Future Technologies in Le Corbusier

8/10/2019 Future Technologies in Le Corbusier

1/6

PLEA2013 - 29th Conference, Sustainable Architecture for a Renewable Future, Munich, Germany10-12 September 2013

Future technologies in Le Corbusiers environmental

conditioning systems:

City of Refuge in Paris

C. RAMREZ-BALAS1, R. SUREZ AND J.J. SENDRA

1Institute of Architecture and Building Science, University of Seville, Seville, Spain

ABSTRACT: The City of Refuge in Paris (1929-30) is an experimental building where Le Corbusier wanted to applyhis famous proposal of environmental conditioning systems of buildings through the combination of two technological

advances that supported his concept of machine habiter: the mur neutralisant and respiration exacte.This paper presents a historical journey from the first attempts to carry out these two technological innovations to a

complete informative documentation on the major decisions and changes made in the City of Refuge by collecting

letters and reports of the main actors who intervened in it. The aim of this study is to investigate environmentalconditioning through passive and active strategies in Le Corbusier's architecture, carrying this study out in the year2013, which marks the 50th anniversary of his death. The results and findings have allowed us to complete the

analysis that architectural critics have produced on the City of Refuge, through understanding the real behaviour ofthe building as originally built, as well as the success that the combination of the mur neutralisant and the respirationexacte, advanced technologies for their time, could have had. At present these are once again being used in the design

of active faades which deal with existing concerns about sustainability and energy efficiency.

Keywords: Le Corbusier, mur neutralisant, respiration exacte, environmental conditioning systems, active faade

systems.

INTRODUCTIONThe current solutions for active faades have their mostinteresting precedent in the technological innovations

introduced by Le Corbusier in the first third of thetwentieth century with the mur neutralisant, combinedwith respiration exacte, planned in the City of Refuge inParis [1]. These innovations were only partiallyexecuted [2], and may have failed because they wereburdened from the initial design stage, economically,and by the lack of simulation tools allowing relativelyreliable prediction of indoor temperature.

The lack of interest in the integration of active systemsinto faades contrasted with progress in air conditioningsystems for building occurring in the USA at that stage,an indubitable milestone in the development of

climatisation technologies for modern architectureduring the twentieth century [3]. Le Corbusier gainedfirst-hand knowledge of these advances on his trip to theUSA in 1935 [4] and adopted them [5]. He shared theinterest of American engineers in the creation ofartificial indoor atmospheres, healthy and free frompollution (including acoustic pollution), in airtightbuildings, regardless of outdoor climate conditions [6].

It was 50 years before another great architect, N. Foster,came back in the late 1980s to the idea of the murneutralisant in Duisburg Microelectronic Park, one ofthe earliest and most representative examples of Eco-

Architecture [7], sharing the search for a more holistic

interpretation of architecture. This concept,incorporating the problems of environmentalconditioning, led to modern active faade systems being

proposed as solutions for environmental conditioning,leading to an increase in energy efficiency in buildings.

This paper has two main aims. The first is to offer atimeline of the events occurring in the City of Refuge inParis, while the second is to compare the thermalbehaviour of the City of Refuge, as it was constructed,with what it would have been had all the innovationsintroduced by Le Corbusier been executed. To do so,two energy models designed for the main dormitory ofthe City of Refuge (Fig. 1) have been defined, onecorresponding to what was actually built and the other towhat was planned, taking into account climate

conditions, orientation, operational conditions, spatialcharacteristics and the material characteristics of thethermal envelope.

Fortunately, modern computer tools for energy andenvironmental simulation have enabled us to carry outthis task. These have provided us with the conclusionswhich have expanded our knowledge of the design anddevelopment of modern active faade systems as well asof the system designed by Le Corbusier and thecalculations obtained by physicist G. Lyon. Theseresults were compared with those obtained from thesolution that was finally used.


2/6

Figure 1: First floor of City of Refuge. Womens maindormitory with 289.5 m2 of surface, 67 beds and 37.2 m of

glass faade.

THEMUR NEUTRALISANT AND THERESPIRATION EXACTE: DESCRIPTION OF THEACTIVE FAADE SYSTEMIn the Modern Movement, from 1910 to 1930, a new

relationship was constructed between architecture andenergy, based mainly on the formal analogy of themachine, a two-fold aesthetic: that of the functionalmachine and that of the symbolic machine [8]. Theprogressive speeding up of construction processes andthe incorporation of large sheets of glazing, along withthe abandonment of traditional solutions, generated anunknown energy behaviour which was hard to controland required new energy strategies. The result was anarchitectural form increasingly foreign to climateconditions and a search for thermal homogeneity relyingupon the implementation of powerful new industrialtechnologies, which entailedthe mechanisation of theatmosphere and the creation of an artificial climate.

