Le Corbusier by Kenneth Frampton reassesses the full arc of the most consequential architectural career of the 20th century, from the early white villas to Chandigarh, filtered through contemporary critical thinking.
About This Book
Few architects have reshaped the built environment as completely as Le Corbusier, and fewer still have attracted such sustained critical debate. Frampton's study cuts through the mythology to examine the recurring preoccupations that drove his practice: new dwelling typologies, the reformation of urban form, and a belief in technocratic order as a social instrument. From the Plan Voisin's cruciform towers imposed on Paris to the sculpted mass of the Unité d'Habitation at Marseilles, this revised edition — updated with new introductory material and colour illustrations — presents a Le Corbusier reread for the 21st century. Essential reading for students of architectural history and anyone grappling with modernist urbanism.
Key Features
- 256 pages of critical analysis and architectural documentation, with colour illustrations
- Written by Kenneth Frampton, distinguished critic and architecture historian
- Covers key projects including the Unité d'Habitation at Marseilles, the Plan Voisin, and Chandigarh
- Published by Thames & Hudson, revised edition
What You'll Discover
- How Le Corbusier's dwelling typologies evolved from the early white villas through to the Unité d'Habitation, and what drove that transformation
- The ideological tensions embedded in his urban proposals, including the Plan Voisin's imposition of cruciform towers on the fabric of Paris
- His conception of a new technocratic order and how that belief shaped built outcomes from housing to civic infrastructure
- Frampton's reassessment of Le Corbusier's philosophical and artistic world-view in light of contemporary architectural criticism
About the Author
Kenneth Frampton is a distinguished critic and architecture historian whose work has shaped the way modernist architecture is taught and understood internationally. He brings his characteristic analytical rigour to this revised monograph, updating his reading of Le Corbusier's legacy for contemporary audiences.
Specifications
- Format: Softcover
- Pages: 256
- Dimensions: 152 x 210 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9780500204887
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architecture students, historians of modernism, and practitioners seeking a critically grounded account of Le Corbusier's work and its continuing influence on urban form and dwelling design.