Replica of the L'Esprit Nouveau Pavilion

The Pavilion of the New Spirit was part of the project presenting an urban vision “Contemporary City for Three Million Inhabitants” (Contemporary City for 3,000,000 Residents, 1922). Le Corbusier designed the pavilion in 1924 for the World Exposition Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes, which took place in Paris from April to October 1925, and the pavilion was demolished at the end of April and beginning of May 1926. The pavilion was not warmly received by the public due to its visual simplicity. Its clean form strongly contrasted with the neighboring pavilions, which were designed in the then-popular Art Deco style. The geometric shape of this building stands out for its simplicity and demonstrates Corbusier's interest in industrialization. The use of concrete and steel materials evokes a sense of rawness, and the reduction of colors further stimulates emotions associated with this feeling. The Pavilion L'Esprit Nouveau embodies aspects of the International Style, characterized by the use of ribbon windows and an open floor plan. Another element of Corbusier's design is the effort to integrate nature into the very structure. A tree was part of the pavilion, growing through a circular opening in the roof structure.
The Pavilion L'Esprit Nouveau was considered a revolutionary building. The pavilion could be described as “the first small house,” whose positive aspect was its economic efficiency, which was also reflected in the house's furnishings. The interior is dominated by built-in furniture, such as cabinets, shelves, and wardrobes, which help save space. This can also be seen as a revolutionary interior solution, as built-in furniture was often an unknown concept to the public at that time. Among the furnishings, Le Corbusier chose bent wood chairs from Thonet (No. B9). The exhibition also included several works by the Cubist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz.
Thus, a modern interior was successfully created solely by emphasizing function, without any ornaments. With this project, Corbusier managed to show the world that pure shapes created by industry have value.