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The Villa Le Lac designed by Le Corbusier

Designed for his parent’s ageing life, Le Corbusier designed the Villa Le Lac before knowing where it would be situated, and prior to finding the plot of land for it in a small town called Corseaux, Switzerland. The Villa Le Lac is actually one of Le Corbusier’s first built projects. Situated in the small town near the well-known Lavaux Vineyard Terraces in Switzerland, Le Corbusier found this piece of 30 metres by 12 metres land that quietly overlooks Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The house’s built up is a modest area of 64 square metres, and it enjoys unobstructed views as long as 16 metres along Lake Geneva’s coastline.

Framed view at the Villa Le Lac. Image by Von Chua.

As one of Le Corbusier’s first built projects, through the Villa Le Lac, one can begin to understand his bold perspective for a Modernist house. In fact, Villa Le Lac Le Corbusier is a key asset in understanding a Modernist’s house. Early design hints of the open floor plan and movable walls to create flexible spaces, can already be seen in this house that he designed for his parents. When scrutinising Villa Le Lac’s design cues, one can see that his ideas for a Modernist house were already brewing in the early 1920s, before the Villa Savoye in France’s completion in 1931. Out of the five points of new architecture that were exemplified at the Villa Savoye, three points can be identified and experienced in the Villa Le Lac. They are the free plan, horizontal ribbon windows, and the roof terrace. Utilising what was available and pushing the technical boundaries at that time, Le Corbusier introduced the horizontal ribbon windows measuring 11 metres wide, which was what was achievable with the technology at that time.

Between 1923 and 1924, construction started for Le Corbusier’s Villa Le Lac. By the end of 1924, Le Corbusier’s parents moved into Villa Le Lac on Christmas Eve. His father did not get to enjoy the house for long, as he passed away in 1926, whereas his mother lived there until she passed away at age 101 in 1960. Le Corbusier’s brother also lived in the villa until he passed away in 1973. In 1971, the Fondation Le Corbusier, which is a private foundation and archive, purchased Villa Le Lac. Renovations began after Le Corbusier’s brother passed away in 1973, and subsequently in 2001 and 2008. In 2016, Villa Le Lac was designated a Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance, as well as added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

During a recent trip to Lake Geneva, I visited the Villa Le Lac for the first time, after knowing about its existence and what it meant for Le Corbusier’s career as an architect for a while. Arriving at the house after a 20 to 30 minute walk from the nearest train station, I entered the house but immediately gravitated towards the external spaces. Instead of leaving the boundaries of the property completely open to the elements and the peaceful views, an intentionally placed opening visually frames the calm lake and the grand Alps. It was a living and breathing picture frame view that constantly changes and evolves with the seasons. Le Corbusier said:

To make the landscape interesting, one must take the radical decision to limit it, to give it certain dimensions: to occlude the horizon by raising the walls, and to reveal it through gaps at strategic points.

How much time did his parents spend out there in the modest house's external spaces? The internal spaces were efficiently utilised, and appeared to be intentionally efficient to manage an old couple’s potentially limited movements. Was it a conscious design decision to construct the Villa Le Lac to be a single level home, eliminating staircases and potential mobility issues during old age? I recall my own parents having this discussion with our architect about future proofing the home for elderly living, eg. step-free access and day two alterations that allow mobility between floors. Did Le Corbusier’s early machine for living account for a person’s lifespan? Was it intentional?

As I was leaving the Villa Le Lac, a small but thoughtful design also revealed itself - it was two small steps for Le Corbusier’s family to step up and arrive at a window opening between the garden and the road. Apparently, it was only in 1931 that a new wall had to be built to separate the property from the road, which meant that the family dog’s view was suddenly obstructed after 6-7 years. Le Corbusier came up with a thoughtful design to allow the family dog to continue watching the street and the passers-by. Compared to the larger Le Corbusier schemes that I had the opportunity to visit, this attention to detail for one of the users of the house - his family dog in this case, was revealing in the care and attention he provides as an architect. 

Villa Le Lac is only open on limited days of the week, so please do check the website before planning a trip:
https://www.villalelac.ch/en/information

Link to Villa Le Lac on Fondation Le Corbusier’s website:
https://www.fondationlecorbusier.fr/en/work-architecture/achievements-little-villa-on-the-shores-of-lake-geneva-corseaux-switzerland-1923-1924/

Link to Le Corbusier’s Villa Le Lac drawings and historical images:
https://lecorbusier-worldheritage.org/en/petite-villa-au-bord-du-lac-leman/