Le Corbusier

In 1923 Henry Fruges, an entrepreneur passionate about Modernism, commissioned Le Corbusier for two housing developments for workers at Pessac (53 houses) and Lege (7 houses) at the periphery of Bordeaux, France. Le Corbusier used the projects as a laboratory with respect to the development fo norms and to industrial production. A single grid is varied repeatedly and forms a variety of configurations that fit into the terrain. The entire Pessac development was conceived with this system of cells constructed with reinforced concrete. Le Corbusier's use of color was as innovative as the building style, the facades are brought to life by a play of white, blue, green and brown shades. The present guide includes previously unpublished plans and photographs that document this milestone in the development of Le Corbusier's social housing projects.