The Modular

Le Corbusier developed the Modular in the long tradition of Vitruvius, Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, the work of Leone Battista Alberti, and other attempts to discover mathematical proportions in the human body, also known as Golden Ratio and then to use that knowledge to improve both the appearance and function of architecture. The system is based on human measurements, the double unit, the Fibonacci numbers, and the golden ratio. Le Corbusier described it as a "range of harmonious measurements to suit the human scale, universally applicable to architecture and to mechanical things."

Le Corbusier published Le Modular in 1948, followed by Modulor 2 in 1955. These works were first published in English as The Modular in 1954 and Modular 2 (Let the User Speak Next) in 1958.

Le Corbusier used his Modular scale in the design of many buildings, including Notre Dame du Haute and buildings in Chandigarh. In the construction of the first Unité d'Habitation apartment building, in Marseilles, a version was cast in concrete near the entrance.