Describe the traits, strengths and weaknesses of the Dom-ino system. PDF

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Describe the traits, strengths and weaknesses of the Dom-ino system....

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Robert Gordon University Scott Sutherland School of Architecture

AC2006A DESIGN PHILOSOPHY 3: ARCHITECTURE and LANDSCAPE HISTORY III MODERNITY

“Describe the traits, strengths and weaknesses of the Dom-ino system.”

Joanne Fowlie 1401974

Submission Date: 14 march 2016 1

Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3 The Dom-ino system ............................................................................................................. 3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 8 References ......................................................................................................................... 10 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 11

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Introduction The purpose of this essay is to discuss Le Corbusiers, Dom-ino system. The origin, traits, strengths and weaknesses of the system will be discussed and analysed through the use of case studies; the Maison Citrohan, the Villa Schwob, Villa Stein and the Villa Savoye. The Dom-ino system can be considered as Le Corbusiers live long oeuvre and has been developed over many years. Charles Edouard Jeanneret-Gris (1887-1965), later known as Le Corbusier, is widely known for his architectural prowess in form and light. He was born in the town of La Chaux-de-fonds where he trained to become a watchmaker. He later gained his architectural experience and education from architects such as Auguste Perret in 1908-09, and Peter Behrens in 1910, which included visits to the Mediterranean where he would sketch. This teaching period was important for Le Corbusier’s work on The Dom-ino House, as each architect taught him different skills. From Perret, he gained ample knowledge on reinforced concrete (still a relatively new construction material at the time), as well as skills in designing for industry from Behrens. It was from these two experiences that the Dom-ino effect was created (Fazio, 2008).

The Dom-ino system The Dom-ino was so named, as a coin of domus (house) and innovation ; as well as the concept of homes being joined end to end such as dominos (McGuirk, 2014). The initial model of the Dom-ino was developed in 1914, and was inspired by Turkish wooden pillar buildings, as well as Flemish houses (Vogt & Le Corbusier, 1998). The Dom-ino can be considered as the basis of his Five points for a new architecture (1926) which both encompasses his architectural work in the 1920s, and realized the full potential of the domino system, which he did not originally recognise (Etlin, 1994). Like many architects of the time, he believed that European society would need to be transformed, and architecture could be a necessary tool to do so. Le Corbusier took to this challenge by creating his Dom-ino houses, which illustrated how construction and houses could be produced in a different way – through mass production and standardization, ( Sennott, 2004). Working alongside the Fordist-Taylorist organisation of work, this allowed for unskilled workers to be used in the automatism of the assembly line (Virrorio Aureli, Giudici & Issaias, 2012).

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Le Corbusier famously said that “a house is a machine for living in” (Le Corbusier, 1946), which was a comment on how he believed that a house, like most objects, could be rationally produced. Also mentioned in the same text, Le Corbusier speaks of how, if we removed our understanding of houses and look at it from a critical and objective point of view, mass production is a viable option. Although the Dom-ino houses were not built during the war, the economic principles in terms of housing were being applied in 1928 in France, when a law was passed to create “200,000 low income housing units” (Sennott, 2004). The dom-ino system was a system which underwent a lot of development through Le Corbusier’s career, and can be seen in a variety of examples. Le Corbusier’s design proposal for a mass-produced housing scheme ensured that the need for components was reduced – with factory prefabrication of such components near the construction site and the use of cranes for quick erecting (Fazio, 2008). Derived from the hennebique frame, the house was to be a two story skeleton, made only from concrete slabs, supported on columns, and included a staircase ; without any walls or rooms (Sennott, 2004). It has been discussed and suggested in recent years however, that the structural system of the dom-ino is perhaps not without its flaws. The columns are perhaps too slender to carry the load of the floor slabs (McGuirk, (2014), which could hence have a negative “domino” effect on the rest of the system. The slender columns allow for the freedom of the façade and interior walls, however, if these walls need to be altered by a significant amount it could take away from these positive aspects. It has also been suggested that the placement of the staircase contradicts one of the principle ideologies of the scheme and name of the system, as it does not allow for the houses to be joined end to end, and hinders the random patterns that le Corbusier aimed to create (McGuirk, (2014). Up until 1935, Le Corbusier’s works were heavily developed from the Dom-ino system – showing off the strength and adaptability in the design and potential of the system. One of the strongest, and defining features of the dom-ino system, is that despite being a system supporting standardization and cheaper construction – it could still achieve and encouraged the reverse - customization. It is a system that encourages the inhabitations to complete the structure in any way they wished, due to the systems great flexibility in the floor plan. The only fixed elements were the columns, slabs and staircases, which allowed complete freedom for the interior partitions, as well as exterior walls, as they could be completely independent of the grid and there were no dependency on load bearing walls as the loads were passed through the frame. The customization feature of the domino is anti-over-designed architecture, and is

