The Villa Le Lac, also known as the Villa "Le Lac" Le Corbusier, is a residential building on

Lake Geneva , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial la ...

Corseaux Corseaux is a municipality in the district Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Corseaux is first mentioned in 1179 as ''de Corsal''. Geography Corseaux has an area, , of . Of this area, or 21.7% is used for ...

Canton of Vaud Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms ...

, Switzerland, designed by Swiss architects and cousins Le Corbusier and

Pierre Jeanneret Pierre Jeanneret (22 March 1896 – 4 December 1967) was a Swiss architect who collaborated with his cousin, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (who assumed the pseudonym Le Corbusier), for about twenty years. Early life Arnold-André-Pierre Jea ...

between 1923 and 1924 for Le Corbusier's parents. It is an example of residential

Modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that for ...

and showcases three of Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture. The building is a designated Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance and was added to the

UNESCO World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 2016.

History

Between 1912 and 1919 Le Corbusier's parents Georges-Édouard Jeanneret and Marie-Charlotte-Amélie Jeanneret-Perret lived at the Villa Jeanneret-Perret in their hometown

La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds () is a Swiss city in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometers south of the French border. After Geneva, Lausanne and Fribourg, it is the fourth largest city l ...

, which their son had also designed for them. From 1919 until the Villa Le Lac was constructed, the Jeannerets resided at a

chalet A chalet (pronounced in British English; in American English usually ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, typical of the Alpine region in Europe. It is made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-suppo ...

in Blonay. They moved to the new villa in Corseaux on Christmas Eve of 1924. Georges-Édouard and Marie-Charlotte-Amélie lived at the villa until their deaths in 1926 and 1960, respectively. The villa underwent two alterations during Le Corbusier's lifetime: one in 1931, and another in 1951. As part of the 1931 alteration, the north and west façades were covered in the existing

galvanized steel Galvanization or galvanizing ( also spelled galvanisation or galvanising) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are submerg ...

sheets A bed sheet is a rectangular piece of cloth used either singly or in a pair as bedding, which is larger in length and width than a mattress, and which is placed immediately above a mattress or bed, but below blankets and other bedding (such as ...

, and a northern

retaining wall Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides. Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...

and annex were built. The 1951 alteration consisted of installing the current southern aluminum façade. In 1971 the

Fondation Le Corbusier Fondation Le Corbusier is a private foundation and archive honoring the work of architect Le Corbusier. It operates Maison La Roche, a museum located in the 16th arrondissement at 8-10, square du Dr Blanche, Paris, France, which is open daily excep ...

, a private foundation and archive stewarding Le Corbusier's work which also owns

Villa La Roche Villa La Roche, also Maison La Roche, is a house in Paris, designed by Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret in 1923–1925. It was designed for Raoul La Roche, a Swiss banker from Basel and collector of avant-garde art. Villa La Roche no ...

in Paris and the Villa Jeanneret-Perret, purchased Villa Le Lac. Le Corbusier's brother , a musician, lived at the villa until his death in 1973. The villa first opened to the public in 1984, according to Le Corbusier's original intentions. In 2010 it became a museum hosting exhibitions related to architecture and Le Corbusier. The Fondation Le Corbusier began

restoration work Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

on the building in 2012. The Association Villa "Le Lac" Le Corbusier has managed the property since January 1, 2013. Along with fifteen other buildings around the world designed by Le Corbusier, the Villa Le Lac was designated a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 2016.

Design

The Villa Le Lac was specifically designed for two elderly people without servants; in this case, Le Corbusier's parents. It measures in area, or by , with the longer side following Lake Geneva's coastline. There are about 4 metres of open space between the road and the villa, and again between the villa and the lake. The building makes use of three of Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture: the

free plan In architecture, a free plan is an open plan with non- load-bearing walls dividing interior space. In this structural system, the building structure is separate of the interior partitions. This is made possible by replacing interior load-bearin ...

