In his 1927 manifesto, Five Points of Architecture, Le Corbusier made horizontal windows a core concept of his architectural philosophy. These long narrow windows which could wrap around the façade’s length like a ribbon, he argued, were the best way to offer evenly light spaces throughout a building without compromising privacy. Le Corbusier’s ‘ribbon window’ (highlighted in emblematic projects like his Villa Savoye) quickly became a staple of modernist architecture. From schools to office buildings and apartment blocks, the ribbon window became somewhat omnipresent.
One hundred years later, in a step that follows a similar logic yet moves away from Le Corbusier’s iconic signature, architects continue playing with new configurations for fenestration. Whether by de-emphasizing the horizontal nature of windows or experimenting with different shapes, sizes and compositions, architects are moving towards more tailored and idiosyncratic approaches to fenestration design.
