Barcelona, City Planning & Architecture.

Modern architecture in the 1920s/1930s:

the Bauhaus School and Le Corbusier.
The International Style is a major architectural style that was developed in the 1920s and 1930s and was closely related
to modernism and modern architecture. The terms rationalist architecture and modern movement are often used
interchangeably with International Style
The Bauhaus, was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts. The school
became famous for its approach to design, which strove to combine beauty with usefulness and attempted to unify the
principles of mass production with individual artistic vision. The Bauhaus style, also known as the International Style,
was marked by the absence of ornamentation and by harmony between the function of an object or a building and its
design. The radically simplified forms, the rationality and functionality are the main design innovations commonly
associated with the Bauhaus School.

The Bauhaus School building in Dessau, by Walter

Gropius, 1922.
The Bauhaus School building in Dessau, by Walter
Gropius, 1922.
The Bauhaus School building in Dessau, by Walter
Gropius, 1922.
The Bauhaus School building in Dessau, by Walter
Gropius, 1922.
Haus am Horn, by George Muche, in Weimar (1924). the first building based on Bauhaus design
principles.
Haus am Horn, by George Muche, in Weimar (1924).
Parallel to the Bauhaus Building, the city of Dessau commissioned Walter
Gropius to construct three pairs of identical semi-detached houses for the
Bauhaus masters and a detached house for the director (1925-1926).

Gropius planned to build the complex based on a modular principle, using

industrially prefabricated components and applying the principles of rational
construction. The buildings take the form of interlocking cubic structures of
various heights.
Bauhaus Master’s Houses, Dessau, 1925-1926.
The Weissenhofsiedlung settlement in Stuttgart is one of the most
significant landmarks of modern architecture: It was built in 1927 as a
building exhibition. Under the artistic direction of Ludwig Mies van der
Rohe, 17 architects, including Le Corbusier, created what was considered
an exemplary model for modern urban living.
The Weissenhofsiedlung settlement in Stuttgart, 1927.
The ‘Mies van der Rohe pavilion’ in Barcelona.
It was the German pavilion originally designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for
the Barcelona World’s Fair in 1929.
The ‘Mies van der Rohe pavilion’ in Barcelona.
Trade Union School of ADGB, Bernau bei Berlin, by Hannes Meyer, 1930.
Harnischmacher House, Wiesbaden, by Marcel Breuer, 1932.
Harnischmacher House, Wiesbaden, by Marcel Breuer, 1932.
Sea Lane House, by Marcel Brauer, East Preston, West Sussex, UK, 1936.
 Haus am Horn, Weimar,1924.

Villa Tugendhat, Brno 1930.

Bauhaus Master’s Houses, Dessau,1925.

Gropius house, Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1938.
 Haus am Horn, Weimar,1924.

Villa Tugendhat, Brno 1930.

Master’s Houses, Dessau,1925.

Gropius house, Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1938.
Mies van der Rohe, the last director of the Bauhaus, designed Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic, defining the functionalist style.
Avraham Soskin house, Tel Aviv, 1933.
 Bruno House, 3 Strauss St, 1933. Rubinsky House, 65 Shenkin St, 1935. 61 Rothschild Boulevard, 1932.

Tel Aviv is home to one of the best-preserved collections of Bauhaus and International Style architecture in the world. Over 4,000
Bauhaus-style buildings were constructed in Tel Aviv between 1920 and 1940, by German-Jewish architects who immigrated to the
region after the rise of the Nazis. Most of the structures feature elements typical of Modernism – like undecorated surfaces, ribbon
windows, flat roofs, outdoor living spaces and pilotis.
Farnsworth house, by Mies van der Rohe, Illinois, 1951.
Farnsworth house, by Mies van der Rohe, Illinois, 1951.
Mies van der Rohe designed the IIT Campus (Illinois Institute of Technology) in Chicago which was completed in 1958.
Sample of Marcel Breuer’s houses in the USA (from 1930’s to 1950’s).
The Weissenhofsiedlung settlement in Stuttgart, 1927.
The Weissenhofsiedlung settlement in Stuttgart, 1927.
Houses 14-15 by Le Corbusier.
The Weissenhofsiedlung settlement in Stuttgart, 1927.
Houses 14-15 by Le Corbusier.
The Weissenhofsiedlung settlement in Stuttgart, 1927.
Houses 14-15 by Le Corbusier.
The Ville Savoye, built between 1928 and 1931 by Le Corbusier constitutes an exemplar of Le Corbusier's "five points" for new constructions.
The villa is representative of the origins of modern architecture and is one of the most easily recognizable and renowned examples of the
International style. The 5 points by Le Corbusier can be summarized as follows:
The Ville Savoye, built between 1928 and 1931 by Le Corbusier constitutes an exemplar of Le Corbusier's "five points" for new constructions.
The villa is representative of the origins of modern architecture and is one of the most easily recognizable and renowned examples of the
International style. The 5 points by Le Corbusier can be summarized as follows:

- The support of ground-level pilotis, elevating the building from the earth.

- A functional roof serving as a garden and terrace.

- A free floor plan, devoid of load-bearing walls, allowing walls to be placed freely.

- Long horizontal windows for illumination and ventilation.