, the

roof terrace A terrace is an external, raised, open, flat area in either a landscape (such as a park or garden) near a building, or as a roof terrace on a flat roof. Ground terraces Terraces are used primarily for leisure activity such as sitting, stroll ...

, and the horizontally-oriented "ribbon" window. The ribbon window measures in length, which was near the possible maximum length for a

plate glass Plate glass, flat glass or sheet glass is a type of glass, initially produced in plane form, commonly used for windows, glass doors, transparent walls, and windscreens. For modern architectural and automotive applications, the flat glass is ...

window at the time.

Critical reception

Architects and

architectural historian An architectural historian is a person who studies and writes about the history of architecture, and is regarded as an authority on it. Professional requirements As many architectural historians are employed at universities and other facilities ...

s widely consider the Villa Le Lac an exemplary

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

house, along with Le Corbusier's Cabanon de vacances being one of the first in history to deal with the concept of minimalist living or '' Existenzminimum''. This is largely why the building was chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Writers for the current-day architectural web publication

ArchDaily ArchDaily is a weblog covering architectural news, projects, products, events, interviews and competitions, opinion pieces, among others, catering to architects, designers and other interested parties. Description ArchDaily is one of the mo ...

have lauded the building as one of Le Corbusier's finest works, a "must-see." In 2015—on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Le Corbusier's death—the Association Villa "Le Lac" Le Corbusier sponsored an exhibition at the villa, inviting well-known contemporary architects

Mario Botta Mario Botta (born 1 April 1943) is a Swiss architect. Career Botta designed his first building, a two-family house at Morbio Superiore in Ticino, at age 16. He graduated from the Università Iuav di Venezia (1969). While the arrangements of spa ...

Gigon/Guyer Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer Architects is an architectural office based in Zurich, Switzerland. It is led by the Swiss-born architect Annette Gigon and the U.S.-born architect Mike Guyer. Works by the office have been widely published and are admired ...

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...

Toyo Ito is a Japanese architect known for creating conceptual architecture, in which he seeks to simultaneously express the physical and virtual worlds. He is a leading exponent of architecture that addresses the contemporary notion of a "simulated" ...

, Daniel Libeskind,

Rafael Moneo José Rafael Moneo Vallés (born 9 May 1937) is a Spanish architect. He won the Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1996, the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2003 and La Biennale's Golden Lion in 2021. Biography Born in Tudela, Spain, Moneo studied at ...

Rudy Ricciotti Rudy Ricciotti (born 22 August 1952) is a French architect and publisher.Lanie GoodmanGround Breaker ''The New York Times'', September 17, 2012

SANAA Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Gover ...

Álvaro Siza Vieira Álvaro Joaquim de Melo Siza Vieira (born 25 June 1933) is a Portuguese architect, and architectural educator. He is internationally known as Álvaro Siza () and in Portugal as Siza Vieira (). Early life and education Siza was born in Matosi ...

, and

Bernard Tschumi Bernard Tschumi (born 25 January 1944 in Lausanne, Switzerland) is an architect, writer, and educator, commonly associated with deconstructivism. Son of the well-known Swiss architect Jean Tschumi and a French mother, Tschumi is a dual French- ...

to imagine additions to the building. Some of the architects suggested building

parasols An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally us ...

over the building, extending it underground or underwater, or lifting it on

piloti Pilotis, or piers, are supports such as columns, pillars, or stilts that lift a building above ground or water. They are traditionally found in stilt and pole dwellings such as fishermen's huts in Asia and Scandinavia using wood, and in ele ...

s (pilotis being another one of Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture). Others entirely rejected the notion of adding onto such a small, narrow, and venerated building: Botta only added a boat dock, while Tschumi simply proposed expanding the human usage of the site to include

aquatic sports The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vo ...

and large parties.

References

External links

Villa "Le Lac" Le Corbusier Official Website
{{Authority control Le Corbusier buildings Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Vaud