Geoffrey Baker: Le Corbusier's 1950s: Ronchamp (March 18, 1987)

Shelly Kappe introduces the first of a series of lectures on Corbusier, which will feature talks by Geoffrey Baker, William Curtis and Mohan Sharma. Geoffrey Baker begins with an overview of Le Corbusier's post-World War II developments, arguing that the work becomes more robust and emotional in this period of his career. Baker speculates on how Ronchamp came into being, presenting an overview of the siting of the building and the site implications. He places an emphasis on sense of directionality Corbusier explores with this project, and sets out to prove that many of the formal gestures incorporated here by Corbusier appear throughout his work. Baker reviews the use of sprayed on concrete and other technical considerations. Baker presents an overview of the history behind the early development of the monastery at La Tourette. He documents the geometric organization and explains its basis in historical precedents. Baker later investigates the circulation systems developed by Corbusier, and the architect's response to the site. Finally, Baker credits Corbusier with an exceptional attention to issues of scale, which he uses to establish a distinction between the "outer world" and "inner world" of La Tourette.