention frequently ob-
scured its immediate use (which, in this respect, is clearly
noticeable in the five points).3 The discussion of the tracis
1 (frontispiece). Le Corbusier,
"The Five Points of a New regulateurs, which clearly anticipated the reasoning behind
Architecture," 1929 the five points in many aspects, is an exception, and its

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 .EM TCI-iNl(Ml MSONT L.SIETTTE MP.MIE D17) YI TSI ME, , LE ES OUVIENT UN NOUVE.\U YCl-; I: l.I:AIll I.T I :,

,c r c.+ r, 1 r n n i- r-
*q S. LtL1
J utiadlu' ion ton armn et au fer, pour biAtir une maison de pierre, onl
tr.usait inid larges rigoles dtans ia terre et l'on allait chercher le hon sol
Ipour etahlir la fonldation.
On conslitunit ainsi les caves, locaux niudiocres, humides genuralennent.

I'uis on mnontait ls Inurs de pierre. On 6tablissait un premier plan-

cicr p)osC sur lts murs, puis un second, un troisibme; on ouvrait des
fenietres.

IV

La tabelle dit ceci: A surface de verre gale, Iune piki'' '-elair?:t Ir

\~,'e It- n:llm arnfl on supprine entilrement les muFrs. On porte les
Ill ,lllrlc.r ulr Ide Ilinces polCaux (lisposts A ide grandes distances les uns
une fentre eln longueur qui touche aux denx r umrs clmItiglus, comPlllioN
deux zones d'clairement: une z rone tr ,ire Iaue; an z. ..
6clair6e.
-I)'autre part, une piece 6clair6e piar deux sfenutres 'ricrl'em al,:ilri,-

I' sol e 'l lilbre sos la lmaisonll, le tit est rteconqiuis, la facadte est en- nant des trumeaux, comporle quatre zon(es dl'rtlair.lll't l tIn . rI.
li;rlnelt llire. On llt.st plus lparalys6. Mclaiire, la zone 2, hin clair6e,. la zone 3, rail n -c!lair:.. I;t /.n 4., l-ur,.

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 assemblage 4

theoretical stance formed the point of departure for the

Ikeole Polyleeflique o
theory of proportions and harmony of the Modulor.

This is not so surprising if one takes into account that the

five points draw together the experience and thoughts from
COURSS as far back as the Dom-ino and the buildings of the early
'ARCHITECTURE 1920s, especially the Maisons La Roche, by which Le
Corbusier exemplified the traces rdgulateurs. That in this
G. UMBDENSTOCK sense the normative work of the five points has been crys-
I-. volume tallized from the rich range of experience has to be stresse
as much as the circumstances of the fortuitous codification
on the occasion of the 1927 Weissenhof exhibition in
Stuttgart, or in its accompanying publication.

What might be observed here is characteristic of Le Cor-

GAUTFllER-VILLARS U E-, IMPRIMEURSLUIBRAIRES
PARIS 1930
busier's entire theoretical work. Beginning with the collec-
tion of essays of Vers une architecture, it remains as
something pieced together from fragments, despite the fac
that in the recurrence of the themes as well as the formu-
lations a continuity is unmistakable, one that allows us to
tCOLE P*LYTECHNIQUE speak of Le Corbusier's "theory." This external and forma
COU RS aspect, which was also significant in the five points, can be
explained by the preference for the medium of the newspa
per, the pamphlet, and the manifesto, for which all move-
ments and groupings of modernism had a predilection.
Thus, the "points" of the De Stijl movement have often
been considered a model for the five points. More impor-
tant is that Le Corbusier made conscious use of the mod-
ern method of communicating theoretical contents. In this
respect, too, he set himself apart from the official tradition
of the Beaux-Arts, which even in 1930 revealed as a mode
Gustave Umbdenstock's Cours d'architecture professe a
l'Ecole polytechnique, the title of the systematic treatise
since Frangois Blondel and Jacques-Francois Blondel.

