Le Corbusier, Palais des Congrès, Strasbourg, 1964. |
| | Palais des Congrès à Strasbourg
Although the buildings possesses a large footprint, it manifests a shallow profile. The building is essentially a large box raised on pilotis, the same motif as the Villa Savoye and the Governor's Palace. The building is greatly enhanced by two monumental ramps--the entrance ramp and an interior/exterior ramp that connects the main with the upper floor and ultimately with the roof garden. The ramps themselves are of the scale of automobile highway on and off ramps. The other large scale elements on the exterior are the service elevator and the large graphics "embossed" on the elevations of the raised box.
Another scale lesson can be gleamed from the layout of the main level. Here Le Corbusier places many spaces/functions within one grand and open loft space, whereby the entire main floor is composed of many smaller elements, thus creating a microcosm of urban-centeredness. Perhaps the main floor of Strasbourg is a manifestation of Le Corbusier's idea of modern microcosm, i.e., free forms dispersed throughout a Cartesian order. (Perhaps I should reread that "Grid" article in Oppositions.)
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Le Corbusier, Hotels at the Palais des Congrès, Strasbourg, 1964. |
Le Corbusier's
Palais des Congrès à Strasbourg 1964
'constructed' by means of a 3-dimensional computer model
Based on drawings in the Le Corbusier Archive, The Palais des Congrès à Strasbourg (Congress Hall in Strasbourg), 1964, has been 3-dimensionally 'constructed' and documented in a series of unbound, ink on mylar plates and a set of 20 color slides.
The 12 plates contain text and numerous drawings which record the interior and the exterior of the building and its context from a variety of vantage points and angles, plus includes a comparative analysis showing the projects relationship to the Villa Savoye, the Villa at Garches and selected