Ronchamp By Le Corbusier

A complete analysis of Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut

1. RONCHAMP By Le Corbusier

2. LE CORBUSIER Born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret October 6, 1887 La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland Died August 27, 1965 (aged 77 ) Nationality Swiss / French (from 1930 ) Influenced Oscar Niemeyer, Richard Meier Awards AIA Gold Medal (1961 ) Buildings Villa Savoye , France Notre Dame du Haut, France Buildings in Chandigarh, India

3. Born as Charles Edouard Jeanneret on October 6, 1887 in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland. He studied at the La Chaux de Fonds Art School. His career spanned five decades and he made significant contributions to the Modernists or International Style. He has built works in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. He died on August 27, 1965 of a heart attack while swimming in the Mediterranean Sea in south France.

4. LIST OF PROJECTS 1905 Villa Fallet , La Chaux de fonds, Switzerland 1912 Villa Jeanneret , Paris 1916 Villa Schwob , Paris 1923 Villa LaRoche , Paris 1924 Pavilion de L’Esprit Nouveau, Paris 1924 Quartiers Modernes Fruges, Pessac France 1926 Villa Cook, Boulogne-sue-Seine, France 1927 Villas at Weissenhof Estate, Stuttgart, Germany 1928 Villa Savoye , Poissy-sur-Seine, France 1929 Armee du Salut, Cite de Refuge, Paris 1930 Pavilion Suisse, Cite Universitaire, Paris 1931 Palace of the Soviets, Moscow, USSR 1933 Tsentrosoyuz , Moscow, USSR 1936 Palace of the Ministry of National Education and Public Health, Rio de Janerio 1938 The Cartesian Sky-scrapper. 1946 Duval Factory in Saint Die, France 1947-1952 Unite d’ Habition , Marseille, France

5. 1948 Curutchet House, La Plata, Argentina 1949 Usine Cluade et Duval, Saint Die-des-Vosges 1950 UN Headquarters, New York 1950-1954 Chapel Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, France 1951 Cabanon Le Corbusier, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin 1951 Maisons Jaoul , Neuilly-sur-Seine, France 1952 Unite d’Habitation of Nantes- Reze , Nantes, France 1952-1959 Buildings in Chandigarh, India. 1905 Museum at Ahmedabad, India 1912 Unite d’Habitation of Briey en Foret , France 1957 National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo 1913 Masison du Bresil , Cite Universataire , Paris 1957-1960 Sainte Marie de la Tourette Lyon, France 1957 Unite Habitation of Berlin- Charlottenburg , Flatowallee 16, Berlin

6. MAJOR PROJECTS Villa Savoye France 1928

7. MAJOR PROJECTS National museum of western art

8. MAJOR PROJECTS Heidi Weber Museum

9. MAJOR PROJECTS Capitol High Court

10. MAJOR PROJECTS Palace of Assembly Chandigarh

11. MAJOR PROJECTS Maison Domino

12. RONCHAMP – 1955 ( Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut )

13. HISTORY The Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut is located in Ronchamp , on the hilltop of Bourlemont . In the middle age, this place was a catholic pilgrimage center dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The Chapel suffered a voracious fire in 1913, consequently was rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style. In 1944, was bombarded by the Nazis.

14. HISTORY In 1950, Le Corbusier accepted rebuilt of the chapel at the request of archbishop of Besancon. The master is touched by the significance of the site, because was a place of bloody battles. After five years of technical difficulties and the constant critic, is finished in June 1955.

15. INTRODUCTION "Surrealism is a key to other late works of Le Corbusier, most notably the church at Ronchamp , France, of 1950-55. Notre-Dame-du-Haut was a more extreme statement of Le Corbusier's late style. Programmatically, the church is simple, an oblong nave, two side entrances, an axial main altar , and three chapels beneath towers—as is its structure, with rough masonry walls faced with whitewashed Gunite (sprayed concrete) and a roof of contrasting beton brut (architectural concrete left unfinished). Formally and symbolically, however , this small building, which is sited atop a hillside with access from the south, is immensely powerful and complex.”

16. INTRODUCTION Location : Ronchamp , France • Date : 1955 • Building Type : church • Construction System : reinforced concrete • Climate : temperate • Context : rural, mountains • Style : Expressionist Modern • Physical Characteristics: Simplicity Oblong nave Two side entrances Axial  main alter Three chapels Three towers 4 ft to 12 ft thick, whitewashed, sprayed concrete walls (known as   Gunite  or  Gunnire ) Beton brut roof Southern facing wall of windows Exterior alter Sculpture of the Virgin Mary

17. SITE Location: Ronchamp , France

18. SITE • Approach route of the chapel is from the Southeast . • Chapel is placed at the high point on an East West axis . • The site is high on a hill near Belfort in eastern France

19. THE CHAPEL OF NOTRE DAME DU HAUT

20. To the west is located a bell tower, a very simple composition, comprising a metal frame holding 3 bells.

21. THE BELLS

22. Towards the southern end, and in a lower area of the topography, stands a rectangular volume made of concrete, that contrasts in both form and color with chapel. This volume, perpendicular and closer to the access path, contains the residence of the monks and was designed by Le Corbusier in 1953 and completed in 1959. The building, austere and sober, has classrooms, library, refectory, kitchen and cells for monks.

