17 of Le Corbusier's buildings, including Unité d’habitation in Marseille and the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo were announced as new UN world heritage sites. The 17 buildings meet three of the selection criteria for World Heritage status:

(i) A masterpiece of human creative genius.

(ii) An important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design.

(vi) Directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.

The inclusion of Le Corbusier's works as world heritage sites marks the culmination of a significant shift in attitudes towards Modernist architecture. His Unité d’habitation is often considered the forefather of high-rise living. Le Corbusier's forms are often cited as a key inspiration for the much maligned Brutalism. Could this veneration of first-wave Modernism change the fate of maligned 20th century architecture? The induction of maverick modernist Le Corbusier's work into the elite club of world heritage sites could be the catalyst for the conservation of other styles of modernism.

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