Villa Savoye, Poissy

A hidden gem outside Paris city center. It is truly a magnificent monument designed by Le Corbusier. Accessible using bus at more or less 1.5 hrs from the Paris City Center. The 2 lady curators in this monument when I visited were very nice. If you are an architecture lover, you should not miss visiting this when you travel to Paris.

Wonderful architectural house, it’s one architectural icon. However, they should do a better job at maintaining it. It’s such a beautiful house but it looks decrepit and like it’s falling apart. Getting here is quite a journey: train ride and then take the cab or the bus. The grounds of the house are large and the house is very nice but wished they’d maintain it better.

Villa Savoye is a masterpiece of modern architecture, designed by Le Corbusier in the 1920s. This iconic building is a must-visit for anyone interested in architecture and design. The villa is situated in Poissy, about 30 kilometers from Paris. To reach the villa, you can take a train from Paris to Poissy, and then a bus or taxi to the site. The villa is open to visitors from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am to 6 pm. The building itself is a stunning example of modernist architecture, characterized by its clean lines, geometric shapes, and emphasis on function and efficiency. The design of the villa is based on Le Corbusier's "Five Points of a New Architecture," which includes features such as pilotis, a roof garden, and an open floor plan. Walking through the villa, you can see the way in which Le Corbusier's design principles have been executed in every aspect of the building, from the way in which light enters the space to the use of materials and colors. I would highly recommend a visit to Villa Savoye for anyone interested in modern architecture and design. It's a truly unique and inspiring experience that is not to be missed.

A historic piece of architecture by Le Corbusier in the suburbs of Paris. Simply stunning and the staff extremely friendly. The audio guide is filled with many details of Corbusier and the Villa.

Just a few kilometers from Paris, in Poissy, a not very large commune, there is Villa Savoye, imprinting in concrete the principles of modernism for many decades. This work by the Swiss architect Le Corbusier brings together the five fundamental principles of modern European architecture or what was later called the "international style", principles enunciated by the very author of this manifesto building, made between 1928-1931. Although it served as a permanent home for the Savoye family until 1940 – when, due to the war, the family left their home, which was occupied twice during the fighting – the house was not without its problems. What would form the basis of our contemporary architecture in the early 1920s could not be applied with the same accuracy and certainty that we have today. Thus, a series of problems regarding water infiltrations led to countless complaints from the beneficiaries. Dubbed "the father of modern architecture", Le Corbusier enunciated the five principles by which he guided his works and which can be found in their entirety at the Villa Savoye: - House raised on stilts - The terrace roof - The free plan - The long horizontal windows - The facades with free design His preoccupation with providing suitable constructions for the "new man", guided by rational principles and similar activities, strips architecture of mystical or "uplifting" symbols to make room for concrete gestures, beautiful in their simplicity, sincerity and indubitability. In this endeavor, Le Corbusier carried out various studies in which he calculated the standard size of furniture, which he often called "equipment", and promoted the idea of ​​mass manufacturing it. Among his most famous pieces of furniture are the armchair in black leather and metal structure or the chaise lounge for indoor use in the same style. Most of the pieces of furniture signed by the architect were made of metal structure and black leather, being elegant without decorations. These aspects would have been essential at the time for the products to be mass-produced.