Hence the occasion for the codification of the five points

was fortuitous. Le Corbusier expressed himself on the sub-
ject of the Maison Citrohan in the first volume of the
2. Title page and frontispiece Oeuvre compldte: "Stuttgart, c'est I'occasion enfin!"4 At last
of Gustave Umbdenstock, Cours this house - or better, this house type - could be real-
d'architecture, 1930
ized. Le Corbusier did not talk of individual objects or
designs; he hinted at the continued development of one
idea stretched over many instances. And it is exactly in thi
manner that he presented the five points he had written fo
Stuttgart: "Ce sont ici les conclusions theoriques d'observa

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 Oechslin

Lean-
tion successives faites dans le chantier depuis plusieurs Corbusier: "[Le Corbusier] excavates the house from the
n6es." The five points are therefore introduced as a top as well as from the bottom."
theoretical conclusion; it is only for this reason that they
Giedion changed the content of the five points as well.
fulfill the classic (Vitruvian) function of theoretical state-
The "free facade" led him to a discourse on the faqade as
ments. In the manuscript, "successives" replaces the
the "face of a building," which he compared to the faces o
crossed-out word "fr6quentes." In this manner, the processIndian gods. Le Corbusier, on the contrary, had held to
of a logical sequence of observations is emphasized, as op-
the discussion of the constructional principle and the for-
posed to the mere accumulation of frequently recurring re-
mal possibilities resulting from it. Giedion also suppressed
marks, just as this is represented in the continuation of the
the fenetre en longueur and instead advanced the "indepen
idea for the Maison Citrohan up to Stuttgart.
dence of frame and wall" as the second point, in any case
a rearranged order. For Le Corbusier, this was the inheren
The lack of interest for an obligatory or ultimate formula-
principle of the free plan and the free faqade: it did not
tion of the five points certainly corresponds to this logical
require separate enumeration but was part of the rationale
development over time. The original text,5 which hasof hith-
those five points, which designated generalized but al-
erto remained unpublished and whose diverging formula- ways concretizable forms and figures. With these changes
tions merit our interest, was sent to Alfred Roth in Giedion shifted the accents in favor of his more "histori-
Stuttgart, who translated and published it in Zwei Wohn- cal" view of architecture's development from its technical
hauser von Le Corbusier und Pierre Jeanneret.6 Even conditions.
in the As basically correct as the assessment might be
original manuscript the text bore the dual signatures of that
Le "Corbusier had transformed a technical process into
Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret.7 In 1929 a completelyan dif-
artistic means of expression," the formulation appears
ferent text appeared in the first volume of the Oeuvrereductive
com- in view of the various, more nuanced interpreta
plete.8 It lacked the ambiguous introductory remarks, tions
and of Le Corbusier.
the manifestolike character was reinforced by abandoning
Comparable theoretical models that appeared at the time
the long-winded sentence construction in favor of a tele-
of the two versions of the five points prompt similar con-
gramlike sequence of concepts and reflections. The only
thing that remained more or less constant here and in siderations.
later In 1929 Andre Lurqat published his "616ments
nouveaux" in the book Architecture, and not without re-
adaptations is the five points themselves: pilotis; toits-iar-
peatedly referring to Le Corbusier.'o Here the methods of
dins; plan libre; fenetre en longueur; and faCade libre. One
production stand at the forefront under the banner of seri-
could therefore deduce that Le Corbusier - once again in
alization and standardization, something that was to be-
the best tradition of architectural,theory - gave adequate
come immediately embodied in the conception of his own
weight to the definition of the idea itself. This emphasizes
five points: they appear to be reduced to the characteristic
the "theoretical" character and use and enables a meaning-
motifs and other phenomena of modernism. Terrace, pilo-
ful application outside the original context, as Sigfried Gie-
tis, fenetre, couleur, electricite' was the sequence. Absent
dion demonstrated when he explained the basic principles
of Le Corbusier's architecture with just these points on theLurqat's points is Le Corbusier's argued connection;
from
his theory lacks the internal coherence that testified to the
occasion of the 1958 exhibition of Le Corbusier's work.9
new architectural possibilities that were a logical conse-
On the one hand, Giedion would attribute Le Corbusier's
quence of altered constructional prerequisites. The accent
later works (the Unite d'Habitation at Marseille, that of
had shifted from the theoretically as well as practically rel-
Nantes, the Governor's Palace at Chandigarh, and even
evant standard work to a recipe.
Ronchamp) to these notions; but on the other, he also ex-
panded the field of vision backward in history and intro- It was different in the case of Le Corbusier's personal op-
duced Frank Lloyd Wright as the "father" of the free ponent,
plan, Gustave Umbdenstock." In the introduction to his
as if to credit the translation of the (Loosian) Raumplan Coursto d'architecture, entitled "G6neralit6s sur la composi-

