Le Corbusier’s Five Points of Architecture: Principles and Legacy

Revolution or Illusion? Rethinking Le Corbusier’s Five Points of Architecture

In 1926, Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret published what would become one of the most influential manifestos of modern architecture: the Five Points of a New Architecture. Concise yet radical, the statement proposed a clean break with centuries of architectural tradition and embraced the technological and social changes of the early 20th century.

The Context: A New Century, A New Architecture

The 1920s were a period of profound transformation. Europe was emerging from the devastation of the First World War, and industrial progress was reshaping daily life. New materials like reinforced concrete and steel promised structures that were lighter, taller, and more flexible than ever before. Meanwhile, housing shortages and rapid urbanization demanded fresh solutions for how people lived and how cities were organized.

Against this backdrop, architecture was caught between the ornamental traditions of the past and the demands of modern life. Le Corbusier argued that homes should function like “machines for living” – efficient, hygienic, and suited to the needs of a new age. His Five Points distilled this philosophy into a systematic approach that could be applied from a private villa to entire urban plans.

1. Pilotis: Lifting the Building Off the Ground

Instead of resting on heavy load-bearing walls, Le Corbusier proposed slender columns – pilotis – that would lift buildings above the earth. This freed the ground for gardens, circulation, or communal space.

• Where it appeared: Most famously in Villa Savoye (1929–31), where the house seems to float above its green landscape.

• Why it mattered: It separated structure from function, giving architects new freedom. It also reflected modernism’s obsession with air, light, and hygiene.

• The critique: In practice, pilotis often created underused or exposed ground levels. In dense cities, critics argued, every square meter of ground was too valuable to be left open.

2. Flat Roof Terrace: Turning Roofs into Gardens

Le Corbusier saw the roof not as wasted space, but as an extension of living. Flat roofs, he argued, could serve as gardens, play areas, or communal terraces.

• Where it appeared: Villa Savoye’s rooftop terrace, and later in the Unité d’Habitation (1947–52) in Marseille, where the roof was designed as a social hub.

• Why it mattered: At a time when sloped, tiled roofs were the norm, this was revolutionary. It anticipated today’s green roofs and rooftop terraces.

• The critique: Early versions were plagued by leaks. Many critics saw them as beautiful in theory, but impractical in real-world construction of the time.

3. Open Floor Plan: Freedom Inside

With structural loads carried by pilotis, interior walls no longer needed to bear weight. This allowed for open floor plans, flexible layouts, and larger continuous spaces.

• Where it appeared: Again, Villa Savoye, where the interior flows seamlessly between spaces.

• Why it mattered: This concept deeply influenced 20th-century homes and offices—today, open-plan living is almost a cliché.

• The critique: Some felt the endless openness sacrificed privacy and coziness. As it spread, the idea had to be adapted to cultural expectations of domestic life.

4. Horizontal Windows: Strips of Light

Le Corbusier promoted ribbon windows – long, horizontal strips that ran across façades. These maximised natural light and gave occupants panoramic views. while emphasising the separation of façade from structure.

• Where it appeared: Villa Savoye’s continuous strip windows are the clearest example.

• The innovation context: While ribbon windows became a symbol of modernism’s love for light and transparency, the concept of continuous horizontal glazing was not entirely new. Frank Lloyd Wright had been using “bands of windows” in his Prairie-style houses already decades earlier, creating visual continuity between interior and exterior and reinforcing horizontal lines in domestic architecture.

• Le Corbusier’s contribution: The key difference was systematization and abstraction. Le Corbusier integrated ribbon windows into a comprehensive architectural theory, applying them not just to houses but also to urban housing projects and institutional buildings, reflecting his machine-age ethos of modernism.

• Reception then and now: Critics acknowledge the similarity of the concept to Wright’s hallmark. Today, the ribbon window is often studied as both an homage and an evolution of Wright’s ideas, showing how modernist architects built upon each other while pushing new agendas.

• The critique: Ribbon windows could be difficult to shade and often contributed to overheating, especially in warmer climates. Some argued that their uniformity risked creating sterile façades. Yet the principle has endured, influencing both modernist and contemporary architecture.

5. Free Façade: Form Unchained from Structure

Because the structure was carried by pilotis, the façade could be designed independently. Walls no longer had to be structural; they could become planes of glass, screens, or artistic compositions.

• Where it appeared: Again visible in Villa Savoye, and later echoed in countless glass curtain-wall skyscrapers.

• Why it mattered: This innovation set the stage for the modern glass-and-steel towers that dominate today’s skylines.

• The critique: While liberating for architects, some critics argued this encouraged overly abstract facades, detached from cultural or local context.

Revolutionary or Overrated?

At the time, the Five Points were heralded as revolutionary, especially by modernist architects eager to leave the past behind. Traditionalists, however, dismissed them as sterile and impractical.

In practice, they proved hugely influential: inspiring Bauhaus, the International Style, and countless postwar housing projects. Yet they also became associated with the failures of modernist urbanism, when applied at scale without regard for human needs.

Today, many of the principles remain relevant – open floor plans, roof terraces, and flexible facades are widely embraced. Others, like the pure abstraction of ribbon windows or elevated pilotis, are treated with more caution.

Legacy of the Five Points

Nearly a century later, the Five Points remain a cornerstone of architectural education and debate. They distilled modernism’s faith in technology and progress, but also carried its blind spots: a tendency toward uniformity, abstraction, and top-down visions of how people should live.

Le Corbusier’s Five Points were more than a design method – they were a declaration of faith in modern life. Whether we see them as revolutionary breakthroughs or flawed utopias, they remain a touchstone for understanding the promises and pitfalls of modern architecture.