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Over his extensive and noteworthy career, Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier developed a manifesto of architectural principles that would guide his work. An open internal floor plan, a free design of the facade, a substantial horizontal window, and roof gardens were four of the "Five Points of Architecture" that he instilled within his projects. Perhaps the most visible entry on the list is the implementation of pilotis, a grid of reinforced columns that bears the structural load and replaces supporting walls.
Pilotis are columns, pillars, or stilts that elevate a building above ground or water. They are employed for practical purposes in fishermen's huts across Asia and Northern Europe, while finding a more aesthetic application in modern developments. By raising levels of the building off the ground, space that would otherwise be occupied by internal walls and corridors is instead dedicated to a variety of functions. Parking, pedestrian pathways, and green spaces have historically been occupants of these spaces.
One of Le Corbusier's most recognizable works, Villa Savoye (above) just outside of Paris, elevates the volume with pilotis to allow for a continuity of the surrounding green space. Pilotis found an even larger use in the Brutalist Marseilles Housing Unit, which suspends 337 apartments on a series of exterior concrete columns.
Pilotis have never particularly gone out of style but advancements in technology have altered their material and structural applications worldwide, with some buildings experimenting with form and colour to make the greatest visual or programmatic impact on the ground.
Among the examples of buildings in Toronto that use pilotis, there is one very well known one from recent years, and another soon-to-be-well-known one that is still under construction. The image above is OCAD University's Will Alsop-designed Sharp Centre for Design, famously perched several floors above the street on colourful, canted pilotis, while the image below shows the St Lawrence Market North Building, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners with Adamson Associates Architects, now under construction on Front Street at Jarvis.
While the exterior of the new North Market building is wrapped by pilotis at ground level, an interior shot from November, 2022 (below) shows that the interior is supported by pilotis as well, allowing for a voluminous public space for an open ground level market to function. The floors above, set to become new traffic courts for the City of Toronto, are supported just through the grid of pilotis within and around the perimeter of the building.
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From 2015 to 2017, UrbanToronto and its sister publication, SkyriseCities, ran an occasional series of articles under the heading Explainer. Each one took a concept from Urban Planning, Architecture, Construction, or other topics that often wind up in our publications, and presented an in depth look at it. It's time to revisit (and update where necessary) those articles for readers who are unfamiliar with them. While you may already know what some of these terms mean, others may be new to you. We are publishing or updating and republishing Explainer on a weekly basis. This article is an update of one that was originally published in 2017.
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| Related Companies: | Adamson Associates Architects, Buttcon Limited, CFMS Consulting Inc., Engineering Link Inc, entro, Entuitive, Norris Fire Consulting Inc |