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 assemblage 4

3. "Les Cinq points d'une archi-

tecture nouvelle," original text,
24 July 1927

LES CINQ POINTS D'UNA ARCHITECTURE NOUVELLE.-

Ce sont ici leas conclusions th6oriques d'observations

f-p6qu-ie faites dans les chantiers depuis plusieurs ann6es.

L'expiee aten th6orique conduit A la simplicit6 de l

formu le.

Ce ne seont point des fantaisies esthAtiques ou des

modes; ae sont des faits arohitecturaux et pr6cis qui,?s consti-
tuent on eux-m~mes la r6forme radicale de la maison, depuis la
maison d'habitation jusqu'au palais.
low LES PILOTIS : La poursuite de sl solution scien-

tifique conduit A classer les divers 616ments d'un probl.me. Ainsi,

peut-on locoliser tout oe qui esat partie portante d'une maison.
Au lieu d'admettre les anciennes fondations soutenant l'bdifioe
sans contr81e pr6cis, les anclens murs sont remplao6s per des
pilotis, et la fondation de chaque piloti est calcul6e exaotement
d'apres la charge qui lui est transmise. Ces pilotia sont dispos6s
rAguli rement sans tenir compte des dispositions O-..prn des 'divers

6tages. Ces pilotis sortent du sol et s'61lvent sur 3, 4, 5 ou 6 m.

portant haut le rez-de-chaussbe de la maison.
Ainsi la maison eat bien b2tie, les locaux sont hors
d'atteinte de l'humidit6 du sol; le terrain A bftir est entierement

r6cup6r6; passe re sous la maison.

Et ce mme terrain peut Stre doubl6 sur la toiture

26- LES TOITS JARDINS.- Le terrain est doubl6 par 1
blissement des jardinsaoituresa

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 Pour la bonne protestion du ciment srm6, ii eat n6ces-

saire d'6tablir des Jardins sur lee toits-terrasses. Lrennemi du

ciment arm6 est la dilatation brusque provenant des changemarnts de
temp6rature. Pour 6viter sla dilatations il est bon de maintenir
de l'eau en permanence sur le b6ton arm6 de le toiture et pour

que oette eau ne s'6vapore pas, ii faut constituer les Jardins-

terrasses (couche de sable et de gravier recouverte de dalles de

ciment; lee joints de ces dalles sont remplis de gazon; les grands
bacs & arbres et A fleurs font communiquer la terre v6gbtale qu'ils
contiennent aveo le lit de sable de la terrassee )

Ainsi les eaux de pluie s'6coulent tres lentement par

les desoentes plajces e l'int6rieur de la maison et elles maintien-

nent en permanence, une humidit6 latente sur le toit de la maison.

Les toits-jardine fournissent une v6ghtation p luxu-

riante g^'eA 4" 1- z jru1na ndinaeiro; les arbustes et les petite
arbres (3 ou 4 m6tres de haut) y pouseent facilement.

Le toit jardin est l'endrolt privil6gi6 de la maison.

G6n6raliser le cas, o'est rbcuprer la totale superfie d'une ville
3O- LB PLAN LIBRE&.o Lee pilotis so poursuivent jusqu'A
la toitures portant leurs planchers. HIl ne gpnent aucunement la
disposition des oloisone verticales qui sont diff6rentes A obaque
tage. Ii n'~y a plus de mure portante, ii ya des membranes
16geres et tous les 6tages sont diffbrents les uns des autres.
LIBER4E ABSOLUE DU PLANJ De tl, une 6conomie consid6-
rable qui contrebalanoe facilement les prix plus 61ev6s de la cons-
truction de ciment arm6,

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 assemblage 4

s3 -

40* LA FENETRE ENi LONG

en poteaux et les planchers po

de, des ouvertures rectangulaires totalement ouvertes A la lumiere.
On peut de poteau &A poteau 6tendre des fenttres en longueur. Le bt-
timent n'a plus de fen'trfeen hauteur s6parpar des meneaux.
Les chambres sont 6clairbes de mur A mur. La soienoe

exp6rimentale rbv~1e que des ohambres ainsi 6clairbes ont une lumi-

nosit6 8 fois plus forte que colles 6olairbes par des fenStres ver-
tioales aveoc trumeaux.

