Travel through France tracing the life and works of Le Corbusier, one of the pioneers of modern architecture
Explore fascinating buildings in Paris, including the Maison La Roche-Jeanneret and Porte Molitor, designed by Le Corbusier and his home for many years
Stay overnight in a UNESCO-listed building designed by the architect himself, now preserved as the Hotel Le Corbusier in Marseille, offering an opportunity to become immersed in modernist design
“Alan’s depth of knowledge and his enthusiasm for his subject are exemplary”
– ACE customer on a previous tour led by Alan Powers
The Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner and writer Le Corbusier, born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret in 1887, is one of the most important and influential figures in modern architecture. This brand new tour devotes a week to exploring his life, work and legacy on a journey from Paris to Lyon and Marseille, with visits to some of his most famous French buildings, from the Villa La Roche in Paris to the Villa Savoye in Poissy.
“Thus architecture becomes the mirror of the world”
– Le Corbusier, Vers une architecture (‘Towards a New Architecture’), 1923
Known for his belief that “a house is a machine for living in”, Le Corbusier pioneered many principles that were key to the development of modernist design. His work was underpinned by a consideration of modern needs and how architecture might both mirror and enable new ways of living. Throughout our pilgrimage, we will discover Le Corbusier’s ‘Five Points of Architecture’, his architectural manifesto, which comprises such tenets as unrestrained free design, open-plan living arrangements, horizontal windows and flat roof gardens, and we will consider the ambitions, limitations and legacies of these design principles.
The Villa Savoye, thought to epitomise each of these key points, was originally conceived for its patrons as a retreat from urban life in Paris and, following a period of dereliction in the 20th century, was preserved for posterity and listed by UNESCO in 2016. Meanwhile, the Villa La Roche-Jeanneret in Paris is now home to the Fondation Le Corbusier, established to preserve and promote the architect’s work, and contains a museum collection of original drawings, architectural plans and other archival items.
We will also pay a visit to Porte Molitor, a glazed apartment block designed by Le Corbusier between 1931 and 1934 and his home from 1934 until his death in 1965. The maisonnette he occupied was restored between 2014 and 2018 and now provides an insight into the way the architect himself lived within the architectural style he promoted.
Continuing from Paris to Lyon, our itinerary includes an excursion to the former steel town of Firminy, redeveloped during the post-war period to create a new way of living – a project in which Le Corbusier had a significant hand. We will view several sites with which he was involved, including the cultural centre, Saint-Pierre Church and a 'Unité d’habitation' – the type of modernist residential housing developed by Le Corbusier. Our explorations continue at the Couvent Sainte-Marie de la Tourette, a friary of the Dominican Order also designed by Le Corbusier which demonstrates the versatility and breadth of his work across a range of building types.
At key moments along our journey we will consider the contributions of other modernist architects working contemporaneously with Le Corbusier. For example, André Lurçat was responsible for the Maison Guggenbuhl in Paris and a key proponent of modernism in landscape architecture. By examining the wider context in which Le Corbusier developed his ideas and styles, we hope to gain an in-depth understanding of his importance as an architect.
Our tour begins with three nights in Paris, at the Hotel Auteuil Tour Eiffel, conveniently located for our explorations of Le Corbusier’s buildings in the Auteuil area. We will then spend two nights at the Hotel Carlton, a four-star boutique hotel with sumptuous interiors located in the heart of Lyon. Our tour concludes with an overnight stay at the UNESCO-listed three-star Hotel Le Corbusier in Marseille, occupying the architect’s iconic Cité radieuse. While the rooms are smaller and simpler in standard, they retain their authentic modernist character, and offer a unique opportunity to stay in an original building designed by the architect himself, becoming immersed in the style he pioneered.
Alan Powers
Alan Powers is one of the UK’s leading architectural historians and an expert in 20th century architecture and design, with publications including Modern: The Modern Movement in Britain and Bauhaus Goes West: Modern Art & Design in Britain & America.
This tour will be led by Alan Powers, PhD, one of the UK’s leading architectural historians and an expert in 20th century architecture and design. An alumnus of the University of Cambridge and a longstanding ACE Tour Director, Alan has developed this exciting new itinerary in close collaboration with ACE. A former Professor at the University of Greenwich School and a lecturer at New York University in London and the London School of Architecture, Alan has published widely, and his books include Modern: The Modern Movement in Britain and Bauhaus Goes West: Modern Art & Design in Britain & America. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and Master of the Art Workers’ Guild.
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£3595
CORB-26
