Why was Le Corbusier’s League of Nations design rejected from the competition?

Le Corbusier’s design for the League of Nations headquarters in Geneva was eliminated from the competition on the technicality that it had not been drawn up in India ink, as the competition rules had specifically required.1

While this procedural error served as the official reason for his disqualification, it is widely believed that the decision was the result of a conspiracy by conservative members of the jury who opposed his modern, functionalist approach. At the time, Le Corbusier’s proposal was revolutionary; rather than designing a traditional Neoclassical temple, he created an office building structured strictly according to its function.1

The scandal surrounding his elimination ultimately benefited the architect by associating him with the modern avant-garde movement and providing him with significant publicity.1