CIAM 10, Dubrovnik. 1956

Also included is a typescript “rough translation” into English of Le Corbusier’s comments on the CIAM X program, which also records his objection to the preeminence of English in CIAM documentation. Although CIAM X ultimately took place elsewhere, it was originally intended to be convened in Algiers, and many items in the file refer to that initial site. Related documentation can also be found in John Voelcker’s report on CIAM 10, published in Architects’ Yearbook, vol. 8 (1957), pp. 43–52, along with a statement concerning CIAM’s future signed by Sert, Gropius, Giedion, and Tyrwhitt (p. 61). The file further includes a copy of the “Message de Le Corbusier” (typescript with holograph diagrams) dated from Cap Martin, 23 juillet 1956, as well as holograph notes by Le Corbusier entitled “Invitation au 10ème Congrès CIAM…,” containing his commentary on the “Habitat” theme. Much of the material was generated in preparation for the congress by the individuals and national groups that formed Team X and includes both theoretical and practical criticisms of CIAM’s structure and goals. Also present are schematic plans for the exhibit layouts at the 10th congress and manuscript notes by S. Giedion (related to the Dubrovnik meeting, according to Bosman). For further background, see Alison Smithson’s The Emergence of Team 10… (London, 1982), as Smithson was among the original Team X activists.