A* Grade Answer to "Explore and evaluate the design and structure of two buildings, each constructed in a different country"
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Course
Baroque
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
This document provides an example of a key question in A level Art History and can be used to reference structure and technique along with visual analysis language
Explore and evaluate the design and structure of two buildings, each constructed in a different country.
La Corbusier’s Villa Savoy 1929, is situated in Poissy, in the outskirts of Paris which has provided the architect with an
unrestricted site to experiment with modern architectural practices. The structure of the building is composed of a
series of thin concreate columns called pilotis, that allow for a free circulation on the ground level, bringing nature
within the urban setting of the house. It also accounts for motor access, illustrated in his consideration of the precise
turning point of a car in the curved architecture at the ground level. This presents the modern idea of functionalism
on the basis of streamlining architecture, as well as adhering to the Savoy’s requirements for the building. The
elevation the pilotis also serves to eliminate the darker and damper spots intrinsic to 19 th century domestic
dwellings, representing the desire to express a conscious break from tradition informed by the housing crisis spurred
on by WW1. In their load bearing properties, these concrete columns further allow for the use of curtain walls which
opens up the interior plan, creating a fluid internal design organised by a multistorey ramp that is placed along the
central axis of the building. Transcending from the entrance to the salon, it seamlessly leads to a roof terrace outside
and around the solarium, speaking to La Corbusier’s desire to integrate landscape and architecture, inspired by
Arabian architecture. The continuous ribbon windows along the main body of the structure, that has been permitted
by load bearing steel frames, also adheres to these intentions, as they provide an equal luminosity to each room,
increasing both the light flow and the view of nature on the outside. La Corbusier, and Eugenie Savoy were both
interested in the health benefits of air and light, which informed this architectural design, maximising the time in
which the inhabitants are spent outside through the use of a roof terrace and solarium, reflecting a modern lifestyle
of leisure. Nevertheless, whilst this design is undoubtedly modern, La Corbusier has also used the mathematical
symmetry associated with classicism in his design, with the pilotis mirroring the peripheral plan of the Parthenon
with a vertical emphasis at the base. He saw the Parthenon as a perfect reflection of architecture and the
rectangular elevation of the first floor, is symbolic of the standardisation he associated to it. This stark geometry also
develops the cleanliness associated with the building that is harnessed through the white stucco cladding of the
walls. This renders a sanitised appearance that emphasizes it’s lack of ornamentation, a feature abandoned by
modern architects due to its superfluous nature, linking to Adolf Loos’s ideas that avoiding ornamentation was a sign
of spiritual strength. Nevertheless the absence of downpipes and sills have reduced the effect of this design, as it
made white surfaces more susceptible to staining and erosion. Overall, it was La Corbusier’s ‘Five Points for new
Architecture’ which governed his structure and design serving to create a broader language of modern architecture.
The Schroder House 1924 by Gerrit Rietvelt resides in Utrecht in the Netherlands, in a residential bloc of terraced
houses. Whilst it was built against and adjacent to a brick house, in terms of both its structure and design, it makes
no attempt to assimilate to its surroundings. This incongruity is reflected in its asymmetrical composition and the
plaster coating around the brick, that creates a planar finish exceedingly different from its surroundings. The free
façade, through its projecting planes of reinforced concreate creates a seamless transition between the interior and
exterior space. The planes and lines are collaged and purposely detached, seemingly gliding past each other which is
enabled by the cantilevered balconies. Aesthetically, the design draws upon theosophy using the intersection of
horizontal and vertical features, in an exploration of a higher universal consciousness and the essence of our world.
The ribbon widows are an extension to this, as their 90-degree hinges remain consistently perpendicular to the
façade of the house, which is emphasised in the black colouring of the window frames and balconies, highlighting
these geometric structures. Rietvelt’s use of a minimal colour pallet in his design also reflect theosophical ideas,
showing influences from Mondrian’s own brand of artistic austerity in relation to De Stiji. Like many modernist
works, white provides the dominant feature of this building interspersed with strategically arranged accents of
primary colours and Rietvelt specifically painted the front door black, anticipating that its regular use would dampen
the colour on its surface. The structure of the house is composed of a traditional ground floor, due to limitation’s
imposed by the need for load bearing walls, nevertheless within the main living space Rietvelt has taken advantage
of steel profiles to implement folding partition walls that can divide the space into three separate sections. This
flexible interior plan reflects Truus Schroder’s progressive attitudes to the upbringing of her children, believing in a
modern idea that houses should allow for both community and privacy – proving both an open space to play and a
closed space to explore independence, evolving tandem with the changing needs of her children. Each room
contains the space only small enough to fit a bed as well as doors, leading out towards the garden. This was done to
encourage the children to go outside, creating a freedom of movement that interlocks with the formal qualities of
the open-air façade. Rietvelt has also applied a rational approach to the structure of his building, assembling the
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