“An architectural promenade.” Does that sound intriguing? Here we are at Villa Péché. This villa is more than just a house. It represents a pivotal moment in architectural history. It embodies Le Corbusier’s vision.
Villa Péché, also known as Maison La Roche, was designed by Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret. The villa was built between 1923 and 1925. Raoul La Roche, a Swiss banker and art collector, commissioned it. Today, Villa Péché houses the Fondation Le Corbusier.
La Roche wanted a villa and a gallery for his avant-garde art collection. The La Roche-Jeanneret house is actually a pair of semi-detached houses. These houses stand at right angles to each other. Villa Péché was Le Corbusier’s third commission in Paris. It showcases cubist art and purism. The design encourages an experiential viewing from a single fixed point.
In 1928, Le Corbusier and Perriand collaborated on furniture for Villa Péché. This collaboration resulted in three chrome-plated tubular steel chairs. These chairs were designed for this villa and a pavilion for Barbara and Henry Church.
Now a museum, Maison La Roche holds an extensive collection. It boasts about 8000 original drawings. These drawings include studies and plans by Le Corbusier. Pierre Jeanneret collaborated on these from 1922 to 1940. The museum also features approximately 450 paintings. There are 30 enamels and 200 works on paper. A significant collection of written and photographic archives is also present. The museum proudly claims to be the world’s largest repository of Le Corbusier’s drawings, studies, and plans.
Le Corbusier experimented with his concept of the “architectural promenade” inside Villa Péché. He did this five years before building the Villa Savoye. He had carte blanche to use reinforced concrete. This allowed him to implement the five points of Architecture Nouvelle. He would later formalize these in writing in 1927.
The Jeanneret house was a family home. The La Roche house was primarily an exhibition space. The living quarters were secondary. This unique house marks a turning point in Le Corbusier’s work. It makes sense that the Fondation Le Corbusier chose this building to open to the public.
From the first floor, two distinct circuits lead to the top of the house. They converge at the center on the second floor. The public tour includes the hall and an open staircase. It continues to a large exhibition room. Here, you’ll find the first indoor ramp stamped with Le Corbusier’s signature. The tour concludes in a library. The private tour includes a semi-open stairwell. This distributes the living areas and ends on a roof terrace.
The entrance hall acts as an atrium. Its simple forms and smooth, lightly colored walls avoid ornamentation. This sets the tone for Le Corbusier’s first “purist” house. The hall is open to all three levels. Two small, opposing staircases mark the start of each walk.
The picture gallery is the centerpiece of the La Roche house. It reveals the possibilities of new architecture. Large bands of glass freely span the facades. The gallery displays its original polychromy. The furnishings reflect the 1930s after its first renovation.
The arched north-west facade has an access ramp. Charlotte Perriand and Alfred Roth transformed it in 1929. They added a storage unit underneath. They also added thermal and acoustic insulation. A marble table sits in the center of the room. It rests on a new linoleum floor that is less noisy and warmer than the original tiles. A blue-painted lighting strip acts as a brise soleil. It replaced the stretched wire that ran the length of the room.
At the foot of the ramp, a glass door leads to a small balcony. A mezzanine offers a full view of the room and the paintings. The library completes the first architectural promenade. It is accessible via the access ramp. Glazed strips and zenithal lighting fill the library with light.
The private stairwell distributes the living areas. Openings on each floor offer views of the public area. The kitchen, janitor’s quarters, and a garage occupy the first floor. The second floor houses a pantry with a dumbwaiter. It connects to a dining room and a small enclosed terrace. The second floor features a purist bedroom, a dressing room and a mini bathroom.
At the top of the stairwell, the flat roof houses a large awning, a solarium, and a garden. The architectural promenade ends here. Villa Péché is not just a building. It is a journey through architectural innovation and artistic vision.