The audacity and contradiction of the Plan Obus

    During the period between 1932 and 1942, Le corbusier was working unoffcially and non-commissioned on the Plan Obus that aimed for the city Algier for a long time, he proposed 6 different but very similar projects during this period. Although no part of the projects he proposed were put into construction, it considerably affected his later works and became an influential and most studied case in modern architecture and urban planning.

    However, after I went through the background and details of Plan Obus, I am surprised by his intention and ambition in this project. 

    First of all, I have to admit that this project turned out to be very ambitious or, we can even call itIn audacious. Corbusier envisioned the city Algier as the future capital of African and the connection point of African and mainland Europe. In his master plan for the city it shows that he designed Business center, civic zone, Industrial area, Civic zones, Leisure zones and Gardens and even week-end center.

Master plan of Plan Obus, Le Corbusier.

Source: 4.

Perspective rendering of Plan Obus, Le Corbusier

Source: 1.

What features the most in this design is a long arching elevated Viaduct that contains 14 residential levels beneath it to connect the city center and the suburbs. Even in this rendering photo this elevated highway looks gigantic and formidable. Something cannot be ignored is the fact that the city of Algier was actually divided by the indigenous Arab Casbah community and the colonial European community. The highway that works as an indispensable part in Corbusier's design is actually a bridge spanning over but not directly connected to the Casbah area that offers high speed transportation from above but ignore the poor traffic condition below result from the narrow and complex streets. It is not difficult to read the superiority of French in this Plan and to surmise Le Corbusier's support for the European colonization of Algiers.

The green area represents for Arabian quater, the blue represents for the sea.

    What contradict here is, firstly, from the record it shows Le Corbusier actually chose to stay in the Arabian area which was considered to be very dangerous among the Europeans at that time; What’s more, he really appreciated the way Arabian lives and he expressed this in his books.  He wrote " O inspiring image! Arabs, are there no peoples but you who dell in coolness and quiet, in the enchantment of proportions and savor of a humane architecture?" and he contrasted the European city in which" civilized people are hold up like rats."

    Obviously his affection was not so strongly expressed in his design. Although some areas and buildings were to be put into preserve, the historical Casbah was neglected while the European quarter was ornamented in neoclassical style that represents no connection with the local culture of Algier.

Source:

1.       ʻMachines for livingʼ,Reflections on Le Corbusierʼs Plan Obus (Algiers) & Unité dʼHabitation (Marseilles), Hugh Pouliot. Graduate Journal of Visual and Material Culture

Issue 4 | 2011

2.      http://archnet.org/library/places/one-place.jsp?place_id=1456&order_by=title&showdescription=1

3.      <http://www.bidoun.org/magazine/06-envy/blocking-the-casbah-le-corbusiers-algerian-fantasy-by-brian-ackley/

4.      <Le Corbusier, 1938-46> Les Editions d’ Architecture Zurich, 1946 fur Architektur Artemis Zurich Sixieme edition 1971.