The Hidden Structure in the Swiss Pavilion by Le Corbusier and Jeanneret

Abstract

In the spring of 1932, the structure of the Swiss Pavilion in the university city of Paris was exposed to view, in its entirety, for a short period of time. The photographs taken at that time of the execution of the work allow it to be clearly appreciated: a framework of four-level metal profiles resting on an elevated concrete platform, in turn, supported by robust supports of the same material. From that moment, as the work progressed, the metal part was camouflaged under successive layers of coating until it was completely hidden, while the concrete remained openly exposed. Based on little-known images of the intermediate stages of the building’s execution, the article reviews the dilemma posed by the relationship between technical form and aesthetic form and examines the terms in which Le Corbusier approaches and resolves the issue. It is also estimated the contribution of his collaborators, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, and the influence of the cultural context of the visual arts on the project, scarcely appreciated until now. The article contributes to opening a path of research in which the observation of photographs of the building under construction is the support to address a better understanding of the determinism of the technique in the conception of buildings: its condition as a powerful stimulus for the imagination of any observer contributes to clarify the relationship between construction means and architectural objectives.