Le Corbusier's Modulor: Human Proportion and Sacred Measure

BY NICOLE LAU

Le Corbusier drew a human figure—6 feet tall, arm raised—and divided it according to the golden ratio. From this figure, he derived a series of measurements: 113, 70, 43, 27, 16.6 centimeters—each related to the next by phi (φ = 1.618). He called it the Modulor: a proportional system based on human dimensions and the Fibonacci sequence, designed to bring mathematical harmony to modern architecture. This wasn't just ergonomics. This was sacred geometry for the machine age, an attempt to reconnect modernism with ancient wisdom, to prove that human proportion and divine proportion are the same thing.

Le Corbusier (1887-1965) was modernism's prophet—advocating for "machines for living," concrete and steel, the rejection of ornament. Yet he was also a mystic, obsessed with the golden ratio, with proportional systems, with the belief that architecture must be based on universal laws, that buildings should resonate with the human body and the cosmic order simultaneously.

Let's decode the Modulor. Let's see how Le Corbusier tried to unite the ancient and the modern, the human and the divine.

The Modulor System: Sacred Geometry Meets Ergonomics

The Concept:

• Based on a 6-foot (183 cm) man – With arm raised, reaching 226 cm
• Divided by the golden ratio – Each measurement relates to the next by φ (1.618)
• Two series – The Red Series and Blue Series, interlocking
• The goal – A universal proportional system for architecture and design
• The claim – "A harmonious measure to the human scale, universally applicable to architecture and mechanics"

The Red Series (based on navel height):

• 113 cm – Navel height (the golden section of 183 cm)
• 70 cm – 113 ÷ φ
• 43 cm – 70 ÷ φ
• 27 cm – 43 ÷ φ
• 16.6 cm – 27 ÷ φ
• The pattern – Each number is the sum of the previous two (Fibonacci)

The Blue Series (based on raised arm height):

• 226 cm – Total height with arm raised
• 140 cm – 226 ÷ φ
• 86 cm – 140 ÷ φ
• 53 cm – 86 ÷ φ
• 33 cm – 53 ÷ φ
• The interlock – Red and Blue series work together for all dimensions

The Philosophy:

• Human-centered – All measurements derive from the human body
• Mathematically harmonious – Based on phi, the divine proportion
• Universal – Applicable to any building, any scale
• Modern yet ancient – Connecting modernism to timeless principles

The Five Points of Architecture: Modernist Mysticism

Le Corbusier's Five Points (1927):

1. Pilotis (Columns):

• Raise the building on columns – Freeing the ground floor
• The symbolism – Lifting the building toward heaven, lightness, freedom
• Practical benefit – Better ventilation, flood protection, parking underneath
• The teaching – Architecture should float, not burden the earth

2. Free Floor Plan:

• Columns support the structure – Walls are non-load-bearing, can be placed anywhere
• The symbolism – Freedom, flexibility, the dissolution of rigid boundaries
• Practical benefit – Spaces can be reconfigured as needed
• The teaching – Like Wright's "destroy the box," but through engineering

3. Free Facade:

• The facade is independent of structure – Can be designed freely
• The symbolism – Truth in construction, honesty in materials
• Practical benefit – More windows, better light
• The teaching – Form follows structure, not decoration

4. Ribbon Windows:

• Horizontal bands of windows – Running the length of the facade
• The symbolism – Light, openness, connection to outside
• Practical benefit – Maximum natural light and views
• The teaching – Light is essential; buildings should be filled with it

5. Roof Garden:

• Flat roofs become gardens – Returning green space to the city
• The symbolism – Paradise regained, nature elevated
• Practical benefit – Insulation, recreation, beauty
• The teaching – Architecture should give back what it takes from nature

Villa Savoye: The Modulor in Practice (1931)

The Design:

• All five points demonstrated – Pilotis, free plan, free facade, ribbon windows, roof garden
• Modulor proportions – Every dimension based on the system
• Pure white cube – Floating above the landscape on slender columns
• The ramp – A promenade architecturale, a journey through the building

The Experience:

• Arrival by car – The curve of the ground floor accommodates the turning radius
• The ascent – Walking up the ramp, a ritual procession
• The roof garden – Emerging into light, sky, nature elevated
• The framed views – Windows as paintings, landscape as art
• The teaching – Modern life can be beautiful, rational, and spiritual