In this context, Le Corbusier represented the new andmodern spirit of the 1920s, inventing new architecturesand precedingfuture innovations and models, rehearsedin Le Corbusier's work from a perspective ofcontradiction and debate between scientific rigor andintuition [9]. In his architecture Le Corbusier adoptedglass as a paradigm of modernity and attempted tosatisfy the environmental demands of modern manthrough an architecture which aspired to be independentfrom climate, generating uniform thermal environments(isothermiques) through the sublimation of a technicaland technological development which provided a

universal architectural language.

Le Corbusier presented his proposals for technologicalinnovations resulting from his mechanistic ideals,aiming for environmental control as defined in theAthens Charter in 1933. The development of Dominohousing in 1914 allowed him to research new functionsfor building envelopes [10]. The solution of the murneutralisantis based on an envelope with a double glasspane forming an inner chamber through which air,previously heated or cooled by the building's heating orcooling systems circulated. This was designed to reduceenergy exchanges between indoors and outdoors through

the glazed openings [11]. The temperature of the aircirculating through the chamber depended on outdoortemperature conditions.

Le Corbusier defined the solution of respiration exacteusing an organic analogy, that of an arterial system ofconduits which use ventilation and diffusers to forceclean air indoors, and a vein system of conduits whichequally uses ventilation to return polluted air from thisindoor atmosphere and regenerate it. Although thissystem had been used by G. Lyon in the Parisian SallePleyel in 1927 [12] it was not usually incorporated intoresidential buildings. This system made the buildingcompletely airtight without any need to incorporatewindows with an opening system.

THE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS:

CHRONOLOGY OF THE CITY OF REFUGE IN

PARISFor the City of Refuge, Le Corbusier's 1929 proposalwas an active faade system similar to that previouslyand unsuccessfully presented to the League of Nationsin Geneva [13], but more developed and advanced,designed with the advice of G. Lyon. The building couldaccommodate approximately 600 people sleeping indormitories. As it was designed to be more than a simplerefuge for the night it required electric and mechanicalinstallations that operated day and night, depending onthe needs of its occupants [14].

For the envelope of the dormitories, Le Corbusierdesigned a mur neutralisant, a large surface ofapproximately 1000 m2, with a chamber through whichair previously heated in winter was to circulate,maintaining indoor room temperature at around 18C(Fig. 2). As well as helping to reach this temperature, therespiration exactecontributed to purifying indoor air inthe dormitories, regenerating it and humidifying it whennecessary. This clear forerunner of the active faadesystems prompted numerous technical and financialconcerns to its builders [15].


3/6

Figure 2: Description of the mur neutrali

In the end, the mur neutralisant wmainly financial reasons, and was reverre [16], a simple 7 mm sheet omanufactured using the Securit technthe company Saint Gobain at themanufacturing industry in 1929 (Fichamber and the inner sheet ofeliminated, thus preventing airfloimpossible for the technological innoLe Corbusier to be executed [18].

In November 1931 the contract w

company ''M.M.M'' to be in charge othis pan de verre, which was comp1931, still pending the selectionventilation and thermal conditioningLe Corbusier was unable to ficonstruction of a mur neutralisant,be able to convince of the suitabilitand reserved space for its construclocation for the entry and exit of posIn fact, in 1932 engineers from Saintseveral trials to simulate the behaneutralisant using the calculationsThese were mostly aimed at

transmission coefficients forthicknesses and airflow through the cThe pan de verre manufactured haprotection system of horizontally scould be closed using floor guide rchamber between these panels andmodules (Fig. 3-4 (right)).

ant by Le Corbusier.

as never built forlaced by a pan de

f toughened glass,ique, developed byrequest of the car. 3) [17]. The airthe glazing were

and making itvation proposed by

as signed for the

f the production ofeted in Decemberf the mechanicalsystems. Althoughnally ensure thee hoped he wouldy of its execution,tion, as well as aible conduits [16].Gobain carried outviour of the murof G. Lyon [19].calculating heat

ifferent glazingamber.

d an indoor solarliding panels thatils, leaving an airthe 2 m glazed

Figure 3: Interior view of

protection system. Brian Brace

As regards respiration edecided that the mechanicboost the previously filtereand so, out to the roof. In1 ACH (air change per hACH in summer [20]. Inattempted to placate the resthe heat in the summer,airtight windows and theworking. The doctor in cadmitted that the temperabetween 30-33C, and that[12].

