CASA CURUTCHET: When French Design Met Latin American Traditions in 1949

Who doesn’t love a flawless display of global intersections? What I love most about Casa Curutchet is that it combines Argentinian architectural design with French modernist architecture. Le Corbusier (full name: Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and overall renaissance man. He was a pioneer of what we now understand as modern architect

ure. Le Corbusier adopted this pseudonym because he believed that anyone could reinvent himself or herself for the better. And in building Casa Curutchet in Argentina for Dr. Pedro Domingo Curutchethe reinvented and diversified architecture, even if only once. Casa Curutchet was the only structure designed by Le Corbusier in South America, even though he traveled to Latin America a few times throughout his life. His influence did affect urban planning and architecture in Latin America. In Rio de Janeiro with the building of the Gustavo Capanema Palace, Le Corbusier was invited to oversee the project.

Casa Curutchet was built for an Argentine surgeon. It includes a medical office on the first floor. It has four levels and there is a courtyard between the medical office and house. The facade has a brise soleil, or sun-shading structure, that is common in French homes. Likewise, in the tradition of Latin American designing, courtyard houses are very common. Le Corbusier understood and respected the history of design and traditions of Latin America and combined those accents with a French modernist architecture that he was steadily developing. While Latin America has a history of negative interactions with European countries, this one house is a perfect example of how these historical intersections can lead to great beauty and design.