Villa La Roche. Le Corbusier. (1994)

Tim Benton examines the history of the Villa La Roche in Paris. The programme explores the motives of Le Corbusier in developing the site for the Swiss banker and art collector, Raoul La Roche. Taking a detailed look at the finished house and comparing its present state with photographs taken in the 1920s, the programme sets out to explain why and how the particular architectural forms came about. The development of the plans and ideas for the house can only be explained when we know something of the often divergent desires of architect and client as well as Le Corbusier's involvement with the ideas and practice of purist art at the time, exemplified in the magazine, "L'Esprit Nouveau."