“L’emploi du quatrième mur sur le pan de verre”. Apariciones del concepto de cuarta pared en los libros, textos y documentos de Le Corbusier

Abstract

[EN] Le Corbusier’s fourth wall is a theoretical model that first appears in “La Ville Radieuse” in 1935, opening, after the free façade, a full range of possibilities to the design of the building’s envelope. It has mainly a practical character from its first wording, as the fourth wall clearly defines a set of instructions and a tool for projecting, The tool allows for the enclosures to be divided according the Modulor’s geometry, with each of these divisions being able to take on different functions (ventilation, illumination or views). In addition to this, the fourth wall’s tool is able to accommodate equipment modules inside the façade by increasing its thickness, place the glass in different protection or exposure positions or even placing screens or protection layers inside the building envelope’s thickness. While the theory seldom appeared in Le Corbusier’s writings, it was frequently used by the Rue de Sèvres 35 office due to its practical implications, either in projects or in completed buildings. The present work visits and analyses the fourth wall’s few appearances in the architect’s theoretical documents and attempts to untangle its “instruction manual. The article summarises as well the drift that the fourth wall theory experimented through the architect’s career, evidencing its ability to adapt to the constant technical development of his architecture.

[ES] Le Corbusier’s fourth wall is a theoretical model that first appears in “La Ville Radieuse” in 1935, opening, after the free façade, a full range of possibilities to the design of the building’s envelope. It has mainly a practical character from its first wording, as the fourth wall clearly defines a set of instructions and a tool for projecting, The tool allows for the enclosures to be divided according the Modulor’s geometry, with each of these divisions being able to take on different functions (ventilation, illumination or views). In addition to this, the fourth wall’s tool is able to accommodate equipment modules inside the façade by increasing its thickness, place the glass in different protection or exposure positions or even placing screens or protection layers inside the building envelope’s thickness. While the theory seldom appeared in Le Corbusier’s writings, it was frequently used by the Rue de Sèvres 35 office due to its practical implications, either in projects or in completed buildings. The present work visits and analyses the fourth wall’s few appearances in the architect’s theoretical documents and attempts to untangle its “instruction manual. The article summarises as well the drift that the fourth wall theory experimented through the architect’s career, evidencing its ability to adapt to the constant technical development of his architecture.