CHANDIGARH

CHARLES EDOUARD JEANNERET NOW POPULARLY KNOWN AS LE CORBUSIER

October 6, 1887 – August 27, 1965)

INTRODUCTION

•SINCE PUNJAB WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS, THE CAPITAL WAS LEFT IN PAKISTAN THERE FORE PUNJAB IN INDIA REQUIRED NEW CAPITAL-CHANDIGARH.

•LE CORBUSIER WAS APPROACHED BY PUNJAB GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA.

•CHANDIGARH IS A BOLD EXPERIMENT IN MODERN CIVIC DESIGN.

•CHANDIGARH HAS PROVOKED FRESH THINKING AND IN FACT SHOWN NEW WAY OF LIFE.

•MAXWELL FRY, JANE DREW AND PIERRE JEANNERET WERE ALSO INVOLVED IN THE TEAM OF ARCHITECTS

•WHEN LE CORBUSIER ASSUMED CONTROL OF THE CHANDIGARH PROJECT IN 1951, HOWEVER THE DESIGN OF THE CITY HAD ALREADY BEEN DEVISED BY THE NEW YORK FIRM OF MAYER, WHITTLESEY, AND GLASS WHO RECEIVED A CONTRACT FOR THE MASTER PLAN OF CHANDIGARH IN 1950

ALBERT MAYER THE MASTER PLAN

• MAYER WAS THE FIRST ONE TO GET THE CHANDIGARH PROJECT.

•MAYER STATED THAT HE WAS TRYING TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT

REALLY APPLIES TO WHAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT MUCH BUT WHICH

HAS BEEN AT BEST DONE IN A LIMITED WAY IN RADBUBN,THE GREENBELT

TOWNS AND BALDWIN HILLS.

•THE BASIC AIM, STATED MAYER,WAS A BEAUTIFUL CITY.

•THE MASTER PLAN WHICH ALBERT MAYER PRODUCED FOR

CHANDIGARH ASSUMES A FAN-SHAPED OUTLINE,SPREADING GENTLY TO

FILL THE FILE THE SITE BETWEEN THE TWO RIVER BEDS.

•THE PROVINCIAL GOVT. BUILDINGS ARE LOCATED THE UPPER EDGE OF

THE CITY WITHIN A FORK IN ONE OF THE RIVERS,WHILE THE CENTRAL

BUSINESS DISTRICT OCCUPIES AN AREA NEAR THE CENTER. A CURVING

NETWORK OF MAIN ROADS SURROUNDS THE RESIDENTIAL SUPER

BLOCKS, EACH OF WHICH CONTAINS A CENTRAL AREA OF PARKLAND

Drawings showing Mayer’s master plan and neighbourhood

unit on top and Le Corbusier´s plan and Sector below.

•THE FLATNESS OF THE SITE ALLOWED

ALMOST COMPLETE FREEDOM IN

CREATING STREET LAYOUT AND IT IS

OF INTEREST TO NOTE HAT THE

OVERALL PATTERN DELIBERATELY

AVOIDS A GEOMETRIC GRID IN FAVOUR

OF A LOOSELY CURVING SYSTEM.

•THE PROVINCIAL GOVT. BUILDINGS

ARE LOCATED THE UPPER EDGE OF

THE CITY WITHIN A FORK IN ONE OF

THE RIVERS, WHILE THE CENTRAL

BUSINESS DISTRICT OCCUPIES AN

AREA NEAR THE CENTER.

•A CURVING NETWORK OF MAIN

ROADS SURROUNDS THE

RESIDENTIAL SUPERBLOCKS,EACH

OF WHICH CONTAINS A CENTRAL

AREA OF PARKLAND

MASTER PLAN

•IN 1951 IT WAS GIVEN TO LE CORBUSIER

•IN CHANDIGARH LE CORBUSIER SYTEM OF SELF SUPPORTING

NEIGHBORHOOD UNIT KNOWN AS A SECTOR HAS WORKED VERY WELL

•SECTOR WHICH IS INTROVERTED IN CHARACTER COMMUNICATES ONLY

AT 4 JUNCTIONS WITH THE ADJOINING NEIGHBOURHOOD UNITS

•ALL THE HOUSES OPEN UP INSIDE

•GRID PLANNING IS DONE

•CHANDIGARH PLANNING WAS DONE IN AN MANNER THAT EVERYTHING

WAS EASILY CLEAR ABOUT THE ROUTES AND SECTORS

•7 V’S ROAD SYSTEM IS USED

•THE ROADS ARE CLASSIFIED AS V1 ,V2 ,V3………V7

•CORBUSIER’S CONCEPTUAL SKETCH SHOWING THE V-ROAD

SYSTEM

V1-CONNECTS CHANDIGARH

TO OTHER CITIES

V2 -ARE THE MAJOR AVENUES

OF THE CITY

V3 -ARE THE CORRIDORS

STREETS FOR VEHICULAR

TRAFFIC ONLY

V4…..V7 -ARE THE ROADS WITHIN THE SECTORS

Drawings showing the realisation of the first phase of Chandigarh from 1951-66.

