My house is a Le Corbusier

Following the residencies that took place in a number of architectural works of Le Corbusier, across Italy and France, Cristian Chironi takes the project My house is a Le Corbusier to a temporary residency in Argentina, in the studio-house of Doctor Curutchet at La Plata, Buenos Aires, until the end of August 2016. 

The Curutchet house, designed by Le Corbusier, was commissioned in 1948 by Dr. Pedro Domingo Curutchet, one of the leading innovators of medical surgery. The construction of the house was assigned to architect Amancio Williams, and took place between 1949 and 1955, when it was finally completed. It stands on four levels, and comprises of a courtyard that separates the clinic from the house. The construction acts as an example of the five fundamental principles of Le Corbusiers architecture. The house is a historical national monument in Argentina and currently houses the Colegio de Arquitectos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. 

The design of Casa Curutcher is in continuity with the ideas developed by Le Corbusier with the Unité d’Habitation in Marseille. One of the most interesting aspects of the story about the La Plata house is the relationship between the client, Dr. Curutchet, and the architect, Le Corbusier. Particularly the fact that Le Corbusier accepted a commission from a total stranger in a far away place, without a previous meeting or personal conversation. He never even set foot in the house nor in the construction site. Chironi turns these houses into privileged vantage points to better understand how the legacy of Le Corbusier is perceived today, and in what condition the “home of man” currently seen.

1–27 August 2016
Cristian Chironi. My house is a Le Corbusier
Casa Curutchet
Calle 53, n. 320, La Plata
Buenos Aires