Toute l'histoire de l'architecture tourne autour de la

fen8tre pour donner de la lumiere. Le b6ton arm, d'un c

le maximum do lumibre et apporte sla fen~tre en lon~ueur
Le fengtre en hauteur (6poque Haussmsnn) eat la
manifestation de 1'arohitecture de pierre appa.-ill6e.
50- LA FaCADE LIBRE.- En poursuivant le plancher on
porte-vi-faux au-delA des poteaux en fagon de baloone tout autour de

la fagade, on avance cette fagade au-devant de la partie portante

fpoteauyderribre la faqade).* In a plus une arte portant
en fagade les fengtres en longueur peuvent se d6velopper A leur
guise et au gr6 des divisions int6rieures du plan; oes fenbtres en
longueur de 10 metres pour une petite maison peuvent tout aussi bien

Itre de 200 m~tree pour un palais (notre projet de Palais des Natio
A Genbve).

La facade est entierement libre.

x

x x

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 Oechslin

Ces Ocig points ont uie r6aotion esth6tique fondamentale.

Ii r eteplus rien de'i architeoture ancienne et iI ne reste plus

rien des enseignements & 1 lettre des 6ooles.

LE CORBUSIER & PIERRE JEANNERET.

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 assemblage 4

4. Four Stages of Verification of

the Five Points

4a. Maison Citrohan: i. without 4b. Maison Cook: i. "on entre

pilotis, ii. pilotis, model of 1922 sous la maison," ii. toit-jardin

tion architecturale," he, too, was concerned with six fant's Art of 1928,13 in the classic sense of a Euclidean
groups of "616ments composants."'2 Umbdenstock forwent basis for determining form. On the other hand, for Umb-
any manifesto-like, pointed formulations. After all, it was denstock the "trame d'ossature" appeared to be assigned to
an introduction, if kept similarly brief, to a two-volume the more general category of the "schema geometrique et
work with approximately thirteen hundred pages. The des- mecanique." (One is tempted to say assigned in exactly the
ignation of the six groups suggests a conventional reading way the constructional innovations in the architecture of
of Le Corbusier's notions: la masse solide et la place rela- Umbdenstock and his like frequently remain hidden in the
tives a* l'homme: l'echelle; les elements geometriques et historicist stylistic envelope!)

m.canique
les dimensionscomposants; le schema
et leurs rapports; g.om.trique
la matie're, et m.canique;
la coloration,
l'&clairage; le cadre et les accompagnements. In their for-
mulation, Umbdenstock's "generalites" are closer to the
terms of traditional (Vitruvian) architectural theory. How-
ever, some of this can be found at places in Le Corbusier.
The "e1ements geometriques et mecaniques composants,"
which Umbdenstock made precise with the addition of
"droites angles, courbes, effets de direction et de mouve-
ment, rhythme," certainly took up a central position in
Purist theory, as, for instance, it was formulated in Ozen-
Here Le Corbusier's five points clearly demonstrate their
true value. He did not try to codify the motifs of modern
architecture (Lurqat), nor was he concerned with charac-
terizing the elements on the basis of an architecture devel-
oped from the technical conditions (Giedon), nor did he
restrict himself to the eternal universalities of architecture
(Umbdenstock) without precise explanation of their new re-
ality. Instead, he succeeded in incorporating the new real-
ity of constructional possibilities within a superimposed
reality of architectural principles, without forfeiting the ad-

