Le Corbusier’s ‘Équipement’ as Pattern for Design Language

Abstract

This article highlights the autonomy of design language to appropriate concepts such as ‘équipement’ (essential elements for space equipment) by Le Corbusier (1920, L’Esprit Nouveau), interpreted as pattern (subsystems) by Alexander (1963, A Pattern Language). This discussion is involved in a current PhD Research Project in Design, proposing new configurational possibilities for building surfaces in the 21st century. Interpreting the ‘équipement’ rationale, the ‘patterns’ system is presented as design’s response to decline the industrialized city proposal in favour of the liquid modernity (Bauman).

As interpretation model we present an analogy between the project 'The Philips Pavilion' (1958) by Le Corbusier, and the project 'Gazebi' (1967) by Archizoom Associati. Two cases that respond to specific realities, favouring constant mutation typologies in building surfaces and respective mutation in the interaction with the user. This research aims to contribute towards the argument that the project of configurational proposals advocates design participation as key methodological tool in the development of the matter of city surface. The user is the interlocutor interpreting the city, living it and transforming it while construing the own existence.