- Freely-designed façades functioning merely as a skin for the wall and windows.
The Weissenhofsiedlung settlement in Stuttgart, 1927.
Houses 14-15 by Le Corbusier.
The Citrohan house, 1927 in Stuttgart, by Le Corbusier.
Ville Savoye. Poissy, France, 1928-1931.
1. The support of ground-level pilotis, elevating the building from the earth and allowing the garden to be extended to
the space beneath:

The Pilotis
A grid of concrete or steel columns replaces the load-
bearing walls and becomes the basis of the new
aesthetics. The decisive factor is the idea of supporting
structures on pillars in order to make the soil freely usable.
2. A functional roof serving as a garden and terrace, reclaiming for Nature the land occupied by the building.

The roof garden

Both as a kitchen garden and as a sun terrace. On a flat
roof a humus layer is covered with vegetation, this ensures
constant moisture and serves as a perfect heat and cold
insulator.
3. A free floor plan, devoid of load-bearing walls, allowing walls to be placed freely and only where aesthetically needed.

The free ground plan

The absence of load-bearing walls allows flexible use of
the living space, which can be divided by screen elements.
4. Long horizontal windows for illumination and ventilation.

The horizontal windows

The horizontal windows cut through the non-load-bearing
walls along the facade and provide the apartment with
even light. It gives the interior a lightness and offers views
of the surroundings.
5. Freely-designed façades functioning merely as a skin for the wall and windows and unconstrained by load-bearing
considerations.

The free façade

Open and closed sections on the façade enable the
separation and connection of the exterior design from the
building structure.
https://www.archdaily.com/430550/video-le-corbusier-s-five-points-of-architecture
The Unité d'habitation is a modernist residential housing
design principle developed by Le Corbusier.
The Unité d'habitation concept formed the basis of
several housing developments designed by Le Corbusier
throughout Europe with this name in 5 different
locations:

Marseille (1952) = 337 units.

Nantes-Rezé (1955) = 294 units.
Berlin (1957) = 530 units.
Briey-en-Foret (1961) = 391 units.
Firminy-Vert (1967) = 414 units.

The most famous of these developments is located in

south Marseille (1952).
The Unité d'habitation concept formed the basis of
several housing developments designed by Le Corbusier
throughout Europe with this name in 5 different
locations:

Marseille (1952) = 337 units.

Nantes-Rezé (1955) = 294 units.
Berlin (1957) = 530 units.
Briey-en-Foret (1961) = 391 units.
Firminy-Vert (1967) = 414 units.

The most famous of these developments is located in

south Marseille (1952).
 Elevated highway. Obus Plan for Algiers (1933-34).

The Weissenhofsiedlung settlement in Stuttgart, 1927.

Houses 14-15 by Le Corbusier.
Ocean liners: a representation of modernity.
The Aquitania.
Ocean liners: as the primary means of trans-oceanic voyages for over a century, ocean liners were essential to the transportation needs
of national governments, business firms, and the general public.
Ocean liners: the idea of the different functions
accumulated inside the big ship will inspire Le
Corbusier’s ideas on the concentration of urban
functions in one single self-sufficient housing
building.
Ocean liners: the idea of the different functions
accumulated inside the big ship will inspire Le
Corbusier’s ideas on the concentration of urban
functions in one single self-sufficient housing
building.
Ocean liners: the idea of the different functions
accumulated inside the big ship will inspire Le
Corbusier’s ideas on the concentration of urban
functions in one single self-sufficient housing
building.
The Unité d'habitation of Firminy-Vert, France (1967).
The roof at the Unité d'habitation, 1952.
The roof at the Unité d'habitation, 1952.
The Unité d'habitation of Marseille (1952).
The Unité d'habitation of Marseille (1952).
The Unité d'habitation of Marseille (1952).
The Unité d'habitation of Marseille (1952).
The Unité d'habitation of Marseille (1952).
The Unité d'habitation of Nantes-Rezé is an apartment building located in Rezé, a suburb of Nantes, France (1955). The building contains a
school at the top level, but unlike the Unité d'habitation of Marseille, it does not contain a retail level.
The Unité d'habitation of Nantes-Rezé (1955).
The Unité d'habitation of Berlin, 1957.
The Unité d'habitation of Berlin, 1957.
The Unité d'habitation of Berlin, 1957.
The Unité d'habitation of Berlin,
1957.
The Unité d'habitation of Briey-en-Forêt in
the forest of Briey, France (1961).

The 1960s saw the closure of the Briey

mines and the economic recession spread
in the region. The building experienced
great financial difficulties till 1983 when it
was abandoned.
The Unité d'habitation of Briey-en-Forêt in the forest of Briey, France (1961).
The Unité d'habitation of Briey-en-Forêt in the forest of Briey, France (1961).
The Unité d'habitation of Briey-en-Forêt in the forest of Briey, France
(1961).
The Unité d'habitation of Firminy-Vert, France (1967).
The Unité d'habitation of Firminy-Vert, France (1967).
The Unité d'habitation of Firminy-Vert, France (1967).
The Unité d'habitation of Firminy-Vert, France (1967).
The Unité d'habitation of Firminy-Vert, France (1967).
The Unité d'habitation of Firminy-Vert, France (1967).
The Unité d'habitation of Firminy-Vert, France (1967).
As a synthetic overview on the main points explained in this session, some audiovisual
documents are proposed:

Video on Le Corbusier’s ideas in regard with the city and architecture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EtIjRRz8s0
An explanation of Le Corbusier’s thoughts on the architecture of the past and the need for updating
architecture in the context of the industrial age and the rejection of the old historical city.

Video on Le Corbusier’s ideas in regard with mass-production, society and architecture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dmCKytSB6c

Video on Le Corbusier’s 5 points on the new architecture applied to the Ville Savoye.
https://www.archdaily.com/430550/video-le-corbusier-s-five-points-of-architecture