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 Oechslin

4c. Weissenhof at Stuttgart: 4d. Villa Savoye: i. "arrivee des

i. toit-jardin, ii. pilotis, fenetre voitures sous les pilotis,"
en longueur, etc. ii. "promenade architecturale"
(synthesis)

vantages of classical argumentation. In this regard, the par-
allels in the manner of argumentation to the (belated)
representative of classic (French) architectural theory
should come as no surprise.
"Rappelons bien qu'il ne s'agit pas ici de 'formule,"' wrote
Umbdenstock.'4 Le Corbusier introduced the five points in
a comparable way: "Ce ne sont point des fantaisies esth6-
tiques ou des modes; ce sont des faits architecturaux."'5
Both assured themselves of the degree of abstraction in
their points: "L'expos6 theorique conduit ia la simplicit6 de
la formule," wrote Le Corbusier; and Umbdenstock expli-
cated, "Ces l66ments composants se retrouvent en nombre
assez restreint pour constituer un ensemble de faits simples
et frequents." However, a diametrically opposed interpreta-
tion is equally valid. Umbdenstock's statement against the
"formule" could also be read as a critique of Le Corbusier's
"simplicit6 de la formule." And of course Le Corbusier's
formulation of 1927 was clearly pointed against tradition:
"I1 ne demeure ici plus rien des moyens de l'architecture
ancienne et il ne reste plus rien des enseignements 'a la
lettre des ecoles." On the other hand, even here the cor-
rections to the manuscript certainly indicate a changing at-
titude in Le Corbusier: instead of "il ne reste plus rien de
l'architecture ancienne," one now reads "il ne demeure ici
plus rien des moyens de l'architecture ancienne." This re-
finement is peculiar to the five points and distinguishes
this manifesto from its later adaptations and interpretations.
Evidently, the theoretical basis and aim of the five points
should be taken more seriously than many critics (begin-
ning with Giedion) had wanted to believe; for them the
illustration of the visible results of a modern architecture
had sufficed. Of all comparisons, the one with Umbden-
stock shows how much had remained of the traditional,
general aim of theoretical reflections on architecture. In
his introduction, Umbdenstock expressed a double inten-
tion behind his Cours d'architecture. "Exposer et prouver

