is given significance by being the terminal upper point of the ramp. Le Corbusier's piloti perform a number of functions around the house, both inside and out. On the two longer elevations they are flush with the face of the façade and imply heaviness and support, but on the shorter sides they are set back, giving a floating effect that emphasises the horizontal dimension of the house. The wide strip window of the first-floor terrace has two baby piloti to support and stiffen the wall above. Although these piloti are in a similar plane to the larger columns below, a false perspective when viewed from outside the house gives the impression that they are located deeper within the house than they actually are. The Villa Savoye uses the horizontal ribbon windows found in his earlier villas. Unlike his contemporaries, Le Corbusier often chose to use timber windows rather than metal ones. It has been suggested that this is because he was interested in glass for its planar properties, and that the set-back position of the glass in the timber frame allowed the façade to be seen as a series of parallel planes. Later history Problems with the Savoyes caused by all the requests for additional payment from the contractors for all the changes were compounded by the need for early repairs to the new house. Each autumn, the Savoyes suffered rainwater leaks through the roof. The exclusion of downpipes and sills which would have disturbed their aesthetic made the white surfaces more susceptible to staining and erosion from overflowing rainwater. The building was also marred by cracks because the material was not designed for structural durability. The Savoyes continued to live in the house until 1940, leaving during World War II. It was occupied twice during the war: first by the Germans – when it was used as a hay store – and then by the Americans, with both occupations severely damaging the building. The Savoyes returned to their estate after the war, but were no longer in position to live as they had done before the war, and soon abandoned the house again. The villa was expropriated by the town of Poissy in 1958, which first used it as a public youth centre and later considered demolishing it to make way for a schoolhouse complex. Protests from architects who felt the house should be saved, and the intervention of