In September 1934, the Swindows to be opened aheated air circuit to be regrilles to the exterior. Ledisagreement given the pottemperatures [15].

In January 1935, thePrefecture of the Seine sdormitories high concentratof 27-28C were being re

CO2 concentrations were nexterior values close toconcentrations increased ireaching 272 l/m. Accordithese concentrations were topening, as this preventedinterior, and of the laConsequently, they requestbuilding be made functiona

Le Corbusier stated thatdeficient operation of thethat the CO2 concentrat

the pan de verre with solar

, T. (1987).

acte, in May 1933 it wasal ventilation system should

out door air to the corridors,inter, the operation providedur) and between 2 and 3.51933, the Salvation Army

idents who felt suffocated byas they could not open theventilation system was notarge of the City of Refugetures were extremely high,the air needed to be changed

alvation Army asked for 50nd the interior filtered andplaced by direct ventilationCorbusier was obviously inential for variation in indoor

echnical Services of thetated that in the children'sions of CO2 and temperaturesched. For empty rooms the

rmal, from 45-64 l/m, with40 l/m. However, these

n densely occupied rooms,ng to the Technical Serviceshe result of the windows nothe entry of clean air into thek of a cooling system.d that all the windows in the[15].

all this was caused by theentilation system and added

ions and the increase in


4/6

temperature would be resolved byvelocity (from 1 to 3 m/s) and the flHe made it clear that the windows

measure to control and prevent the enextremely hot or cold air into the bui[21]. Le Corbusier proposed the mothe creation of openings be used forreduce the temperature in the children

In January 1936, Le Corbusier hiaccredited experts to produce a reporin the dormitories. The conclusionsthat although operation in the wintertthe summer a cooling system waalternative they recommended the incof 60 openings of 4 x 1 cm, two thfaade. These openings would remaiand would allow air to circulate inresult of these suggestions, Le Corbsliding windows 0.90 m wide be placof the faade [23].

All these proposals were stopped byWar. In August 1944 a German boof Refuge completely destroyed thCorbusier offered to repair the damato do so on the condition that the solshould be one third solid materialglazing and the last third functiCorbusier incorporated the brise-sol

made up of equally size overhangsbuilding [24]. The closed glazingoperable and construction was complnew features have allowed it to still b

increasing the airow of exterior air.not opening was a

ry of pollution andlding from outsideney earmarked for

cooling system to's rooms [22].

red a tribunal oft on the ventilationf this report statedime was correct, ins needed. As anrporation of a row

irds up the glazedn closed in winterthe summer. As asier proposed thated on the top third

the Second Worldb outside the City

faade [16]. Lee and was allowedtion for each floor, the next closedonal glazing. Leeils (Fig. 4 (left))

on the side of thewas finally madeted in 1952. Thesehabitable.

Figure 4: Exterior view beforthe brise-soleils.

ENERGY SIMULATIPROJECTED FAADE

An analysis and evaluatiobetween the exterior anddormitory of the City of Rthe same time as the studyto verify the validity of Lebuilding, formulated jointlymade possible by the asimulation tools currently a

Assessments have beenbehaviour of the room undwas when it was construc

combination of pan deEnergy simulation programthe module EnergyPlus [assessments were carriedinnovations that were iincorporated: the combina(Fig. 5) and respirationevaluation was executedDynamics (CFD), usingrequired C++ programmreproduce the physical phThe discussion of results inas follows:

(right) and after (left) building

N: EXECUTED ANDYSTEMS

n of the energy exchangesthe interior of the main

efuge in Paris, developed atof its history, has allowed us

orbusier's proposals for thiswith G. Lyon. This has beenvances in knowledge andour disposal.

arried out on the thermaler study in the building as itted, that is to say, with the

erreand respiration exacte.DesignBuilder [25] based on26], was used.In addition,out on the efficiency of theitially planned but neverion of the mur neutralisantxacte. For this, the energy

with Computational FluidFreeFem++ [27], which

ing of the algorithms toenomena which take place.both these configurations is


5/6

Figure 5: Physical phenomena in the mur

Simulation of the system executed:respiration exacte.The presence of the large pan deindoor space that is clearly depeconditions, particularly the effect ofis favourable in winter as it providesis clearly detrimental in summer as othe operative temperature increaseshigher than the comfort temperaconditions. Its combination witoperating ventilation system, respmainly designed to influence indooraffects room temperature, caimprovement in winter and summer,reducing the operative temperature,does not fall within comfort condition

