Le Corbusier, born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris in 1887 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, was a pioneering architect, urban planner, and theorist whose work helped define modern architecture in the 20th century. Initially trained as an artist and engraver, he studied architecture informally by traveling across Europe and observing classical and vernacular styles. Settling in Paris, he adopted the pseudonym Le Corbusier in the 1920s and became a leading advocate for functionalism and rational urban planning. He co-founded the influential journal L’Esprit Nouveau, where he developed his “Five Points of Architecture” and promoted the concept of the “machine for living” — homes designed for efficiency and mass production. His early projects, such as the Villa Savoye and the Domino House prototype, exemplified his ideas of clean lines, open floor plans, and the use of reinforced concrete.
Beyond individual buildings, Le Corbusier was deeply concerned with how cities could better serve humanity. He proposed sweeping urban plans like the Ville Radieuse (Radiant City), which envisioned high-rise towers set in open green spaces, though many of his large-scale ideas remained unbuilt. Later in his career, he designed major works such as the Unité d’Habitation in Marseille and the master plan for the Indian city of Chandigarh. His work blended architecture, art, and ideology, and though controversial, his ideas profoundly influenced both the International Style and Brutalism. Le Corbusier died in 1965 while swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, leaving behind a complex and enduring legacy that continues to shape global architecture and urban theory.
Select Projects:
Maison Blanche, La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland
Schwob House, La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland
Dom-Ino House
Villa Savoye, Poissy France
Plan Voisin
Ville Radieuse
Unité d’Habitation of Briey, Briey France
United Nations Headquarters, NY NY
Sainte Marie de La Tourette, Lyon France
Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp France
Palace of Assembly, Chandigarh India
More Reading:
The 5 Points of Modern Architecture in Contemporary Projects
Romanticism, Rationalism, and the Domino System
Le Corbusier’s Maison Dom-ino realised at Venice Architecture Biennale