VILLA SCHWOB

Situated on the top of a sloping plot surrounded by walls, the house consists of a central square block extended on each side by semi-circular projections. On either side of the house are built a building for the kitchen and a pergola. Le Corbusier developed this construction according to the principle of the Dom-Ino house. The frame of the house (slabs and posts) in reinforced concrete allows Le Corbusier to exploit the free plan and the free facade, two notions that he later theorizes in the five points of the new architecture. Le Corbusier experiments for the first time with the flat roof as well as the regulatory lines on the facades.

The treatment of the facades, partially covered with yellow ochre bricks, is different depending on the street side or the garden side. On the street, the facade is almost blind with the exception of four portholes located on either side of a large empty panel. Conversely, the facade, overlooking the garden, is largely open to the outside with, in its center, a large bay window that runs from the ground floor to the first floor. On this facade, the second floor is set back from the lower levels, thus leaving room for a solarium and a garden terrace delimited by a cornice.
This exterior and its roof stand out compared to the houses built at this time in La Chaux-de-Fonds and will earn it the nickname of "Turkish House".

The house is on three levels and rests on a basement. The ground floor accommodates the double-height living room, lit by the huge bay window. The dining room, the games room, the library, a fireplace corner, the vestibule and the office complete this level. On the first floor, the staircase opens onto a gallery which overlooks the living room and distributes all the night spaces. The top floor is reserved for the servants' bedrooms.

Due to the initial budget being exceeded, relations between the client and the architect became strained. This limited Le Corbusier's contribution to the interior design of the house. Nevertheless, he designed a sofa bed. Inspired by the plan view of the house, he also created a chandelier for the living room and a painted niche located at the top of it.