Finally, the incorporation of an indosystem provides a decrease in sumwhen it reduces part of the direct soladuring the hours with highest radiprovides an increase as it prevents mto the thermal resistance offered by tand the air chamber between this andnight. The opening of the solarcontributes to heat accumulation

achieving temperatures of up to 17C.Simulation of the planned system:andrespiration exacte.Despite the fact that they are two inthe mur neutralisant and respirinterconnected and act together toreach the desired temperature control:

G. Lyon calculated an impulse floactive chamber and a thermal jumpindoor room temperature andthe supfrom the active chamber (30C in

neutralisant.

pan de verre and

verregenerates anndent on exteriorolar radiation.Thisthermal gains, buta hot summer day

o 33-34C, clearlyture for summer

the constantlyiration exacte, isir quality, but alsosing significant

and increasing andalthough this stills.

or solar protectionmer temperatures,radiation receivedtion. In winter it

jor heat losses duehe solar protectionthe glass faade atprotection systemduring the day,

mur neutralisant

ependent systems,ation exacte areake it possible to

of 60 l/s for thef 10Cbetween thely air temperatureinter and 15C in

Figure 6: Energy simulation

neutralisant and respiration e

summer).He also estabrespirationexacte of 83.33and summer respectively.

air of the respiration exactethat is to say,at 20C in wiconditions obtained werevalues for thermal comfor25C in summer (Fig. 6).

CONCLUSIONThe City of Refuge, a transithe ocean liners Le Corobsession with incorporarchitecture, did not mainnovations which he hasolution to temperature c

mostly due to the obstacleswhich prevented the exebrilliant technological inCorbusier: the combinationthe respiration exacte.

The reconstruction of the tiexecution has allowed usand difficulties affectingproject.In the end it was nplanned form due to financthe technology. Le Corbusof G. Lyon, proposed a s

time, partially controlling tthe mur neutralisant withwhich hot or cold air flowyear. His system was a fknown as active faade syst

This paper has attemptereading of the knowledgshowcasing his architecturconditioning through anincorporates environmentarchitecture, an innovati

using CFD. Room with mur

acte studied for a summer day.

ished a flow for thel/s and 291.66 l/s for winterConsidering that the supply

occurs in neutral conditions,ter and 25C in summer, thewithin the recommended

:around 21C in winter and

tion piece clearly inspired byusier so admired, and histing new techniques intoage to convince with thed hoped would provide aontrol problems. This was

encountered in the building,ution of one of the mostovations proposed by Leof the mur neutralisantand

meline of the project and itsto establish the vicissitudesLe Corbusier's innovativever executed in the original

ial constraints and mistrustofier, with the invaluable helplution that was ahead of its

e faade temperature, that ofan active chamber throughd, depending on the time ofrerunner of what today areems.

to provide a transversalof Le Corbusier's work,

's links with environmentalintegral concept which

al control systems intove way of understanding


6/6

architecture which fits into the framework of modernconcerns for reducing energy demand.

As regards the system executed in the City of Refuge, acombination of pan de verreand respiration exacte, thecomplaintsof the users to those in charge of the building,who passed these on in letters to Le Corbusier, werecompletely justified. The values indicated for indoortemperatures in the summer, resulting from themeasurements made by the technicians following thesecomplaints, coincide approximately with those obtainedin the simulations (between 29C and 31C in daylight).

As regards the simulations carried out and thesubsequent analysis of the system as designed initially,these validate Le Corbusier's project combining the murneutralisant and respiration exacte for theenvironmental conditioning of the City of Refuge, withwinter temperatures of up to 21C and summertemperatures around 25C, which can be considered tofall within the comfort band. Therefore, G. Lyon'scalculations for both systems and the trials executed inAugust 1932 by Saint Gobain, show the importance ofthis proposal which was over 50 years ahead of modernactive faade systems, whose clearest forerunner is thisproject by Le Corbusier.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors wish to thank researchers Enrique D.Fernndez Nieto and Gladys Narbona Reina from theUniversity of Seville for knowledge contributed.

