During the 1930s, Le Corbusier was working largely in hot countries, and the invention of the brise-soleil seemed to be the answer to problems of heat gain.
‘I take this opportunity on behalf of young people here to thank you for your latest gift to architecture: the brise-soleil, a splendid element, the key to infinite combinations. Now architecture is ready to take its place in life. You have given it a skeleton (independent structure), its vital organs (the communal services of a building), a fresh shining skin (the piloti). And now you have given it magnificent clothes, adaptable to all climates! You must be a little proud!’
Clive Entwistle