Hole & Corner magazine asked a few designers to describe their hole and corner - meaning their secret place of escape. My choice had to be La Tourette, I made the first of many visits in 1985 and found it a quite inspirational experience. Here is my description:

I’m not religious but I’ve been visiting La Tourette for many years as for me it is a place of design and architectural pilgrimage. It’s possible to rent a Friar’s cell and stay for a few days, have your meals in the refectory, and enjoy the building and its site. The thing for me is the experience of architectural space. Corbusier used his ‘Modulor’ system of measurements and proportion throughout the whole building, and this is something you are physically aware of. If there is such a thing as ‘good proportions’ then it exists here and it creates a positive feeling of well-being.

Each cell is modestly furnished with a cupboard, a bed, a chair, a desk, and has a door to a private balcony overlooking the beautiful countryside. The room is narrow (only 1.83m) - Modulor man can outstretch his arms and just touch the walls at each side. The ceiling (at 2.26m) is just touchable by reaching up. Yet there is no sense of restricted space, in fact it feels generous and seems right. During the day you can remain in your cell and think, read or draw; at meal-times you can join others - mostly designers, architects, and perhaps the occasional Dominican Friar or local farm-worker - for a simple meal and a glass of red wine. The chairs you sit on are designed by Jasper Morrison, and from its elevated position the refectory has panoramic views across the landscape. The double-height windows were designed by Le Corbusier’s collaborator, the composer Iannis Xenakis, with spacings inspired by harmonic sequences in music. Perfection!

The Couvent de Sainte Marie de La Tourette is a Dominican monastery, designed by Le Corbusier from 1953 and completed in 1960.