The Symbolism:

• The machine aesthetic – Clean lines, industrial materials, efficiency
• Yet also sacred – Proportioned by phi, oriented to sun, designed for contemplation
• The paradox – A "machine for living" that's also a temple

Unité d'Habitation: The Vertical City (1952)

The Concept:

• A self-contained community – 337 apartments in one building
• Marseille, France – Post-war housing for 1,600 people
• All Modulor proportions – Every apartment, corridor, window based on the system
• Internal streets – Shopping, services, school, hotel inside the building
• Roof terrace – Gym, running track, kindergarten, sculptural elements

The Innovation:

• Interlocking apartments – Like a 3D puzzle, maximizing space
• Double-height living rooms – Creating spaciousness in small units
• Béton brut (raw concrete) – Exposed concrete, showing construction honestly
• Pilotis – The building raised on massive columns, freeing the ground

The Philosophy:

• Democratic housing – Beautiful, well-proportioned homes for workers
• Community – Shared facilities, internal streets, social interaction
• The vertical garden city – All the benefits of a city in one building
• The teaching – Modern architecture can solve social problems through good design

Ronchamp: The Mystic's Chapel (1954)

The Surprise:

• Le Corbusier abandons rationalism – Creates a sculptural, emotional, mystical building
• Notre-Dame du Haut – A pilgrimage chapel in Ronchamp, France
• Curved walls, swooping roof – Organic, irrational, poetic
• Thick walls with small windows – Creating dramatic light effects
• The shock – Critics couldn't believe the rationalist created this

The Design:

• The roof – Like a nun's habit, or a ship's sail, or praying hands
• The walls – Thick, white, curving, like a cave or a shell
• The windows – Small, deep, colored glass, creating jewel-like light
• The towers – Three light towers, each with different character
• Still Modulor – Despite the curves, proportions follow the system

The Mysticism:

• Light as divine presence – Like Hagia Sophia, light creates the sacred
• The cave – Primal, womb-like, a return to origins
• The horizon – The altar faces the rising sun
• The teaching – Rationalism and mysticism are not opposites; both seek truth

The Constant Beneath the Concrete

Here's the deeper truth: Le Corbusier's Modulor, Vitruvius's human proportions, and Leonardo's Vitruvian Man are all describing the same reality—the human body embodies the golden ratio, and when architecture is proportioned to the human form, it automatically aligns with cosmic harmony because humans themselves are microcosms of universal order.

This is Constant Unification: The Modulor's phi-based measurements, the Parthenon's golden ratio, and the human body's Fibonacci proportions are all expressions of the same invariant pattern—certain proportions are fundamental to both human perception and cosmic structure, and architecture that honors these proportions resonates with both body and universe.

Different systems, same ratio. Different eras, same harmony.

Practicing Modulor Wisdom

You can apply these principles:

1. Study the golden ratio – Learn phi, the Fibonacci sequence, sacred proportion
2. Design from the body – Use human dimensions as your starting point
3. Create proportional systems – Derive all measurements from a few key ratios
4. Embrace both reason and intuition – Like Le Corbusier, be rational and mystical
5. Visit his buildings – Villa Savoye, Unité, Ronchamp—experience the proportions
6. Use the Modulor – Apply the system to your own designs
7. Remember: machines can be sacred – Modernism and spirituality can coexist

Conclusion: The Measure Endures

Le Corbusier's buildings have become icons—Villa Savoye, Unité d'Habitation, Ronchamp. His Modulor system influenced generations of architects, even if they didn't always acknowledge it. His belief that modern architecture could be both rational and sacred, both machine-like and mystical, opened a path that many still walk.

He understood something profound: The golden ratio isn't just mathematics. It's the proportion of the human body, the spiral of galaxies, the structure of DNA. When we build according to these proportions, we're not imposing arbitrary rules—we're aligning with the fundamental patterns of existence.

The Modulor man still stands, arm raised, divided by phi. The buildings still demonstrate the five points. The proportions still sing with mathematical harmony. And those who study them—those who measure, calculate, and feel the rightness of the ratios—they experience what Le Corbusier intended:

"A module based on the human figure, on the golden section, on the Fibonacci series—this is not decoration. This is not style. This is the recognition that we are part of a cosmic order, that our bodies encode universal laws, and that architecture, at its highest, makes these laws visible, tangible, livable."

📐👤✨