Villa Jeanneret-Perret, Modernist villa in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
Villa Jeanneret-Perret is a modernist residence in La Chaux-de-Fonds designed with a T-shaped plan comprising two main levels, an attic, and a loft positioned on steep terrain overlooking the city. The structure employs steel beams with brick pillars and fibrocement materials in its construction.
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, later Le Corbusier, opened his own office in La Chaux-de-Fonds in February 1912 at age 25 and built this house as his first independent project for his parents, who moved in that November. He lived and worked there intermittently until 1917. The family sold it in 1919; after several owners, the Association Maison blanche bought and restored it, opening it to the public in 2005.
The central salon was designed as a music room for Le Corbusier's mother, a music teacher, with four columns framing the space and a grand piano aligned with the orthogonal axes. The villa's nickname, Maison blanche, comes from its white stucco walls. Some furniture designed by Jeanneret is now held by the Musée des beaux-arts in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
The villa stands on a slope above La Chaux-de-Fonds, reached by a winding path that climbs from the street to the entrance, echoing the ascent Le Corbusier drew toward his "small Parthenon". Allow time for the walk up and check opening days before setting out, as the house is run by the Association Maison blanche and does not keep station-like hours.
The building used innovative construction materials of its time, combining steel beams with brick pillars and experimental fibrocement materials. This mix of materials shows how the architect blended early industrial techniques with traditional craftsmanship.
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