Essential Le Corbusier Buildings to Visit

Le Corbusier buildings are essential to understanding the history of modern architecture. Born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, the Swiss-French architect transformed design, completing 79 structures during his lifetime. Sixty-five of these projects remain standing, and in 2016, 17 of them were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List to recognize their global impact. While he is famous for his stark modernist structures, he also worked extensively in urban planning, designing the master plan for Chandigarh, India, and the influential, though never built, Radiant City concept.

Le Corbusier’s first completed work was Villa Fallet, built in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. He designed this home with architect René Chapalaz when he was just 18 years old. The project was a collaboration with students from the École des Arts Décoratifs. It drew inspiration from traditional Swiss chalets, featuring elaborate nature-inspired ornamentation on the exterior and interior. Le Corbusier also designed furniture for the dining room, including tables and chairs.

During his time in La Chaux-de-Fonds, he worked on Villa Schwob, a flat-roofed house finished in 1917. The structure earned the nickname “the Turkish villa” due to its Ottoman-style influences, including its geometry and ochre brickwork. Later, he moved to Paris and designed Maison et Atelier Planeix, creating a living space and studio for funerary sculptor Antonin Planeix.

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Major Works in Europe and Asia

One of the most celebrated buildings of the 20th century is Villa Savoye, located just outside of Paris. Completed in 1931, this white International Style home demonstrates the architect’s five points of architecture, including free façade design, pilotis (reinforced concrete pillars), and roof gardens. The building appears to float thanks to its pilotis and set-back ground floor, designed to be experienced in motion.

Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation in Marseille is another landmark. Built from 1946 to 1952, this 12-story complex is considered the beginning of the Brutalist style.

Legacy Across the Globe

Le Corbusier’s influence extended to India, where he designed the Palace of the Assembly as part of the Complexe du Capitole in Chandigarh. The building combines elements of Purism and Brutalism, punctuated by vivid colors and a curved roof canopy supported by reinforced concrete columns. The interior features an open floor plan, while the exterior is lined with brise soleil to provide shade and frame views.

In Japan, he completed the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo in 1959. The building was commissioned to display the art collection of Kojiro Matsukata, returned to Japan by the French government. Le Corbusier worked with three former Japanese apprentices on the project, which features a large center hall, a ramp to guide visitors, and a second-floor exhibition room.

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The architect’s presence in the United States is represented by the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University, the only American building primarily designed by him. The five-level structure brought all the university’s art programs into one space and served as a stark contrast to the traditional buildings on campus. In Zurich, his last design was the Heidi Weber Museum, now known as Pavilion Le Corbusier. Completed in 1967, the museum was built primarily using steel and glass, featuring colorful enameled panels and a floating canopy.

Le Corbusier’s final major realized work was Église Saint-Pierre in Firminy, France. The parish church was completed in 2006, 41 years after his death. He designed the conical concrete church with ample diffused light and a perfect simplicity. The structure incorporates his signature geometric forms and was inspired by his earlier unrealized design at Le Tremblay and the Palace of the Assembly in Chandigarh.

Global design communities often gather to honor such architectural history.