23. THE RESIDENCY FOR CLERGY

24. At the northern end a stepped pyramid is located, built with the remnants of the original church, which serves as a monument to peace.

25. THE MONUMENT OF PEACE

26. The Chapels act as periscopes which establish contact with the distant horizon . The site that provided an irresistible genius loci for the response, with the horizon visible on all four sides of the hill and its historical legacy for centuries as a place of worship.

27. RESEMBLANCE WITH THE ACROPOLIS - PARTHENON

28. THE PROGRAM The program had some difficult requirements: a church to serve a parish of 200, but capable of dealing with crowds of pilgrims on important feast days (like August 15th and September 8th); two small chapels to hold services separately from the main Mass; a sacristy; a small office; a housing for a 17th century polychrome wood sculpture of the Virgin and Child; and a means to collect rainwater as water resources are scarce on the hilltop.

29. DESIGN THEORIES Large Embrasures on south wall represent the Crow ( Corvus ), Libra Constellation The upper two tiers of the interior windows of the South wall as the Virgo constellation.

30. That Le Corbusier based his design off of praying hands, a ship, a bird, a nuns cowl. Le Corbusier superimposed Ronchamp II over Ronchamp I.

31. THE DESIGN PLAN OF THE CHAPEL

32. ALTAR

33. CHOIR

34. THE MAIN ENTRANCE ( SOUTH )

35. The door itself has a painting by Le Corbusier. Door panels consist of open hand , star, pyramid, meandering river, rain, and clouds. Each door consists of eight panels. Pivoting door on center. Red and blue symbolize opposites DOOR DECORATIONS

36. Other elements in the access are two small concrete blocks that form a virtual frame. 

37. The billowing roof of concrete was planned to slope toward the back, where a fountain of abstract forms is placed on the ground. When it rains, the water comes pouring off the roof and down onto the raised, slanted concrete structures, creating a dramatic but natural fountain. WATER COLLECTION

38. THE LIGHT FROM HEAVENS SHINING OVER THE CHAPELS

39. CONFESSIONALS

40. BACK ENTRANCE ( NORTH )

41. The most striking features of the facade are the two chapels flanking the secondary access: both are symmetrically arranged around the axis of the door. However, their curved shape invite to access to the interior.

42. The complex shapes at Ronchamp start from a theme of acoustic parabolas , playing a practical role on the east wall to reflect the sound from the outside altar for the pilgrims gathered on the hill.

43. EXTERIOR ALTAR

44. EAST ENTRANCE

45. Curved wall on the South wall directs visitors up and to the entrance.

46. Le Corbusier made use of curved surfaces of reinforced concrete to generate a form that is bold and organic. Since its construction , the building has evoked poetic notions in the mind of the visitor observing the play of light and shadow on different surfaces

47. Le Corbusier was given free reign to create a total work of art, the way he liked it. The south and east walls act as receptors for the majority of sunlight that enters the chapel through the gap between the roof and the vertical surfaces in an attempt to break the static nature of the enclosed interior space, whereas the north and west walls act as containers that define the sacred from the profane in a manner that removes any immediate connection with the outside environment. The slope of the floor follows the natural slope of the hill, and slopes towards the alter . Towers are stone masonry topped with cement domes Concrete roof is the shell (idea came from crab shell on beach when he was visiting Nivolas . He imagined its curved strength)

48. Sculpture of the Virgin Mary This wooden sculpture is placed in a high niche . Above the plain altar, the east wall is punctuated by several pinhole-windows and by a single substantial window with the Madonna and Child in silhouette; through the window this image also serves the outside altar used during pilgrimages.

49. The interior of the chapel is modest, with plain pews down the south side only. The walls curve, the roof curves, and even the floor curves down towards the altar, following the shape of the hill.

50. “The shell has been put on walls which are absurdly but practically thick. Inside them however are reinforced concrete columns. The shell will rest on these columns but it will not touch the wall. A horizontal crack of light 10cm wide will amaze.” PLAY OF LIGHT

51. The south wall which is punctuated with deep splayed windows of variable sizes and in some cases fitted with colored glass.

