M4

Conclusion

Le Corbusier used plenty of color throughout his projects, eventually even writing a book on his ideal color palettes. Specifically in his Unite d’Habitation project in Marsaille, France, Le Corbusier used a mixture of vivid red, blue, green, yellow, and orange to contrast the dark political climate of the time as well as the dullness of the exposed concrete structure.

Conceptually, the colors were meant to highlight the communal vs. individual spaces of the structres. The unpainted, exposed concrete represented the massive, shared structure. Meanwhile, the painted portions of the brise soileil, which framed the balconies of the interior units, emphasized the smaller cells of the structure.

In the interior, Le Corbusier continued to compartmentalize spaces using color. The doors of each apartment were painted different colors to differentiate between them. Inside the units, kitchens, specific shelving, built-in furnitures, certain walls, etc. were painted differently to further divide the spaces visually.