Sustenance: Machine For Living

This fortnight I am focusing on the work of the Swiss architect Le Corbusier who came up with the idea that the home is a "machine for living". A humans' necessary daily rituals of eating, sleeping, excreting, washing and exercising can be performed in and around the house. Le Corbusier's five main principles concerning this concept were:
1. Lifting the supporting floor slabs up onto columns which carried the load (the pilotis) allowing for;
2. A freely-designed facade, unconstrained by the load-bearing considerations - only consisting of a thin 'skin' of wall and windows.
3. A free floor plan, achieved from the elimination of load bearing walls replaced with the pilotis.
4. Unencumbered views, provided by the horizontal windows allowing for even illumination and ventilation.
5. A flat roof garden terrace, reclaiming the footprint of the building for domestic purposes, giving back to the landscape what was taken.

The Villa Savoye 1929 (pictured) is a perfect example of Le Corbusier's "The Five Points". The intention was to cause as little disturbance as possible to the existing natural surroundings. It was a representation of a new vision in the form of functional architecture with vertical circulation, facilitated by ramps and stairs, to create a harmonious experience whilst people move through the various spaces.