Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Jeanneret House, also known as Villa Jeanneret-Raaf, was built between 1923 and 1925 by Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret. This project marked the first concrete application of the five points for a new architecture, a modernist manifesto, as well as the concept of an architectural walk. Destined to Albert Jeanneret (brother of Le Corbusier), her family and paired with the Maison La Roche, she distinguished herself by her return plan, placing the garden on the roof and living spaces under the terrace.

Unlike the Maison La Roche, which is open to the public, Villa Jeanneret-Raaf is not accessible since it has hosted the offices and library of the Fondation Le Corbusier since 1968. The two villas, classified as historical monuments in 1996, were also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2016, after two refusals in 2009 and 2011. Their application was revised to include 16 other works by Le Corbusier, including Chandigarh's site in India, which was absent from the first proposals.

Located in the 8 square of the Doctor-Blanche, the villa originally occupied an impasse land, resulting from an aborted speculative estate. His architectural programme, dictated by the family needs of Albert Jeanneret, imposed maximum space optimization, without loss of surface area. This contrast with Maison La Roche, designed for a single collector, illustrates the versatility of Le Corbusier's approaches in the same urban complex.

The original project provided for a large ensemble, but was finally limited to these two houses attached to separate functions. The Villa Jeanneret-Raaf thus embodies a radical experiment: the plan reversed the traditional codes by placing the living rooms in height, under a terrace-garden. This bias, coupled with the use of concrete and blindfold windows, made this place a symbol of the architectural revolution of the 1920s.

Future

The Maison Jeanneret is paired with the Maison La Roche, but unlike the latter, it does not visit since it now houses the Fondation Le Corbusier.

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