Sonneveld House
Sonneveld House adheres not only to the principles of Functionalism but also to the five points that Le Corbusier formulated in his book Vers une architecture (1921).
- Les pilotis: the core of the building stands on columns, free from the ground.
- Le toit-jardin: balconies and roof terraces form the transition between inside and outside.
- Le plan libre: the skeletal structure creates an open floor plan without loadbearing walls.
- La façade libre: the façades are not loadbearing and are a kind of ‘curtain’.
- La fenêtre en longeur: horizontal windows, preferably running the whole length of the façade.
Villa Savoye
Villa Savoye (1930) at Poissy near Paris can be seen as Le Corbusier’s manifesto because it represents the most radical application of his five points. The building had a great influence on modernist architecture. All of Le Corbusier’s five points can be found to a lesser or greater degree in Sonneveld House: in the numerous external spaces, the open arrangement of the living room, the bands of windows running the entire length of the façade and the volumes raised on pillars. As in Villa Savoye, in Sonneveld House the servants’ quarters and the garage are on the ground floor with the principal living spaces above.
See also
Villa Savoye: Five points of architecture. This animation uses Le Corbusier’s most famous building, Villa Savoye, to illustrate his five points. Concept and animation: Andrea Stinga.