New Book by Stuckeman Architecture Professor Reexamines Le Corbusier’s Theories

 

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Mehrdad Hadighi, professor of architecture and Stuckeman School Professor of Advanced Studies in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State, explores one of famed architect Charles-Édouard Jeanneret’s buildings in his newly published book about the architect known professionally as Le Corbusier.

“Le Corbusier’s Ahmedabad Millowners’ Association Building: Between the Beautiful and the Sublime,” published by Birkhäuser, examines how the renowned architect’s theoretical concepts — particularly those articulated in the book “Towards a New Architecture” — are embodied in the design of the Millowners’ Association Building in Ahmedabad, India.

“Le Corbusier is undoubtedly one of the most influential architects of the 20th century; not only for his buildings but also for his writings,” Hadighi said.

The book juxtaposes Le Corbusier’s written theories with his built ones, situating his ideas within a theoretical framework. Central to Hadighi’s analysis is Le Corbusier’s engagement with the aesthetic concepts of the beautiful and the sublime.

Hadighi also explores the influence of key cultural and literary figures, such as French poet Paul Valéry, English art historian John Ruskin and German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, on Le Corbusier’s thinking. In addition, the book delves into the late architect’s hallmark design elements such as the “promenade architecturale,” which refers to the intended journey or sequence of experiences a person has as they move through a building or architectural space, and the strategic use of “brise-soleils,” an architectural feature or system designed to block or redirect sunlight, typically for the purpose of reducing heat gain in buildings, in shaping spatial experience.

“[Le Corbusier’s] buildings put forth architectural agendas with immense clarity,” Hadighi said. “His writings, however, often present proclamations — offering little in the way of contextualizing his architectural theories within the broader history of architectural discourse, or in relation to his own work.”

“LC150+,” an exhibit celebrating Le Corbusier’s work that Hadighi helped organize, is open in the Stuckeman Family Building Rouse Gallery through May 18.