Couvent Sainte Marie de la Tourette by Joseph Horton

In 1986, the convent of La Tourette in Éveux, by the great architect Le Corbusier, was elected the second most important contemporary building in France. The convent was built between 1953 and 1960 and is the last major work of the architect in France, making it a must-see building for architecture lovers. I visited in the heat of summer and was immediately transfixed with its presence in the landscape. Jutting from the hillside, its views spread over the valley and provide the inhabitants with a connection to the land that they dwell in. Outside the building are woodlands and meadows with nature’s soft design, but within the building all I could see was Corbusier’s obsession with formality and shape. It was a fantastic building to photograph and my aim was to show the viewer how it felt as you navigated its channels and spaces.