Le Corbusier and the Daughter of Light: Color and Architecture of Maison La Roche

Abstract

Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, also known as the architect Le Corbusier, developed a method of color selection for the built environment based upon his assessment of universal constants of human perception. Le Corbusier's search for the unchangeable mecanisme de l'emotion was paramount in the development of his compositional and artistic theories and the movement Purism. While Le Corbusier's sense of space, structure, and proportion are deeply ingrained in contemporary design thinking, his architectural modes of color integration and rationale remains elusive to most members of the architecture and design community despite recent research in the field. This widespread uncertainty may reflect many designers' general lack of understanding about architectural color. This investigation explores Le Corbusier's color choices in order to achieve a “constant” human reaction through his development of a standardized method for color use in architecture. His color assignment system was developed in the early phase of his architectural career, from about 1918 through 1931, coincident with his collaborative development of the Purism movement. Le Corbusier's system and use of color is evaluated utilizing Albert Munsell's precise color notation framework. This writing will culminate with analysis of Le Corbusier's first experimental attempt in applying his Purist color theories to architecture as demonstrated in Maison La Roche (1923–1925).