CHANDIGARH

URBAN PLANNER & AR . LE

CORBUSIER

GEORAPHICAL LOCATION & LINKAGES

SHIVALIK
HILL RANGES

PATIALAKI-RAO

SUKHNA
CHOE

It is located on the border

of Punjab & Haryana.

PLANNER :

ALBERT MAYER: THE MASTER

PLAN

BY: MATHEW NOWICKI

A- APARTMENT HOUSING
B-LOW RISE HOUSING
C-SCHOOLS
D-TEMPLE
E OUTDOOR THEATRE
F -BAZAR

LE CORBUSIER CONCEPT

LE CORBUSIER PLANNING STRATEGIES

7 Vs

WORKING

THE CAPITOL COMPLEX

THE SECTOR

BUILDING TYPOLOGY

THE HIGH COURT

THE SECRETARIAT

The Secretariat
The Secretariat (1953) is a very large building and a 254 meters long and 42 meters high houses
the ministerial chambers and all ministerial agencies. The Ministries are grouped in a central
pavilion, Block 4, one of the six ministerial blocks, each separated from the next by a vertical
expansion joint extending the full height of the building.
The exterior is of rough concrete, that is to say, the vertical brise-soleil, the parapets and the
horizontal brise-soleil, the acroterium which stands out against the sky leaving visible the rooftop
accommodations which are to be used for a club and for receptions. The two large ramps in front of
and behind the building, serve all floors and are likewise in rough concrete. They offer a very
beguiling solution of the circulation (morning and evening) for the 3.000 employees.
Vertical circulation is ensured by batteries of elevators matched by a staircase running in both
directions encased in a vertical spine rising from ground level to the summit of the roof. Rough
concrete similarly caps the two end walls bringing out the effect of the standard sheet-metal
formwork.
The block of ministerial offices has been the object of very careful research in regards to the
sculptural relief given to rough concrete by the effect of diverse types of brise-soleil. The rough
concrete again interposes in the fenestration of the two main faades : more than 10.000 units of a
unique design -one stanchion type 27x7 cm in section and 366 cm high constitute the "undulatory
glazing". This concerns an application here of the Modulor which permits the stretching of a veil of
glass extending the entire length and height of the building, interrupted by elements called
"ventilators" which comprise a shutter of sheet-metal pivoting vertically from floor to ceiling across
an opening of 43 cm and capable of being opened to any desired width, from 1 millimeter up to 43
centimeters; covered, in addition, by a curtain of copper mosquito-netting. Thus, an enormous
saving of money and maintenance was realized with this fenestration, when compared with wood or
metal.

The High Court

The High Court (1952) has been in use since March 1956. The approaches have not as
yet been prepared : two of the three basins of water have not yet been excavated in fron
of the Palace; the exterior polychromy is enlivened, for the moment, on the principal
faade, only by the brise-soleil of the Courts of Justice; the three pylons of the grand
entrance portico, coated with a cement rendering, are to be painted-one green, the othe
white, and the third in red-orange, both left and right walls to be painted black.

The 650 meters of tapestry, completed in five months by Indian craftsmen in Kashmir
busy since the inauguration of the building, for the lower parts of the small High Court
(eight tapestries of 64 m2 each) and for the lower portion of the large Court of Justice (a
tapestry of 144 m2) provoked the delighted acquiescence of Mr. Nehru and the Governo
of Punjab as well as the Chief Judge. But they also aroused doubts in the minds of some
judges who declared that they were an outrage to the dignity of justice and caused two
or three of them to be removed.

The built Edifices the High Court, the Legislative Assembly, and the
Secretariat represent the three major functions of democracy. Considered
as Le Corbusiers most mature plastic creations, each of these is a
masterpiece in itself, representing the adaptation of European Modernism,
use of 20th century materials, and his personal directive principles to local
conditions of cost, climate and technology. The fourth edifice, originally the
Governors Palace, but later replaced by the futuristic Museum of
Knowledge, is yet to be realized. Though the form and design of each
Edifice is distinctive, their commonalities reinforce their collective role as a
group. All designs exhibit the multifarious possibilities of deploying
reinforced concret, and, the unique expression that was achieved in this
modern material through application of indigenous techniques and respect
for local constraints. Also in response to the clients brief all buildings
share a concern for controlling climate without aid of mechanical devices.
This is evident in the orientation of the buildings, the careful design of the
brise-soleil as well as intricate systems devised for trans-aeration.
The first of the buildings, the High Court housed 9 law courts
and their attendant spaces. Le Corbusiers design included furniture, light
fittings, and 9 large tapestries, one for each court. Completed by 1955, the
building is significant as the first demonstration and a major vehicle for
acceptance of exposed reinforced concrete surfaces and modern aesthetics
even for buildings of power and prestige in India. In time, a low-rise
Extension in exposed brickwork was also added to the east.
The 240m long, 24m deep and 50 m high Secretariat, was
seen as a solution to problems of modern offices such as adequate

PRINCIPLES OF URBAN DESIGN

HEART THE CITY CENTER

SECTOR 17

HIERARCHY OF GREEN SPACES

SERIES OF DEVELOPMENT