Over the course of a year, DiMaio's team of seven students made three site visits to the Villa, documenting the existing structure. They produced a brochure which documents Le Corbusier’s original intentions through his original drawings, and which elaborates on the conceptual ideas and intentions, that have been lost or made invisible. The seminar brochure was intended also to assist the homeowners to better understand Le Corbusier’s hidden meanings and his insistence on the relationship of his architectural design strategies. Furthermore, the brochure made proposals for “surgically re-introducing” lost moments, such as reintroducing covered-over skylights and reintroducing curved walls which, over time, had been replaced by straight walls. They also created models and window mock-ups as a way to substantiate the reintroduction of missing or lost architectural elements.

The project has moved progressively since these studies. The five  homeowners have since signed on to the concept of a full renovation, interior and exterior, back to Le Corbusier’s initial intention and design of the Villa. Although what was once a single home is now a subdivided residential project, the plan is to create a contemporary home that has the spirit, ethos and design elements that once made the space great.

The Villa has been elevated to a Tier 1 status by the French government, which means that they will assist in the restoration expenses up to 50 percent. The goal is to raise private funds to restore the home in conjunction with the Fondation Le Corbusier.

This project was conducted with the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). A booklet documenting the entire process is available on the next page or by clicking here.