52. The chambers within this thick wall are splayed and tapered to delay and trap passing light, making each void inwardly strategy excludes sky glare stabilizing incoming light and creates a contemplative luminous environment .

53. Corbusier has been able to use the light of the sun in a most articulate way, expressing the daily life of the sun as its light, thereby glorifying the creator of it. Walls become dark as light streams from their openings with great intensity. While light brought from above the private chapels is soft and comforting, one might feel a certain sense of unrest due to the power of the light entering through specific

54. The embrasures also have a seasonal rhythm; their openings adjusted in section to intercept high summer sun , while letting low angles of winter sun penetrate through the width of the church.

55. DAYLIGHT FACTOR SIMULATIONS

56. STRUCTURE The structure is made mostly of concrete and is comparatively small, enclosed by thick walls, with the upturned roof supported on columns embedded within the walls. ROOF FRAMING A. 6 cm concrete shell. B. 10 x 30 cm cast in place lower beams. C. 17 cm thick girders. D. 5 x 27 cm pre cast upper roof beams. E. Roof deck 4 cm thick. F. Scupper for rainwater drainage.

57. The main structural system in the chapel is composed of reinforced concrete that has been used to construct the required framework for the building. It has been filled with stone recovered from the ruins of the old chapel. The roof is composed of two membranes, each of which acts as a thin shell separated by a gap of 2.26 m conforming to the modular proportion.

58. G. 15 cm concrete pylons and 40 x 15 cm beams. H. Reinforced concrete column inside wall. I. Girder bearing on column. J. Masonry walls. K. The only exposed column. A. Aluminum roof covering. B. 4 – 5 cm cement gunite covering. C. Metal framework of parallel trusses. D. Rotating joint. E. Trussed pylon.

59. A. Precast concrete window frame. B. Lead glazing compound. C. Glass. D. Plaster on wire mesh covering precast concrete and stone. E. Rubble wall.

60. A. Truss section. B. 15/10 mm enameled sheet metal panels. C. Typical truss cord, 2 30x20x4 mm angles. D. 2 30x20x4 mm face angles. E. Horizontal truss members from 30x20x4 mm angles. F. Joint with mastic fasteners and lead washers. G. Pivot, H. Base trim panel. I. Frameless glass. J. Concrete frame. K. Metal end panel.

61. Some pictures of the Chapel while under construction in the early 1950’s. CONSTRUCTION

62. Physical Characteristics Enhance the Religious Function Simplicity- The chapel appears completely organic both in form and in materials. Notre Dame Du Haut lacks any obvious attempts at accentuating geometry. The materials are left in the raw and allowed to age naturally. The simplicity of form gives the chapel the feel of sculpture . Lack of ornate detail allows the building to completely exist as a religious space without any distractions to pilgrims and worshippers. Lacking mass-produced materials the structure is pure and simple exemplifying the desired way of life for those who came to the chapel . Beton Brut Roof- It is said that the smooth curve of the roof is symbolic of praying hands . South Facing Wall of Windows- Light has been a long time symbol of religion. Gothic Architecture took this concept to the extreme considering light one of the most important elements of any religious structure. Light gives the space an ethereal quality . Sculpture of the Virgin Mary-

63. BIBLIOGRAPHY http:// architecturalmoleskine.blogspot.com/search?q=LE+CORBUSIER%3A+CHAPEL+OF+NOTRE-DAME-DU+HAUT%2C+RONCHAMP http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_du_Haut http:// www.greatbuildings.com/cgi-bin/gbc-search.cgi?search=building&building=Notre+Dame+du+Haut http:// elplanb-arquitectura.blogspot.com/search?q=Le+Corbusier%27s+Ronchamp+Chapel http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronchamp http:// architecturalmoleskine.blogspot.com/search?q=RENZO+PIANO%3A+MONASTERY+IN+RONCHAMP http:// openbuildings.com/buildings/grid?keyword=Notre+Dame+du+Haut http://nixpixmix.blogspot.com/search?q=RONCHAMP+CHAPEL+-+ FRANCE http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corbusier http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/ronchamp / http://www.archdaily.com/84988/ad-classics-ronchamp-le-corbusier / http:// everything2.com/title/Notre+Dame+Du+Haut

64. Wallfahrtskirche „Notre Dame du Haut“ in Ronchamp Notre-Dame du Haut, Ronchamp:A Symbol of Vatican II THE CHAPEL AT RONCHAMP AND THE FREE PLAN A STUDY OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF NATURAL LIGHT IN SELECTED BUILDINGS DESIGNED BY LE CORBUSIER, LOUIS I. KAHN AND TADAO ANDO Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp A study on the Phenomenon of Light GEOMETRIC OPTIMIZATION OF FENESTRATION ARTICLES

65. THE END