Today I finished tracing the plans and really got my first look to how this house is put together. The Maison Curutchet was built in 1949 in La Plata, Argentina, by Le Corbusier. Now it's no secret that I dislike the modern movement, including Le Corbusier. Mostly because, I think, I never understood it. His buildings always looked dirty, disorganized with a hidden order that isn't understood. I never understood his building before, and quite frankly I just didn't like them. So it was very much to my surprise that I found quite a few things about this building that I truly loved. And the more I drew, the more I found.
The Maison Curutchet has a lot of open spaces, a lot of open to below spaces, there is even a tree growing right through the middle of the home. There is a roof terrace that is part covered, part open. The front brise-soleil provides a cover from the public view, without blocking the view to the outside. There is a clinic inside as well, but it is almost completely separated from the home, then only thing connecting the two is a ramp.
I do not know what Professor Carranza has in store for us, for the variations, but I am looking forward to it. I would want to keep some of the basic elements of the home, the ramps, the open spaces, the opportunities for open to below, and the feel of an open plan with the use of the half walls. And I'm really looking forward to what I can come up with.
