The thesis, entitled "Reaffirming a Modernity: Le Corbusier and Notre-Dame-du-Haut in Ronchamp", reads one of the best-known architectures of the modern period through the lens of historical, socio-political, and cultural context. If we accept the reading, shared by most Le Corbusier critics, that sees the buildings as "tests" of applications of a broader urban vision, what does Notre-Dame du Haut tell us about his conception of the city? How does it fit into the broader context of the French city of the 1950s? If, as Pier Vittorio Aureli writes, 'it is possible to theorise a phenomenological and symbolic coincidence between political action and the concretisation of the form', what kind of political action is the chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut? The thesis finds in Notre-Dame du Haut a political stance, a clear rejection of the construction of the reconstruction period in France, characterised by little attention to planning, a design that does not put the well-being of the inhabitants first, a lack of services, and poor technical quality. The chapel in Ronchamp breaks with this type of construction, proposing an alternative, new forms to take back the reins of a formal research now fossilised on the compositional proposals of modern architecture, which do not correspond to the needs of the city and the people after the Second World War. Almost seventy years after its construction, the chapel in Ronchamp can be looked at in perspective, in the broader context of the post-World War II full stop in France and the economic boom that followed, a cultural and architectural turning point. Keeping the focus fixed on the chapel at Ronchamp, the thesis takes the work as an example to talk about the author, thanks to the continuity of themes addressed by Le Corbusier. The forms of the chapel are a break from the works realised in the 1920s and 1930s - hence the cry of betrayal raised by contemporary architects is not surprising - yet many of the theories expressed in the previous years can be found in this project. The concepts of social welfare, attention to beauty and people, which are part of modern architecture and Le Corbusier's architecture, remain in this project and are reaffirmed through the texts of the period. Furthermore, the right angle is used in the structure. The pillars - although hidden within the thick stone-clad walls - have regular pitch and the beams - within the two roof shells - main and secondary are positioned according to a regular, orthogonal grid. The connection with the landscape, the relationship with the outer space of the témenos, and the use of light suggest the presence of the ideas strongly promoted during the heroic period of the Modern Movement. A concealed continuity, indicating a new trajectory.
Riaffermare una modernità: Le Corbusier e Notre-Dame du Haut a Ronchamp
SOLA, GIULIA
2023-05-31
Abstract
The thesis, entitled "Reaffirming a Modernity: Le Corbusier and Notre-Dame-du-Haut in Ronchamp", reads one of the best-known architectures of the modern period through the lens of historical, socio-political, and cultural context. If we accept the reading, shared by most Le Corbusier critics, that sees the buildings as "tests" of applications of a broader urban vision, what does Notre-Dame du Haut tell us about his conception of the city? How does it fit into the broader context of the French city of the 1950s? If, as Pier Vittorio Aureli writes, 'it is possible to theorise a phenomenological and symbolic coincidence between political action and the concretisation of the form', what kind of political action is the chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut? The thesis finds in Notre-Dame du Haut a political stance, a clear rejection of the construction of the reconstruction period in France, characterised by little attention to planning, a design that does not put the well-being of the inhabitants first, a lack of services, and poor technical quality. The chapel in Ronchamp breaks with this type of construction, proposing an alternative, new forms to take back the reins of a formal research now fossilised on the compositional proposals of modern architecture, which do not correspond to the needs of the city and the people after the Second World War. Almost seventy years after its construction, the chapel in Ronchamp can be looked at in perspective, in the broader context of the post-World War II full stop in France and the economic boom that followed, a cultural and architectural turning point. Keeping the focus fixed on the chapel at Ronchamp, the thesis takes the work as an example to talk about the author, thanks to the continuity of themes addressed by Le Corbusier. The forms of the chapel are a break from the works realised in the 1920s and 1930s - hence the cry of betrayal raised by contemporary architects is not surprising - yet many of the theories expressed in the previous years can be found in this project. The concepts of social welfare, attention to beauty and people, which are part of modern architecture and Le Corbusier's architecture, remain in this project and are reaffirmed through the texts of the period. Furthermore, the right angle is used in the structure. The pillars - although hidden within the thick stone-clad walls - have regular pitch and the beams - within the two roof shells - main and secondary are positioned according to a regular, orthogonal grid. The connection with the landscape, the relationship with the outer space of the témenos, and the use of light suggest the presence of the ideas strongly promoted during the heroic period of the Modern Movement. A concealed continuity, indicating a new trajectory.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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