REFERENCES1. Le Corbusier. (1983).Arme du Salut, Cit de Refuge. NewYork: Garland Publishing.2. Brian Brace, T. (1981).Restoration is not salvation: Cit deRefuge, Paris. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals.Progressive architecture, Nov., v.62, n.11, 116-119.3. Cooper, G. (1998).Air-Conditioning America: Engineersand the Controlled Environment, 1900-1960.Johns HopkinsUniv. Press.4. Lemoine, B. (1987). Le Corbusier dans L'Architecture

d'Aujourdhui.Architecture d'Aujourdhuin 9-45.5. Le Corbusier. (1947). When the cathedrals were white: a

journey to the country of timid people. New York: CornwallPress.6. Le Corbusier.(1946). Towards a New Architecture. London:Architectural Press.7. Slessor, C. (1997).Eco-Tech: Sustainable Architecture and

High Technology. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.8. Fernndez-Galiano, L. (2000).Fire and Memory: On

Architecture and Energy. Cambridge: Massachusetts Instituteof Technology.9. Senz de Oza, F.J. (1987).Entrevista a Francisco Sez deOiza.Revista del Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Madrid.264-265.

10. Cohen, J. L. (2004). Le Corbusier, 1887-1965: TheLyricism of Architecture in the Machine Age. London:Taschen.11. Bryan, H. (1991).Le Corbusier and the "Mur Neutralisant:

An Early Experiment in Double Envelope Construction.Proceedings of the Ninth International PLEA Conference.pp. 257-62.12. Boesiger, W. (1999).Le Corbusier et Pierre Jeanneret:oeuvrecomplete. Vol 2, 1929-1934.Basel, Suiza: Birkhauser.13. Colquhoun, A. (1987).The strategies of the GrandsTravaux. Avery Index to ArchitecturalPeriodicals.Assemblage, 4, 66-81.14. Le Braz. J. (1933). La transmission de la chaleur grvetravers le verre: Des ides nouvelles sur le chauffage deshabitations. Glaces et Verres, 20, 12-18.15. Brian Brace, T. (1987). Corbusier, the city of refuge, Paris1929-33.The University of Chicago Press.16. Brian Brace. T. (1979).La Cit de refuge di Le Corbusier,1929/33. Roma: OfficinaEdizioni.17. SaintGobain, [Online], Available: http://www.saint-gobain-sekurit.com/SP/index.asp?nav1=AU&nav2=AUSM/[13 September 2012].18. Frampton, K. (2002).Le Corbusier: Architect of theTwentieth Century. New York: Hary N. Abrams.19. James Inglis.D. (1988). Le Corbusier's test-bed: LeCorbusier: the City of Refuge, Paris 1929-33, by Brian BraceTaylor, with introduction by Kenneth Frampton [book review].20. Urbano, R. (2007-2009). About Le Mur Neutralisant &other strategies. The role of Le Corbusier environmental

control proposals in the evolution of the glass facade. Paris:Foundation Le Corbusier Research Fellowship. [Online],Available:http://www.rosaurbano.com/research/lecorbusier/lecorbusier.html [30 January 2012].

21. Sert, J.L, Tieleman, M. (2009). Le Corbusier, 1887-1965.Correspondance 1928-1965. Paris: ditions du Linteau.22. Ren Lvy. Cl. (1934). Cit de refuge de l'arme du salut,rue Cantagrel et rue deu Chevaleret, Paris: architectes LeCorbusier et P. Jeanneret. Avery Index to ArchitecturalPeriodicals. Architecte, August, 43-44, 81-84.23. Robertson, H. (1934). The Salvation Army Cit-Refuge,Paris, architects Le Corbusier & Jeanneret. Avery Index to

Architectural Periodicals. Architect and building news,Vol.137, 2, 165-169.24. Requena Ruiz, I. (2011). Arquitectura adaptada al climaen el movimiento moderno: Le Corbusier (1930-1960).Tesis.Universidad de Alicante. Escuela Politcnica Superior.25. DesignBuilder v.2.4.2.026. [Online], Available:http://www.designbuilder.es/descargas/software-designbuilder

[17 June 2012].26. EnergyPlus v.6.0. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).[Online],Available:http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energyplus/energyplus_training.cfm [2 September 2011].27. FreeFem++ v.-3.20. [Online], Available:http://www.freefem.org/ff++/[1 November 2011].

Future Technologies in Le Corbusier

Documents

Transcript of Future Technologies in Le Corbusier