ARCHITECTURE / LE CORBUSIER’S TAKE ON MYKONOS

“Whatever architecture had to say, it is said here,” pioneering French architect le Corbusier famously said while visiting Mykonos, in 1939. 

The iconic Cycladic island, known today as a party destination, was something quite different in the 1930s, in the pre-Jackie Kennedy Onassis era. 

Because of her regular travels to Mykonos, over time some of her mythical aura rubbed off on the island, and ever since, people have journeyed here to take part of a hedonistic lifestyle in beautiful settings. 

Even so, the typical Mykonian house can easily be found by those who look for it, often as part of a small settlement, almost like a tiny village. 

It is invariably built on the best spot of the family land, high up near a rock or perhaps in a garden, facing south to shelter it from the strong northern winds. 

The main courtyard is the most important part of the house, as this is where the family will spend most of its time. All interior areas – bedroom, kitchen, bakery, and barn – lead out to the courtyard. 

It was the simplicity of these structures that inspired Le Corbusier, and it is easy to see the connections between his modernist aesthetics and the deeply traditional buildings of Mykonos. 

This demonstrates that there is no inherent contradiction between current ideals and a conservative approach to architecture, regardless of what contemporary architects and design theorists seem to think. 

The houses could easily expand, if the family needed it to – simply add on one more building, and you have an additional room! 

There was one important difference between le Corbusier’s modernist visions and the building traditions of Mykonos. Le Corbusier planned for a modern family, not working more than perhaps 40 or 50 hours a week. Families in old Greece had to work continuously; there was no work/life-balance to speak of. 

Today, many of the old homes have been transformed into luxury villas, with few remaining traces. New buildings tend to be designed in the style perceived as traditional Cycladic architecture, but these do not account for the island’s natural characteristics. 

However, there is still a strong interest among architects for the wisdom and lived knowledge manifested in the traditional houses, and many study them to learn how to create buildings that fit human life (rather than trying to simply fit humans into buildings).