Source: Documenting Chandigarh

1.INSPECTING THE SITE,1951.

2.BUILDING ROADS, 1951.

3.MINISTERS BUNGALOW, SEC-2,1956.

4.NURSERY SCHOOL, SECTOR -16,1956.

1.TOWN HALL & STATE LIBRARY, SEC-17,1961.

2.POLYTECHNIQUE FOR MEN, SEC-26,1961.

3.GANDHI BHAVAN, SEC-14,1966.

4.ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, SEC-14.1966.

THE SECTOR

In its first phase Chandigarh was organized in 30sectors. The sector was conceived

as an autonomous unit including housing as well as all service needed for everyday

life: schools, artisans, shops, leisure.

THE CITY LANDSCAPE PLAN OF THE FIRST PHASES, SHOWING THE LEISURE VALLEY & THE SWATHS OF GREEN SPACES THAT ALSO ACT AS FLOOD CONTROL

THE GROWTH OF CHANDIGARH

1966-96, STARTING WITH

SECTORS 1 & 2 IN PHASE 1, &

CURRENTLY CONSISTING OF 86 SECTORS

ANALYSIS OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF SOCIAL GROUPS IN CHANDIGARH IN 1998.

EACH SECTOR IS DESIGNATED BY NUMBER,THE CAPITAL COMPLEX BEING NUMBER 1,WITH

THE REMAINING SECTORS NUMBERED CONSECUTIVELY BEGINNING AT THE NORTH CORNER

OF THE CITY.

EXISTING PLAN OF SECTOR – 22 (HAVING POPULATION OF 25000 PEOPLE)

•EACH SECTOR IS DESIGNATED BY NUMBER,THE CAPITAL COMPLEX BEING NUMBER 1,WITH

THE REMAINING SECTORS NUMBERED CONSECUTIVELY BEGINNING AT THE NORTH CORNER

OF THE CITY.

•Drawings showing sector 22 with its shopping district running across the sector.

COMPARATIVE FIGURE GROUND DIAGRAMS OF ONE SQUARE MILE AREA

•THE AREA OF THE GREATEST SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE IN

CHANDIGARH WAS THE CAPITOL COMPLEX , WHICH IN ITS FINAL

FORM WAS BASED ON THE DESIGN OF A GRAET CROSS AXIS.

•THE MOST IMPORTANT GROUP OF THE BUILDINGS CONSTITUTING

THE CAPITOL-PARLIAMENT, THE SECRETARIAT.

•IN THE FOREGROUND, THE POOL OF THE PALACE OF JUSTICE.

•THE CAPITOL AREA WAS DESIGNED AS THE GREAT PEDISTRIAN

PLAZA WITH MOTOR TRAFFIC SEPARATED INTO SUNKEN TRENCHES

LEADING TO PARKING AREAS

•ALTHOUGH THE SITE IS VERY BIG,IT IS NOT DESIGNED WITH

ALLOWENCE FOR EXPANSION

THE CAPITOL COMPLEX

PLAN OF CAPITOL BUILDING,SECTOR-1 1.Parliament

2.Secretariat

3.Governor’s Palace

4.High Court

5.Truncated Pyramid

6.Monument for the victims

7.Open Hand

LE CORBUSIER’S UNSHAKEABLE BELIEF IN THE ANTHROPOMETRIC

PROPORTIONAL CONNECTIONS & LINKS CREATED BY GOLDEN

SECTION

The Secretariat The High Court

The Assembly Hall Huge Open Plaza

REFERENCES

1. HASAN-UDDIN KHAN WITH JULIAN BEINART & CHARLES CORREA, LE Corbusier

CHANDIGARH AND THE MODERN CITY. MAPIN PUBLISHING PVT LTD, AHMEDABAD.

2. KLAUS-PETER GAST, LE CORBUSIER PARIS-------CHANDIGARH. BIRKHAUSER-PUBLISHER

FOR ARCHITECTURE, BERLIN-BOTSON.

3.KIRAN JOSHI, DOCUMENTING CHANDIGARH, THE INDIAN ARCHITECTURE OF PIERRE

JEANNERET, EDWIN MAXWELL FRY, JANE BEVERLY DREW, VOLUME-1. MAPIN PUBLISHING

PVT LTD, AHMEDABAD.