Le Corbusier’s Convent de la Tourette

One of the most significant buildings of the late modernist style, Le Corbusier’s Convent de la Tourette exemplifies the architect’s style and sensibilities in the latter end of his career. Built between 1956 and 1960 on a hillside near Lyon, France, the priory dominates the landscape, with its strict, geometric form.

The video demonstrates Le Corbusier’s approach to light and material, showing the play of light against the exposed concrete as the sun moves through the sky. The music creates an sense of tension, with heavy drums and bells building in volume as the video progresses. Dramatizing the building’s arrangement of space and choreography of the lives of its inhabitants, the video makes clear the monumentality intended in Le Corbusier’s design.

Convent de la Tourette / Le Corbusier from Montse Zamorano on Vimeo.