Le Corbusier – Well thought out by the famous architect for sale with Sextant

Are you familiar with the architect Le Corbusier? If so, feel free to refresh your memory! If not, it’s never too late to discover this key figure of French architecture, urban planning and design of the 20th century.

Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known by the pseudonym Le Corbusier, was born on 6th October 1887 in Switzerland and died on 27th August 1965 in France. Le Corbusier was an architect, but also an urban planner, decorator, painter, sculptor, designer and man of letters. Passionate about architecture from a young age, Le Corbusier undertook numerous journeys across Europe, the Balkans and Africa, which became his sources of inspiration. He is particularly known as one of the principal figures of the ‘Modern Movement’ (or ‘Modernism’), a movement that influenced architectural thinking throughout the entire 20th century.

Le Corbusier contributed to the magazine L’Esprit Nouveau – a publication on art and architecture – in 1920 in order to promote the architectural principles he advocated.

Le Corbusier’s immense success is essentially the origin of the concept of the ‘Unité d’Habitation’ (Housing Unit), also known as the ‘Cité Radieuse’ (Radiant City), which reflects his theoretical thinking on collective housing. It is a vertical village, designed to enable people to live, work, nurture their body and spirit, move around, meet others, exchange with each other… and all this within a single building. It involves grouping together all the collective facilities needed for life such as a school, shops, a library, a nursery, etc., according to the Modulor principle. This concept found its full usefulness during the reconstruction and housing crisis that followed the Second World War.

It was in Marseille that the very first Unité d’Habitation was built, between 1947 and 1952. The Radiant City of Marseille was followed by that of Nantes in 1955, and then by those of Briey, Firminy and Berlin.

This concept was notably intended to combat the ‘dormitory town’ principle by attempting to create a certain harmony between people and to take care of meeting each of their needs.

Beyond the Radiant Cities, his famous works include, among others: • La Villa Savoye in Poissy • The Chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Haut in Ronchamp • The Convent of La Tourette in Evreux-sur-Abresle • The Capitol of Chandigarh in Punjab, India

At Sextant, we offer numerous properties in the cities where Le Corbusier worked, and notably in the charming town of Pessac, which is home to the Cité Frugès (1924-1926): the result of exchanges between Le Corbusier and sugar industrialist Henry Frugès. This Cité Frugès, as geometrical as it is functional, also reflects the architect’s principles.

Click here to discover Sextant properties for sale in Pessac, and here to discover the property well thought out by Le Corbusier currently for sale with Sextant. The Sextant team will be delighted to tell you more!