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des lois de composition artistique communes a la peinture,
la sculpture, -I'architecture" was the first aim, one that was also
followed by Le Corbusier in his "synthese." "Appliquer ...
ces lois a l'architectonique, en degager une conception
philosophique" without doubt also accorded with Le Cor-
busier's intention to relate theoretical bases to the "faits ar-
chitecturaux." (But with the addition of a "voie d'une
architecture nationale franqaise" Le Corbusier would have
hardly been in agreement.) The remarks on the application
of the "elements composants" also present analogies to Le
Corbusier. Umbdenstock formulated, "Ces recherches,
toutes d'intuition, procederont par analogies selon le mode
des sciences dites comparees." In the end, they served to
elaborate the "valeurs" of the "elements composants." Sim-
ilarly, Le Corbusier introduced the text on the pilotis as
follows: "La poursuite de la solution scientifique conduit A
classer les divers 616ments d'un problkme." The compari-
son becomes even clearer when more remnants and proofs
are brought forth. In the spring issue of L'Architecture vi-
vante in 1927, Le Corbusier's text "L'Esprit nouveau en
architecture" was accompanied by a quotation from Elie
Faure: "L'imagination est la plus scientifique des facultes,
parce que seule elle saisit l'analogie universelle."'6 In the
autumn issue, Le Corbusier introduced the readers of
L'Architecture vivante to a variation on the five points un-
der the title "Ofi en est l'architecture?"'7 Although the
long-winded and rather unsystematic introduction dwelt
extensively on the achievements of 1927, when Le Corbu-
sier returned to his elaboration of the "type de la maison
d'aujourd'hui" (after all the five points were exemplified in
it), he derived the one-sided interpretation of the machine
a habiter, to which only "les Slaves et les Germains" were
inclined. 18 On the subject of the house's function, he was
of the opinion, "Mais je pense aussi." Despite all hazard-
ous demarcations, there were thoughts of the "esprit
rationnel" as well as the "constantes 6ternelles de l'ame hu-
maine." And he answered the introductory question "Oii
en est l'architecture?" - perhaps even somewhat surpris-
ingly - with, "Elle est au delai de la machine." As unsys-
tematic or "philosophic" as Le Corbusier's formulations
may have occasionally been, he did constantly preempt
misunderstandings with the indication to universals, to the
"recherche de l'invariant."
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assemblage 4
However, what is most important is that Le Corbusier was
able to relate this range of ideas to the "axe nouveau," to
the changed realities of architecture, in a convincing way.
It is the manner of discussion that proves the worth of the
theoretical structure, in a much clearer and more convinc-
ing way than in all "flanking" remarks and incantations. In
the discussion of the traces rgulateurs, the mediating
character of the argument is discernible. They are intro-
duced by means of the dual function of an "operation de
verification" - quite without the traditional approach of
"correction" and "assurance contre l'arbitraire"'9 - and a
"satisfaction d'ordre spirituel." The latter produces "euryth-
mie. "20 And just as this process is described in a correct
Vitruvian manner, so the terminology refers to the appro-
priate French tradition since Blondel: "perception bienfai-
sante de l'ordre," "moment d6cisif de l'inspiration."2'
Accordingly, one always finds three moments of reasoning
in the explanation of the five points. The artistic principle
is always considered the real achievement, for example
where the pilotis are designated as the "manifestation
esth6tique architecturale significative."22 There is constant
reference to the functional advantages conferred by these
aspects. Thus the pilotis act as a protection against damp-
ness, liberate the building site, and allow the garden itself
to extend beneath the house.23 This thought is continued
with the toit-jardin: "C'est r6cuperer la totale superficie
d'une ville.'"24 In the end, all these advantages are aligned
with the new constructional possibilities. The artistic mo-
ment as well as the extended usefulness are the result of
those "recherches assidues" and those "acquits de labora-
toire," which are prerequisites but not an end in them-
selves:25 "Le ciment arme nous donna les pilotis"; "Le
ciment arm6 est le nouveau moyen permettant la r6alisa-
tion de la toiture homogene" (as a prerequisite for the
toits-jardins); "Le beton arme dans la maison apporte le
plan libre"; "Le ciment arm6 fait revolution dans l'histoire
de la fenetre."26 Here, the new technology is systematically
represented as the release mechanism for a new architec-
ture. The manner of discussion can be related almost with-
out effort to the basic Vitruvian notions of venustas,
utilitas, and firmitas. New architectonic (aesthetic) expres-
sions are made possible by the revolutionized firmitas by
means of the "ciment arm6," which, additionally, are cast
 Oechslin

