Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris was born in Switzerland in 1887. He was a zany kind of fellow. So zany in fact that at some point in the 20's he decided to start going by the name Le Corbusier (meaning "The Raven" in French). In addition to developing his self-inflicted bird name, Le Corbusier also created houses as a means of survival. As an architect, he lived by five general Utopian-type rules that you will learn morn about as you meander through this exhibit. The imagery on the walls will reflect a Bird's eye view of his five points, and the iPad provided for you will show you examples of reality.
The roof gardens for Le Corbusier were not merely gardens, but mini paradises that existed for a multitude of reasons. Having a garden on the roof made up for any natural space lost when the buildings were made. Since the houses were constructed with concrete (which can crack due to prolonged exposure to heat and dry climates) the gardens were lined with a layer of sand. The sand helped trap moisture against the concrete and kept the roof from ultimately tumbling in on unsuspecting residents.
Who wouldn't want sunlight careening about an entire room? For Le Corbusier, the more light, the better. After experimenting for a while, he discovered that horizontal bands of windows allowed for eight-times better illumination. We don't know how he came to this conclusion, or why it is true, but then again we stopped asking questions long ago.
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