The idea of a structure where individual and collective life are juxtaposed without being merged is also evident in Carthusian monasticism, which attempted to combine eremitic and cenobitic life in the same place. One of the most remarkable examples of this tradition is the Monastery of Galluzzo, near Florence, which had a strong influence on Le Corbusier’s idea of collective housing. In this monastery, the cloister binds together nine distinct houses, each of them equipped with a garden and basic facilities for individual living. The architecture is modest and austere, but the possibility of
...more
