Character Catalog

A manifesto of modern architecture, this book influenced an entire generation of architects. Le Corbusier sets out his vision of a pure, functional, and industrial architecture.

The absolute symbol of the International Style, it embodies the five principles of modern architecture. Listed as a historic monument, it is today one of the most studied buildings in architecture schools worldwide.

The first building-city integrating housing, shops, and communal facilities within a single structure raised on pilotis. A prototype for a model of collective living that inspired thousands of projects around the world.

A masterpiece of sculptural architecture and light manipulation, this chapel breaks with the rationalism of his early work. It is considered one of the most important architectural works of the 20th century.

A monumental civic ensemble comprising the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat, and the Palace of Justice. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016, it remains the most accomplished example of his large-scale urban planning.

A system of proportions based on human stature and the Fibonacci sequence, published as a book in 1950. A universal design tool that he applied to all his buildings to harmonize spaces on a human scale.

A Dominican convent combining the brutalism of raw concrete with the requirements of monastic life. Its cells, suspended cloisters, and light-filled spaces make it a major work of modern religious architecture.

A house is a machine for living in. Baths, sun, hot water, cold water, temperature at will, preservation of food, hygiene, beauty through good proportions.

Decoration is of the order of the superfluous, of excrement. Purity and economy are the cardinal virtues of the new spirit.

The keys to urban planning lie in the four functions: dwelling, working, recreation, and circulation. Sun, greenery, and space are the three raw materials of urban planning.

I have the extraordinary good fortune of finding in the golden section and the Fibonacci sequence confirmation that the measure of man could harmoniously govern architectural space.

The Acropolis of Athens taught me that architecture is the masterly, correct, and magnificent play of volumes assembled under light.

Le Corbusier's birthplace where he took his first steps as an architect under the guidance of Charles L'Eplattenier. It is here that he built his first houses before settling in Paris.

A vertical city-building inaugurated in 1952, considered the synthesis of all his theories on modern collective housing. Listed as a historic monument, it remains inhabited and is one of the most visited buildings in France.

Built between 1950 and 1955, this chapel with its organic and sculptural forms marks a turning point in Le Corbusier's work, abandoning pure geometry in favour of a more expressive and spiritual architecture.

An entire city planned and built from 1951 on commission from Prime Minister Nehru to serve as the capital of Punjab. A unique civic ensemble in the world, with its Capitol complex listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Built from 1928 to 1931, it perfectly illustrates Le Corbusier's five points of modern architecture: pilotis, roof terrace, free plan, free facade, ribbon window. A masterpiece of the International Style.

A tiny 15 m² cabin built in 1952 for himself on the shores of the Mediterranean. The ultimate paradox of an architect of large housing complexes who chose to live in minimal space; it is here that he died in 1965.

Fundamental tools of technical drawing, Le Corbusier handled them daily to design his rigorous geometric plans. His sketchbooks contain thousands of precise hand-drawn drawings.

A true visual signature of Le Corbusier, his round thick black-framed glasses became inseparable from his image. They symbolized modernity and a certain intellectual rigour he carefully cultivated.

A ruler graduated according to the Modulor system he invented in 1945, based on human body proportions and the Fibonacci sequence. He made it a universal architectural design tool to harmonize inhabited space.

Designed with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret, this chromed steel and leather chaise longue is one of the most iconic pieces of modern design. It illustrates his conviction that furniture must be functional, beautiful, and mass-produced.

Le Corbusier painted every morning before working on architecture. His Purist still lifes, featuring manufactured objects with clean forms, directly fed his thinking on volumes and light in architecture.

Le Corbusier's material of choice, which he used for its textures, free forms, and plasticity. The term 'Brutalism' (from béton brut) in architecture is directly linked to his innovations in the use of this material.