1:50 SCALE MODEL
STUDIO APARTMENT, PARIS-FRANCE 1934, LE CORBUSIER
Model view in to 'the studio' space (left side) and 'the bedroom' (right side)
THE THEME OF DWELLING
As an introduction to the theme of dwelling a case study of the existing exemplary house, Studio Apartment 1934, has been undertaken.
In order to understand better how people live and what kinds of architectural devices are used to facilitate dwelling and daily rituals, the model is constructed at a scale of 1:50. From a plan and section drawing images were found in books and on the internet, in order to provide necessary information about every little detail of the house.
Plan drawing, 7th floor with images
Plan drawing, 8th floor with images
Staircase and one of the two pivoting doors opening up in to 'the studio' space
1:50 model view through 'the studio' space in to the staircase in 'the hallway'
View from 'the studio' into 'the office'
It is likely that Le Corbusier accepted to build this apartment exactly because the site possessed so many of the qualities he considered as the key to 'The Radiant City'.
“The basic materials of city planning are: sun, sky, trees, steel, cement – in that strict order” (Fondation Le Corbusier, p. 3).
The residents of such a city benefit from what he called “the essential joys” of modern living. The apartment block at 24 N.C. was constructed according to these principles and exemplifies the application of this doctrine on an urban scale.
Model view from 'the West'
The living room, equipped with a chimney in the corner, extends into the dining room. On the right, you will find the main bedroom, hidden behind a door-cabinet (view pictures on 'Plan drawing, 7th floor with images'). These three spaces opens onto a balcony that runs the length of the facade, from the bedroom to the pantry. Light floods in from the west through the glass facade which stretches along the three spaces. Furthermore the kitchen area also receives light from a glass block incorporated into the drop of the arch.
The balcony that runs the length of the facade, from 'the bedroom' to 'the pantry'
Close-up model view from outside the balcony in to 'the dining room'
View through the spatial sequence from 'West' to 'East' when the pivoting doors are open — the whole of the apartment is bathed in light from both ends
View from 'the East'
In the studio’s East-West orientation, the clear glass and the glass bricks diffuses the light evenly throughout the space. There are also installed two wooden panels on the facade, to control the light filtering even further. The windows are mounted on a sliding frame, which helps to strengthen the impression of permeability between the inside and outside. The spaces are well lit and overlook the expanse of Boulogne.
From the spiral staircase in the living room, you enter the roof. Walking straight ahead you enter a guesthouse featured with a small balcony.
Redefining the traditional notion of the roof, Le Corbusier claims that “the space on the roof is that the most distant from the noise of the street, fully exposed to the light of the sun and to the air the most pure.”
Le Corbusier applies the concepts of transparency, spatial flow and flexibility of components. Absolutely nothing is allowed to interfere with the link between interior and exterior, human environment and natural environment. The model is hence designed with all doors and windows as an open void, and also for the spectator to get the feeling of the intended “open plan” structure.
