About Buildings + Cities

We’re taking on the origin story of (for better or worse) the most important architect of the 20th century — Charles-Edouard Jeanneret aka Le Corbusier. His origins — petit bourgeois, Swiss, provincial — can make his eventual rise to world-enveloping notoriety and era-defining influence seem all the more unlikely. We’re digging into his childhood, family, education and travels as a young man before taking on a couple of early projects. We discuss —  La Chaux de Fonds Charles L’Eplattanier, his teacher Jugendstil & Art Nouveau Early projects —  Villa Fallet Villas Stotzer & Jacquemet Villa Jeanneret Villa Favre-Jacot Travels, and meetings with —  Otto Wagner Josef Hoffmann Vienna Secession Building Auguste Perret Rue Franklin Apartments Peter Behrens Mount Athos And a more detailed look at —  Villa Schwob (including Colin Rowe’s ‘Mannerism and Modern Architecture’) Maison Domino We've been reading — Nicholas Fox Weber ‘Le Corbusier: A Life’ (2008