Overview

Set within an insightful analysis, this book describes the genesis, ideas and ideologies which influenced La Construction des Villes by Le Corbusier. This volume makes the important theoretical work available for the first time in English, offering an interpretation as to how much and in what way his ‘essai’ may have influenced his later work. Dealing with questions of aesthetic urbanism, La Construction des Villes shows Le Corbusier’s intellectual influences in the field of urbanism. Discontent that the script was not sufficiently avant-garde, he abandoned it soon after it was written in the early 20th century. It was only in the late 1970s that American historian H. Allen Brooks discovered 250 pages of the forgotten manuscript in Switzerland. The author of this book, Christoph Schnoor, later discovered another 350 handwritten pages of the original manuscript, consisting of extracts, chapters, and bibliographic notes. This splendid find enabled the re-establishment of the manuscript as Le Corbusier had abandoned it, unfinished, in the spring of 1911. This volume offers an unbiased extension of our knowledge of Le Corbusier and his work. In addition, it reminds us of the urban design innovations of the very early 20th century which can still serve as valuable lessons for a new understanding of contemporary urban design.

Full Product Details

Author:   Christoph Schnoor
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   1.440kg
ISBN:  

9780367528355

ISBN 10:   0367528355
Pages:   528
Publication Date:   09 January 2023
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"Discovering the aesthetics of the city Essay Chapter 1: Jeanneret’s reading and work on the Manuscript The task: a study of urban design Taking stock of the material The work in its latest form: Jeanneret’s final table of contents To Munich Mid-April 1910: Approaching the material An attempt to date Cahier City II Bridges Jeanneret studies Sitte’s Städtebau Gathering material in Munich’s libraries The urban design exhibition in Berlin What would be the scope of the study? Some bibliographical details La Chaux-de-Fonds: Editing the Manuscript One final month in Munich: Green space in the city Cemeteries and garden cities At Behrens’ studio: No time for urban design Spring 1911: Big plans and a Laugier excerpt Chapter 2: The material in detail Proposition and General Considerations Proposition – the collective and the universal genius General Considerations – the situation of urban design circa 1900 Les Eléments constitutifs de la ville – The Elements of the City Introduction Des Chésaux – On Blocks Des Rues – On Streets Des Places – On Squares On Squares in Cahiers C.7 and C.8 Murs de clôture – On Enclosing Walls The unfinished chapters: Green elements in the city Des Ponts – On Bridges Des Arbres – Trees as sculptural elements in the city Des Jardins et Parcs – On Gardens and parks Des Cimetières – The architectural possibilities of cemeteries Des Cités-jardins – On Garden cities Des moyens possibles – On Possible Strategies Application Critique – La Chaux-de-Fonds: A case study Chapter 3: 1911 to 1925 – Towards urbanism The Laugier excerpt as a turning point Why was La Construction des villes not published? Urban aesthetics versus the Voyage d’Orient France ou Allemagne? Reasons against publication La Construction des villes and Urbanisme Camouflage Curved or straight streets revisited The residential block Public spaces in the city Chapter 4: Conclusion The malerisch versus the monumental Urban space Beauté and utilité The architectural garden and the garden city A somewhat stupid book, ""un livre un peu idiot""? La Construction des villes: The manuscript Legend Part I, Chap. I General Considerations §1 Purpose of this study §2 General Principles §3 The present state of the debate §4 A fundamental present-day error Part I, Chap. II The Elements of the City §1 Introduction §2 On Blocks §3 On Streets §4 On Squares, I §4 On Squares, II §5 On Enclosing Walls §6 Material for On Bridges §7 Material for On Trees §8 Material for On Gardens and Parks §9 Material for On Cemeteries §10 Material for On Garden Cities Part I, Chap. III On Possible Strategies Part II Critical Application: La Chaux-de-Fonds Appendix: Material for Critical Application, II Materials: Notebooks Notebook C.2 – City II Bridges Cahier C.3 – Cities III (Materials for Blocks, Streets and Squares) Cahier C.11 – City J Theodor Fischer (Berlin, October 1910) Cahier C.12 – Roland Fréart (Berlin, October 1910) Cahier C.13 – Laugier (Berlin, January to March 1911) Inventory Tables of contents, overviews Overview table of contents for ‘On Squares’ Illustrations Bibliographic Notes Cahiers: Title Pages Bibliography List of illustrations"

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Author Information

Dr Christoph Schnoor is Associate Professor at Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. Having published extensively on modernist architecture, with specific focus on the work of Le Corbusier and architectural critique by Colin Rowe, his intellectual biography on Austrian émigré architect Ernst Plischke has been published in 2020. Translated by Kim Sanderson.

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