Texts and Sketches for Ronchamp

by Le Corbusier, Jean Petit

It may be interesting to publish the birth sketches of an architectural work.

When a job is handed to me I tuck it away in my memory, not allowing myself to make any sketches for months on end. That's the way the human head is made: it has a certain independence. It's a box into which you can toss the elements of a problem any which way and leave it to "float", to "simmer", to "ferment". Then one fine day there comes a spontaneous movement from within, the catch is sprung; you take a pencil, a drawing charcoal, some color pencils (color is the key to the maneuver) and you give birth on the sheet of paper. The idea comes out-the child comes out, it comes into the world, it is born.

Genres: Architecture

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier; was an architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930. His career spanned five decades, with his buildings constructed throughout Europe, India, and America. He was a pioneer in studies of modern high design and was dedicated to providing better living conditions for the residents of crowded cities. He was awarded the Frank P. Brown Medal and AIA Gold Medal in 1961.
Le Corbusier adopted his pseudonym in the 1920s, allegedly deriving it in part from the name of an ancestor, Lecorbésier.