Reinforced concrete columns that lift a building above the ground level, creating an open space beneath. This allows the ground plane to flow freely under the building while providing structural support.
From French 'pilotis' (pile, post), originally referring to wooden posts driven into marshy ground. Le Corbusier adopted and popularized the term in his 'Five Points of Architecture' (1926).
Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye floats like a white ship above its green lawn, supported by slender pilotis that make the heavy concrete structure appear weightless. This simple idea revolutionized urban planning by allowing buildings to preserve ground-level circulation and green space in dense cities.
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