Villa Cook, (Boulogne-sur-Seine, Paris, France); 1924; Modernist

The Villa Cook (also known as Maison Cook) was a house that was built by architect, Le Corbusier. The house is located in Boulogne-sur-Seine, in France. Le Corbusier, who was then not very well-known, was introduced to the Cook family. At the time, Le Corbusier was designing a series of villas. Later, the Cooks commissioned Le Corbusier to design the Villa Cook on the outskirts of Paris. Le Corbusier labeled it as “the first cubic house.”

Villa Cook was one of the first works of Le Corbusier that was built according to his Five Points of Architecture: piloti, open plan, free facade, horizontal sliding windows, and roof garden. The spaces in the room are ground floor, first floor, second, floor, and roof floor. On the ground floor, there is a large entrance hall and stairs. There is also access in the back to the garden and to the utility room. The first floor has the main staircase that connects the ground floor and a plant that seems to wrap around the stairs. On the second floor, there is the dining room and kitchen. The kitchen leads to stairs that lead to another room which leads to the library and an office that separates the kitchen with the dining room. The rooms also have views of the courtyard. On the roof level, there is a library which connects to the main terrace.

The structure of Villa Cook follows the Five Points of Architecture. The materials used for the Villa Cook are mainly reinforced concrete, clay and mortar, sheets of glass, and wood. The reinforced concrete was mainly used for the handrails, floor tiles, and some walls. The clay and mortar was used for a double wall with a coating of mortar to create a smooth surface on the walls. The wood was used to ensure that the spaces were warm and for furniture such as cabinets. (“Villa Cook”)

Le Corbusier was a Swiss born French architect who lived from 1887 to 1965. He was born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris but later moved to Paris to take on the pseudonym Le Corbusier in 1920. Le Corbusier designed his first house at age 20, and after took trips through central Europe and the Mediterranean. His buildings were mainly built with steel and reinforced concrete because they corresponded with his buildings. (“Le Corbusier”) Le Corbusier is still very well known in the history of modern architecture. He was one of the creators of the International Style of architecture, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius. He was also the one who developed the Five Points of Architecture, which have been deemed one of the most direct set of ideas in architectural theory. Le Corbusier often had clashing thoughts with other people, which got him labeled as a capitalist, a communist, or a Fascist. However, his inspirations and work made it possible to have a seemingly endless array of interpretations. ("Le Corbusier Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works") Other notable buildings include the Villa Savoye in France, Heidi Weber Museum in Switzerland, and the United Nations Building in New York City.

Works Cited


“Villa Cook - Data, Photos & Plans.” WikiArquitectura, en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/villa-cook/.

“Le Corbusier.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/people/le-corbusier-9376609.

“Le Corbusier Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-le-corbusier.htm.


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