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Le Corbusier's legacy

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Where did it all go wrong?

Inspirational architecture in enlightened times. If I were a geek he would listed as a hero of mine, along with Ikea.

Audio slideshow: Le Corbusier's legacy

Widely acclaimed as the most influential architect of the 20th Century, Le Corbusier's radical ideas for reinventing modern living - from private villas to large-scale social housing - still resonate today.
The Barbican in London is celebrating his life with an exhibition, concerts, films and talks.

Evan Davis met the centre's Head of Art Galleries Kate Bush, and the Guardian's architecture critic Jonathan Glancey, to look closer at Le Corbusier's work, and see how the Barbican itself is was built in the Corbusian style.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7894000/7894066.stm

PS. The link is an odd one so I hope it's not just regional.

 
Feb 22, 09 5:39 pm
eCoDe

He is truly a genius - not only with great, exceptional design skills, but also with an envision of our society, the future, the humane aspects. I think I can't find enough words to describe his achievements.

Compare today's starchiects, Corbu surely is still the hero. Think about these computer geek stars - they have exceptional software skills but they can not make their designs be built up. And right now, the computer, or so called digital design, just isolated them from the real industry.

Ok, continue be waiting for someone's invention so you can 3D print your real building.

Feb 22, 09 6:22 pm  · 
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idiotwind

there is a true connection between building real buildings and drawing real drawings with the paper and pencil touching, and having some sort of real depth to it. i feel like you are more connected with your work, and value it more because of the time it takes to do it right. we always have the choice to use computer programs for anything, but i choose to draw everything. it just feels right.

Feb 22, 09 6:57 pm  · 
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Medit
Where did it all go wrong?

well some things didn't go that wrong... Marseille's concrete hive is still (or has become with time) a favourite... you can get a flat there for 310,000 euros

Feb 22, 09 7:09 pm  · 
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Per--Corell

The real question here, is what corbu would do with a computer. -- guess the times was different then , that inspiration came from the materials, that what was put into drawings, was in detail known how to be build, -- within the known crafts. So emagine the computer had been there then, what would be the first thing to do. Wouldn the issue be, how to bring it into reality ?
Unless you think Le.corb would jettison the computer, -- I dont think that.
But true, isnt that just what is missing, -- the computer can so much more, but only a little of it, reflect what the computer realy could maneage. Becaurse we first translate what is on the screen, into known methods and tradisional way of thinking. We do not ask ourself, if it realy is so new, if it realy challance the oppotunity with computers, if it basicly is different than just doing the same, just with a digital pen.

Would
Le.Corb do so, I would not think so.

Feb 23, 09 8:48 am  · 
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archiwhat

haha corbu would use rhino







and grasshopper



Feb 23, 09 9:18 am  · 
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Per--Corell

Exactly -- and then hands on develob it so, that there will be a way to manufactor the building parts, or develob methods so formwork can be produced on site. In fact the reson everything became so edgy and square, came with expenses ; transport of building compoments from factory, beside, factory was best making the Lego parts, those that would assemble into Lego box shape buildings. So fabricating parts on site, or fabrication with the most simple digital link equipment, is that.

Feb 23, 09 9:52 am  · 
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randomized
Feb 23, 09 11:53 am  · 
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toasteroven
Where did it all go wrong?

Urban planning.

We learned that large-scale social housing doesn't work when it's economically segregated. People prefer living in neighborhoods with a strong sense of community - even if they are poor. His projects evoke authoritarianism, which leads to greater social problems.

We also learned that segregating use in the urban environment causes way more problems than it solves.

Feb 23, 09 12:42 pm  · 
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peridotbritches

Great to read Per's response : )

And I agree - how would corb treat design software? I also agree that his forms were secondary to the materials and tectonics he was versed in. Although he said architecture is the art of arranging masses in light, he initiated the disillusioning of superficial form for the 'molecular' possibilities of tectonics.

He was certainly prolific.

Feb 23, 09 12:59 pm  · 
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Per--Corell

Thanks -- Le.corb offcaurse would focus the form, but I think this is exactly where to second though. Shells has their own limitatins, they even can be difficult to combine with tradisional construction, still thinking in surfaces are what we see whenever forms get away from construction needs. And when computers came, it was space lattrices, polymeshes, all the trivial 2.5 D stuff and very little if any, allowing the computer to do the work. Even today these ae the basics, -- the shell, the zero thickness polymesh, the trouble figure out how to get these entities out into reality. Frommy point of view, what we shuld blame, is what I call "surface thinking". The idea, that when a surface are projected on a screen, then there are a house ; that only work if you render the entity, as then the surface of it, mimic a structure.
Where are the reson these buldings made with aeroplane software, --- software that at that time was only to model the shape,--- why was these metal plated building not "it" , why did they fail.
Becaurse they was surface thinking, no thought about the volume or structure, that was as what hold it in the air, made after. And often without a computer from pure skills of the workers, --- now why is that not efficient and so damned expensive, becaurse computers was not used for what they realy are good at. Le.Corb would have forseen that.

Feb 23, 09 3:26 pm  · 
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Emilio

It's great that this thread and the one about Bob Dylan are next to each other right now. I see similarities between them - and Picasso as well: they were (are in Bob's case) amazingly prolific and they synthesized trends of thinking and doing that preceded them into something new and singularly modern (and often mind-blowing); and their work will resonate for many years to come.

Feb 23, 09 4:05 pm  · 
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Emilio

and they all three had their flaws as well...

Feb 23, 09 4:06 pm  · 
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holz.box

randomized - isn't that iannis xenakis?

Feb 23, 09 4:15 pm  · 
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fays.panda

it is, but its also attributed to corbu,, i think

Feb 24, 09 12:29 am  · 
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fays.panda

and i agree with emilio,, what i think went wrong is that corbu followers go it wrong, what they adopted was solely the image of the work..

though big but not as prolific, i see alvaro siza's work as one who has carried on corbu's "image", but more succesfully than others,, especially when one looks at both their complete works

ofcourse, u could argue many contemporary architects are re-interpreting corbu

Feb 24, 09 12:34 am  · 
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PsyArch

What seems to be ignored in the discussion of Corbusier's legacy, and indeed his working timeline, is the war.

Pre WWII it was all residential villas. Post-war, when the world was looking for a new social order, and had lots of bomb-damaged sites to infill, his positivist posturing sounded like the smiling future on a large scale.

While Corbusier's buildings are, in the main, amazing, and one can't blame him for the cheap copies, it was the war that made him [saleable] and turned the locus of architectural decision making towards the typologies and methods of the International Style.


Feb 24, 09 11:35 am  · 
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Per--Corell

Concete was worked very projected, try look for the cast methods when they bild tunnels and ware houses. --- this atleast 50 years Le.corb. has those structures. Still today we work clumpsy, with formwork -- looks that way, the costs atleast, and as everone know, during that, first WW1 , the twenties all the various nice styles, but the free-form rxamples, has little to compare, the later mashin to live in. --- Architecture as painting, are many different things, yet the mean to bring it thru that we leave the middleages way of thinking. and start producing something new.
Digital compared the change in tools and thinking, today, are just as potent as you want it ; is it ok everyone now, can buy a house, a forth the cost, --- Beside, the issue is not what style to reinvent, Le,corb proberly had other issues than just architecture.....
What they did not has, at le.corbs time ; thry had no computers, --- Emagine Le.corb would has one, would he focus the math or the modeling.

Feb 24, 09 12:23 pm  · 
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randomized

ronchamp vs steven holl


Feb 24, 09 12:36 pm  · 
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med.
Feb 24, 09 1:37 pm  · 
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