The International Modern Movement in Architecture which begun at the turn of the 20 Century had produced many modern master works, one of the most seminal of which is the Villa Savoye in France by Modern Master Architect Le Corbusier. In this house located in Poissy, France, Le Corbusier designed the house as a white Modernist Box, devoid of ‘decoration’ and instead celebrated the functionality of the Modern House, it is here that the phrases, “Form follows Function” and “A House is a Machine for Living in” were coined.

In many ways, the house at Lekub can be considered a work that pays ‘homage’ to Villa Savoye. The house had been designed as 2 separate ‘White’ boxes, joined together by a central connecting element. Window openings of appropriate sizes and design were cut out from the white boxes so as to satisfy the lighting and ventilation requirements of the space it houses. We felt that a completely ‘Modern’ white box may not be appropriate any more in this day and age, that is why we had introduced ‘timber look alike’ aluminium window grilles in some of the large window openings to give the house an appropriate degree of warmth and ‘human’ touch. This idea seemed successful in making the house ‘softer’ and psychologically more friendly to use and live in.

The layout of the house is as functional and efficient as it can be – like a ‘machine’. All the functional spaces like bedrooms, the gym, Living and Dining Rooms, Kitchen are placed opposite each other on plan and it is served by an elegant and efficient straight flight staircase located on the side of the central connecting element. Rooms and spaces can thus be reached by an axial corridor connecting the front and back of the house.

We are not sure if we had intentionally or unconsciously made references to the Villa Savoye in the design of this house, but both client and Architect have been especially delighted by the final result. We are proud to be associated with such an important moment in the History of Architecture and Design.