Pavilion Le Corbusier reopens in Zurich after renovation

Le Corbusier’s very last realised project, originally inaugurated in 1967, the Pavilion Le Corbusier in Zurich, is experiencing a popular summer after its reopening in May. Between October 2017 and February 2019 architects Silvio Schmed and Arthur Rüegg worked on a meticulous renovation of the iconic landmark status structure to return it to its former colourful, art-filled glory.
The 600 sq m steel and glass structure, which unfolds across four storeys, was designed by the great master at the request of interior designer, gallery owner, and patron Heidi Weber, who visualisedit as the ideal exhibition venue and destination for art. Le Corbusier duly obliged, creating a building that was ‘a synthesis of the arts’ – bringing together art, architecture and life. For architecture and design lovers, the pavilion also reflects the well known modernist's wider principles on prefabrication, circulation, his fondness of roof gardens, and presents an opportunity to see some of his furniture design.
Stairway, Pavillon Le Corbusier, 2018.
Chimney pipe, Pavillon Le Corbusier, 2018.
When the lease for the land the pavilion was built on ran out in 2014, the structure was passed to the local authorities to be operated by the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich. The team has since made it their goal to return the pavilion to its original purpose – displaying art – and going forwards will be presenting a series of exhibitions that explore Le Corbusier from different angles. To meet increased public interest, opening hours extend to seven months a year (May to November) and six days a week.
The current exhibition, running until November, titled ‘Mon Univers’, explores Le Corbusier’s passion for collecting. As well as an architect, architectural theorist and urban planner, Le Corbusier was also an active painter, craftsman, sculptor, and furniture designer, who amassed many objects such as conch shells, ceramics from the Balkans, flotsam, and industrial glass that he would arrange in assemblages for inspiration.
Original pieces from the architect's private collection, spanning historical photographs, casts, paintings, ceramics, bronzes and furniture, are displayed alongside loans from the Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris and the Antikenmuseum Basel, and 16mm film clips of Le Corbusier, building a visual and thematic journey through the pavilion; while his legendary 1931 installation ‘Les arts dits primitifs dans la maison d’aujourd’hui’ has been recreated in the two-story atrium on the ground floor.
Lounge area on second floor with the LC 1–4 by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand, 2018.
Façade with enamel panels, 2018.
Ramp with side window, 2018.
Installation view of ‘Mon univers’ exhibition, first floor of the Pavillon Le Corbusier, 2019.
Roof terrace, 2019.
Installation view of ‘Mon univers’ exhibition, second floor of the Pavillon Le Corbusier, 2019.
Kitchen corner, 2018.
Façade detail, 2019.
Pavillon Le Corbusier, 2019.
First floor, 2019.
Ramp with side window, 2018.
First floor, 2019.
Installation view of ‘Mon univers’ exhibition, basement floor, 2019.
INFORMATION
museum-gestaltung.ch
‘Mon univers’, Pavilion Le Corbusier, 11 May – 17 November 2019
ADDRESS
Pavillon Le Corbusier
Höschgasse 8
8008 Zurich
Switzerland
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
Ten lesser-known haunts to make your Madrid stay memorable
Celebrated for its Beaux-Arts architecture, art museums and culinary creativity, Madrid continues to reinvent itself thanks to a buoyant cultural scene
-
Lulu Harrison is the Ralph Saltzman Prize winner 2025
The Design Museum, London, announces Lulu Harrison as winner of The Ralph Saltzman Prize for emerging designers, and will showcase her work from 24 June to 25 August 2025
-
Reimagining roots: highlights from Design Shanghai 2025
The 12th edition of Design Shanghai reflected the evolution of Chinese creativity despite challenges to the sector, with participants exploring the intersection of tradition and innovation
-
Discover Canadian modernist Daniel Evan White’s pitch-perfect homes
Canadian architect Daniel Evan White (1933-2012) had a gift for using the landscape to create extraordinary homes; revisit his story in an article from the Wallpaper* archives (first published in 2011)
-
A night at Pierre Jeanneret’s house, Chandigarh’s best-kept secret
Pierre Jeanneret’s house in Chandigarh is a modernist monument, an important museum of architectural history, and a gem hidden in plain sight; architect, photographer and writer Nipun Prabhakar spent the night and reported back
-
Lina Bo Bardi, the misunderstood modernist, and her influential architecture
A sense of mystery clings to Lina Bo Bardi, a modernist who defined 20th-century Brazilian architecture, making waves still felt in her field; here, we explore her work and lasting influence
-
Oscar Niemeyer: a guide to the Brazilian modernist, from big hits to lesser-known gems
Architecture master Oscar Niemeyer defined 20th-century architecture and is synonymous with Brazilian modernism; our ultimate guide explores his work, from lesser-known schemes to his big hits; and we revisit a check-in with the man himself
-
Audrey Hepburn’s stunning Swiss country home could be yours
Audrey Hepburn’s La Paisable house in the tranquil village of Tolochenaz is for sale
-
Modernist Travel Guide: a handy companion to explore modernism across the globe
‘Modernist Travel Guide’, a handy new pocket-sized book for travel lovers and modernist architecture fans, comes courtesy of Wallpaper* contributor Adam Štěch and his passion for modernism
-
Discover architect Ico Parisi’s modernist sanctuaries on the banks of Lake Como
A string of sculptural sanctuaries by architect Ico Parisi on the banks of Lake Como helped cement the area as the heartland of Italian modernism; we explore his work in an article from the Wallpaper* archives
-
Ukrainian Modernism: a timely but bittersweet survey of the country’s best modern buildings
New book ‘Ukrainian Modernism’ captures the country's vanishing modernist architecture, besieged by bombs, big business and the desire for a break with the past