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a way of allowed creativity and individuality in low-cost constructions. Although the idea of standardized housing wasn’t a technically new idea, le Corbusier’s method of construction promised economical, and rapid mass produced housing. The first attempt at dealing with mass production in houses, was in Le Corbusier’s Maison Citrohan (1922). Maison Citrohan displayed the early characteristics of his dom-ino system – pilotis, a roof garden, free plan, strip windows and a free façade. The Citrohan featured interlocking spaces with various proportional heights – a recurring theme that would soon feature throughout his architectural works (Sennott, 2004). The name given to this housing prototype was inspired by the automobile company Citroen, which links to his theory of homes being a machine for living in. Le Corbusier believed that technology and industrialism was a tool to improve society – something he sought to do in his architectural theories. His Maison Citrohan was designed to be a home which was manufactured from easily accessed, and mass produced, materials – closely replicating the process of automobile production. (Baker, 1984). The development of the Citrohan house made some notable changes, one of which raised the house on pilotis, which highlighted the use of a reinforced-concrete structure, as well as the staircase being a key element (Davies, 2006).

1 M AISON CITROHAN, 2006)

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The Villa Schwob also featured some of the dom-ino features – it was built in Switzerland in 1916 and it was the first building in Villa in Europe to be built from a steel and concrete frame. The Schwob was commissioned by the Schwob family shortly after Le Corbusier’s European travels, which he decided would be the beginning of a new area for his designs. The design strove for originality, which is illustrated through the complex nature of the building. The main interior feature of the building is the double height salon, a feature which Le Corbusier included in many of his future designs. Another very notable feature of the Villa is the large, flat street façade, which is another feature he took forward into his later dom-ino buildings (Davies, 2006). One of the key differences with this building, and Le Corbusier’s dom-ino however, is that it is clear that this building has not been designed with mass production in mind – but instead promotes and exploits some of the additional features of the system, and aimed to experiment with space rather than how to make the system more affordable (En.wikiarquitectura.com, 2016).

2 (VILLA SCHWOB, N. D.)

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Another example of Le Corbusiers architectural works, exhibiting and expanding upon his Dom-ino system, is the Villa Stein (1927). The Villa Stein identifies the primary structure, to the infill much like the Maison Domino, however it proudly demonstrates overlapping layers, which creates a half interior and half exterior space – a very unique feature that illustrates the sheer versatility and innovative design of the domino-system (Sennott, 2004). The Stein is a development of the dom-ino, but also hints at Le Corbusiers interest in proportions and interests to Palladio in his structural layout. Slender columns which are supported on a beamless floor, and a two storey terrace as well as spiral staircase are all features which he has again developed in this structure (Davies, 2006).

3 (VILLA STEIN, N. D.)

