Le Corbusier and the golden ratio

Villa Savoye

I first stumbled across Le Corbusier whilst reading about one of my obsessions - the golden ratio. Le Corbusier was a Swiss-French architect who influenced modern architecture, and incorporated the golden ratio into his "Modular" design concept. And many of his buildings can be found in and around Paris.

But firstly, a few words on the golden ratio. I won't go into all the detail because you can find plenty on the net, but in short it is a mathematical ratio related to the Fibonacci sequence. It pops up in nature, and it is linked to what humans perceive as aesthetically beautiful.

But it doesn't stop there. Put on your physicist hat, and you'll discover the ratio also results from objects repelling each other. Switch to your biologist hat, and you'll discover that the growing points of living creatures are driven by dividing cells moving away from each other in the most efficient way (explaining why the ratio can be seen in nature).

Guide to Frank Gehry buildings in Paris

Fondation Louis Vuitton

With the upcoming opening of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, it seems opportune to do a roundup of Frank Gehry's buildings in France. There are three in France, all of which can be found in or near Paris.

Fondation Louis Vuitton: 

The newest creation, based on the concept of sails rising above the trees of Bois de Boulogne. Once finished it will be devoted to contemporary art.

The building also scores some green points, as it has been used as the pilot project to develop a new HQE standard for cultural buildings. HQE = High Quality Environmental standard, a standard for green building in France.