Villa Savoye

Villa Savoye
View of the west and south facades of the villa.
Location82, Rue de Villiers
78300 Poissy
Poissy, Yvelines, France
Coordinates48°55′28″N 2°1′42″E / 48.92444°N 2.02833°E / 48.92444; 2.02833
ArchitectLe Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret
OwnerFrench government
Websitewww.villa-savoye.fr/en
Villa Savoye is located in France
Villa Savoye
Location of Villa Savoye in France
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, vi
Designated2016 (40th session)
Part ofThe Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement
Reference no.1321-006

Villa Savoye (French pronunciation: [savwa]) is a modernist villa and gatelodge in Poissy, on the outskirts of Paris, France. It was designed by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret, and built between 1928 and 1931 using reinforced concrete.[1][2]

As an exemplar of Le Corbusier's "five points" for new constructions, the villa is representative of the origins of modern architecture and is one of the most easily recognizable and renowned examples of the International style.

The house was originally built as a country retreat for the Savoye family. After being purchased by the neighbouring school, it became the property of the French state in 1958. Due to many different problems it was rarely inhabited. After surviving several proposals to demolish it, it was designated as an official French historical monument in 1965 (a rare event, as Le Corbusier was still alive). It was thoroughly renovated between 1985 and 1997, and the refurbished house is now open to visitors year round under the care of the Centre des monuments nationaux.[3][4][5][6]

In July 2016, the house and 16 other buildings by Le Corbusier, spread over seven countries, were inscribed as The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier World Heritage Site by UNESCO.[7]

  1. ^ Villa Savoye à Poissy: Tourism Industry Archived 2013-05-27 at the Wayback Machine. Centre des monuments nationaux. Retrieved on January 19, 2011. (French)
  2. ^ Courland, Robert. Concrete Planet. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY. (2012) page 326.
  3. ^ "Villa Savoye – A machine for living". Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2007.
  4. ^ Travel review of a visit to Villa Savoye Archived July 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ "Ville Savoye à Poissy". Centre des monuments nationaux. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  6. ^ Base Mérimée: Villa Savoye, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  7. ^ "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.