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The Dom-ino can be considered as fully realized in his Villa Savoye, where Le Corbusier expressed that the building was “very generous” and “asserting architectural desire on the outside, while satisfying all functional needs on the inside” (Risselada & Colomina, 1988). The five points of architecture (pilotis elevating mass off the ground, free plan, free façade, long, horizontal sliding windows and the roof garden) is the product of the dom-ino system, which although did not get commercial success at the time, found success in his private residential buildings (Fazio, 2008. All of these features can be found in Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye. One of the overall flaws in his system which is not entirely logical, is his use of strip windows – a key factor in his five points of architecture. For example, the orientation of a window does not affect the volume of light which enters the structure – but rather the placement of that window, as well as materiality has a critical role in the spatial effect of light (Fazio, 2008). The strip window is actually a rather binding element, which makes the façade less free, as it requires a conformity with the façade, and hinders the section and floor levels ( Hays, 1998).

4 (VILLA SAVOYE, N. D.) 8

Conclusion The Dom-ino system, and the concepts it exhibits, is fundamental to Le Corbusier’s lifelong oeuvre. Unfortunately, Le Corbusier’s scheme was an overall commercial fail during in his life time, as he did not find any financial backers, but the concept has become debatable fundamental in modern society. It is a prototype which still interests architects globally today, and is even a derivation of a system which has become a ubiquitous form of construction in second world and developing countries. To summarize the key positive visionaries of the dom-ino system, it sought to create a cheap, mass produced building program which could be quickly and easily erected by no or low skill workers. It further allowed for a fully customizable design, while in itself being a completely prefabricated, standard structural system ; something that can allow for low income housing to exhibit its own character and ideals. The system further included the use of, at the time, new materials and technology to realize the goals of the system and make technological advances in construction and materials. Le Corbusier spent much of his architectural career expanding upon his system, which although was not realized as he imagined, became a modern architectural icon, and had a resounding effect on future construction.

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References Baker, Geoffrey H (1984). Le Corbusier: An Analysis of Form. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Davies, C. (2006). Key houses of the twentieth century. New York: W.W. Norton. En.wikiarquitectura.com. (2016). Villa Schwob - Architecture of the World WikiArquitectura. [online] Available at: https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Villa_Schwob [Accessed 12 Mar. 2016]. Etlin, R (1994). Frank llyod Wright and Le Corbusier. Manchester University Press. Fazio, Michael, (2008). A World History of Architecture. 2nd Edition, Lawrence King. Hays, K. (1998). Architecture theory since 1968. Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press. Le Corbusier, (1946). Towards a new architecture. London: Architectural Press. McGuirk, j. (2014). Le Corbusier designed a symbol for era obsessed with customisation. [online] Dezeen. Available at: http://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/20/opinon-justin-mcguirk-lecorbusier-symbol-for-era-obsessed-with-customisation/ [accessed 25 February 2016] Risselada, M. and Colomina, B. (1988). Raumplan versus Plan libre. New York: Rizzoli. Sennott, R. (2004). Encyclopedia of 20th century architecture. Fitzroy Dearborn. Vittorio Aureli, P., S. Giudici, M. & Issaias, P. (2012). From Dom-ino to Polykatoikia. [online] domusweb.it. Available at: http://www.domusweb.it/en/architecture/2012/10/31/fromdom-ino-to-em-polykatoikia-em-.html [accessed 6 March. 2016] Vogt, A. & Le Corbusier, (1998). Le Corbusier, the noble savage. Cambridge, Mass MIT press.

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List of Figures Figure 1: Maison Citrohan. (2006). [image] Available at: http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/250/4253/1600/405529/citrohan.jpg [Accessed 14 Mar. 2016]. Figure 2: Villa Schwob. (n.d.). [image] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Schwob#/media/File:CF05.jpg [Accessed 14 Mar. 2016]. Figure 3: Villa Stein. (n.d.). [image] Available at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3954826 [Accessed 14 Mar. 2016]. Figure 4: Villa Savoye. (n.d.). [image] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Savoye [Accessed 14 Mar. 2016].

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