The E-1027 villa is architectural icon in the
modernist style which is attributed to Eileen Grey. The house is commonly listed
as Jean Badovici and Eileen Grey as the architects. The house was built in
1926-29 in the south of France in Roquebrune - Cap Martin. It was to be a
summer retreat for Eileen Grey and her lover Jean Badovici. Eileen Grey envisioned
it to be very in tune with nature and the outside element. Before the
construction she carful chose this spot for its views and it would be built
into the terrain. She did extensive studies and research on the area’s wind and
sun angles at various times and days. The house is attributed to Eileen as she
was the one that had the greater influence of the design and oversaw the
construction process. As Jean Badovici only assisted her for any of the technical
aid she needed. The house was designed with the type of furnishing and
materials it used as every piece of the house was tailored specifically built for
the E-1027. This is also done because of Eileen’s previous background as a
furniture designer. The name of the house comes from the Grey’s secretive life,
‘E’ stands for Eileen, ‘10’ for J in Jean, ‘2’ for B in Badovici, ‘7’ for Grey.
The hose used some key elements from Le Corbusier. For example the framing
views as in the porch it repeats and creates multiple view ports as the floor
to ceiling glass and in front of that a canopy that makes a horizontal view
closing the field of vision towards the center. The house was comprised of
three levels as the upper floor connects the outside kitchen and the inside
kitchen together, and also the upper floor has a garden are and a dedicated
small sunbathing area. The mid-level also known as the main floor had a large
open living room, master bedroom with study, kitchen and a bathroom. The lower
level has a covered sitting area, guest bedroom, maid’s quarters and a wash
closet. The house was part of the modernist movement as it features a flat roof
and sweeping windows that some stretch from floor to ceiling. The design plan
for the house included a flexible condition for the user to have a sense of the
outside while being inside and the other way around. For a way of the organic
elements interacting with the inside and the house to interact with the outside
elements as the villa is built in the terrain. Grey implemented the private and
public areas to be seamlessly transitioned while still keeping the intimacy of
a private area and the openness of a public area. In fact those were some of
her core ideal and she cherished equally. After World War II the house fell in disrepair
and was vandalized. After 2000 the house was acquired by the state and made it
a historical site. The restoration came shortly after as the house was restored
fully by 2010.
Work
Cited:
Benton,
Tim. "E-1027 and the Drôle De Guerre." AA Files, no. 74, 2017, pp.
123-143. EBSCOhost,
arktos.nyit.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bvh&AN=769679&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Comments
Post a Comment