In a previous paper on the Modulor (1943–1949) research that began after the Second World War, the authors focused on the repeated transformations in representations of the human body due to the deepening of the theory, and thereby verified that the “occupation of space” concept was attained by correlating every part of the human body and human gesture to the Fibonacci Series, based on the Golden Ratio.
This paper is intended to demonstrate that for the Unité d’Habitation Marseille / UHM (1942–52), the first project in which the Modulor was applied, human figures were depicted in the design drawings. By the time this project was completed, a total of 35 to 90 staff members of ATBAT (Atelier des Batisseures), organized within the office of Le Corbusier (1987–1965), had produced more than 2,700 drawings. How was the Modulor implemented within this complex process?
By investigating the drawings, it was discovered that the design staff, including Le Corbusier, depicted human figures in 141 drawings, in order to enable the introduction of the Modulor. Were the human figures used to aid the adoption of suitable Modulor values for suitable building locations and parts, that is to say, for evaluation and verification?
The verification of this hypothesis is as follows:
1) The basic material comprises 2,742 drawings in the drawing archive UHM at the Le Corbusier Foundation.
2) From domestic and foreign publications related to UHM, items related to the Modulor were organized in chronological order, in order to understand the introduction process.
3) For each drawing, the locations to which the Modulor had been applied (apartments, roof-terrace, common spaces, pilotis etc.) and the Modulor numerical values that had been adopted, were arranged in chronological order, and the ranges and tendencies of the numerical values were considered.
As a result of the above considerations and analyses, it was ascertained that eight Modulor values (27cm, 43cm, 70cm, 86cm, 113cm, 140cm, 183cm, 226cm), taken from the body and its extensions, have been used for the heights of building elements in the apartments and the roof terrace of UHM. It was also ascertained that, among these Modulor values, 86cm was adopted in most places. This is described in the book Modulor I, and confirmed in our previous article. This supports the necessity of the raising of the right hand, which places the hand at a height of 86cm. It was ascertained that, by depicting human figures in the drawings, the design staff shared the “occupation of space” concept and respected these numerical values.
In addition, feedback from the introduction of the Modulor to UHM revealed that a line at a height of 86cm connects the kitchen counter to the loggia table, as an element that integrates the loggia space from the kitchen to the dining and living area in each apartment. It was also found that the parapet (160cm high) on the roof terrace gives a sense of unity to the body for exercise, play, and recreation.
Unlike the planning theories of modern architecture based on rationalism and functionalism, unlike the pursuit of manufacturing efficiency, and furthermore unlike the geometry-based tracés régulateurs previously used by Le Corbusier, these are alternative architectural principles based on active body dimensions, suitable for postwar living spaces.