in the right light by means of an improved utilitas. 12. Gustave Umbdenstock, Cours
Thus, 24. According to the 1927 manu-
d'architecture, 2 vols. (Paris, 1930),
in the discussion of the toit-jardins, the "raisons tech- script. The passage is missing in the
vol. 1, p. 1. published version of 1929.
niques" (firmitas), the "raisons d'economie" and the "rai-
13. See Am6d6e Ozenfant, "Con- 25. This combination of the con-
sons de confort" (utilitas), and ultimately the "raisons
stantes des sensations et des formes- structive and the useful appears
sentimentales"27 (venustas) are displayed, so to speak, as a
616ments dans la nature et dans already in the proposal for the
Vitruvian synthesis.28 l'art," in Art (Paris, 1928), pp. "ossature standard Dom-ino."
246ff.
The much-criticized "artistic position" of Le Corbusier was 26. The formulation of 1929, from
14. Umbdenstock, Cours d'archi- Oeuvre complete, p. 128.
clearly crystallized in the five points. The radical openness
tecture, vol. 1, p. 2. 27. The notion of "sentiment" is
to new technical-constructional possibilities did not make
15. From the original manuscript. very easily traced in the theoretical
him stop at standardization and Taylorization. Rather, he
tradition of France, via Charles
used them as the point of departure for a new, equally 16. L'Architecture vivante 5, no.
Blanc and Boullre to Blondel; for
17 (Spring 1927): 8ff.
radical, foundation for classical concerns in architecture. the notional "triangle" of raison-
17. L'Architecture vivante 5, no. esprit-sentiment, see Knabe,
18 (Autumn 1927): 7ff. Schliisselbegriffe, p. 191.
Notes
18. Ibid., p. 10. 28. Oeuvre complete, p. 128: "Des
1. Le Corbusier and Pierre Jean-problem of the dual authorship. raisons techniques, des raisons
19. See Werner Oechslin, "Auf der
neret, Oeuvre complhte 1910-1929 The following text contains only the Suche nach dem 'wahren Stil,' Die d'6conomie, des raisons de confort
(1929; Zurich: Editions Girsberger,
incorrect reference to Le Corbusier. et des raisons sentimentales nous
Unterscheidung von 'richtig' und
1964), p. 69: "la maison standardi- conduisent A adopter le toit-
8. Oeuvre compldte, pp. 128-29. 'falsch' bei den Rigoristen," Daida-
see. "
terrace."
los 8 (1983): 21ff.
2. Ibid, p. 189 (in connection9.with
See Sigfried Giedion, "Le Cor- 20. On the rather rare use of the
the Villa Savoye). busier und die architektonischen
notion of Eurythmy, see Werner
Ausdrucksmittel dieser Zeit," in Le
3. See Werner Oechslin, "Auch Oechslin, "Symmetrie - Euryth- Figure Credits
wenn die Architektur von der
Corbusier, exhibition catalogue,
mie oder: 'Ist Symmetrie sch6n?' " 1. Le Corbusier and Pierre Jean-
1958. The captions of the five
Mathematik abhingig ist," Daidalos Daidalos 15 (1985): 16ff. neret, Oeuvre complete 1910-1929
points differ in the versions of 1927
18 (1985): 27ff.
21. On the notion of "biens6ance," (Zurich: Editions Girsberger, 1964),
and 1929; but their subsequent in-
see P.-E. Knabe, Schliisselbegriffe p. 129.
4. Oeuvre complete, p. 45. terpretation derives from later for-
des kunsttheoretischen Denkens in
mulations by Le Corbusier, 2, 3. Courtesy of the author.
5. The manuscript is with Alfred
Frankreich von der Spiitklassik bis
Roth, to whom I am indebtedespecially
for in the special issue "Le 4. Drawings by Paul Hanley.
zum Ende der Aufkldrung (Diissel-
having allowed me to consultCorbusier/Pierre
it. It Jeanneret," of
dorf, 1972), pp. 100ff., and Werner
bears the date "24 July '27." L'Architecture
Here I d'aujourd'hui 10
(1934): 19, which reads: "1. Les Pi- Szambien, Symetrie, goat, caractere
cite the text in its original form.
(Paris, 1986), pp. 92ff.
For variations or corrections, lotis,
see 2. L'Ossature Ind6pendante,
3. Le Plan Libre, 4. La Fa;ade 22. Thus for instance in conjunc-
also Werner Oechslin, "Die zahle-
Libre, 5. Le Toit-Jardin." tion with the exhibited plaster
bige Verachtung von Esprit und model of the Maison Citrohan at
geistreicher Erfindung," Daidalos
10. See N. Schwering, "Andre the Salon d'Automne of 1922, see
22 (1986): 58ff., in which, for the
Lur;at," in Stanislaus von Moos Oeuvre compldte, p. 45.
first time, I referred to the divergent
and P. Couwenbergh, Parijs 1900-
original of the famous text. 23. According to the variation of
1930 een Architectuurgids (Delft,
the text of 1929; see Oeuvre com-
1984), p. 142.
6. Alfred Roth, Zwei Wohnhduser
plate, p. 128. The text of the
von Le Corbusier und Pierre Jean-
11. The thorough discussion of manuscript of 1927 reads: "Ainsi la
neret (Stuttgart: Dr. Fr. Wedekind
Umbdenstock in the wake of the maison est bien batie, les locaux
& Co., 1927). The "Five Points" sont hors d'atteinte de l'humidit6 du
competition for the League of Na-
appear as the subtitle of the publi-
tions Palace is known; cf. Le Cor- sol; le terrain a batir est entierement
cation.
busier, Croisade ou le Crepuscule recupere; le jardin passe sous la
7. It is not possible to examine the des Acadgmies (Paris, 1933). maison."

93

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