Le corbusierWorks in India

Buildings covered in this presentation-

•Mill Owners’ Association Building, Ahemadabad•Villa Shodhan, Ahemadabad•Government Meuseum and Art

Gallery museum, Chandigh

Mill Owners’ Association Building, Ahmedabad

• Le Corbusier came to India on invitation by Jawaharlal Nehru to design Chandigarh, the new capital of Punjab. Along with this he was invited to Ahmedabad and was commissioned to build 5 buildings. One of this was the new headquarters for the Ahmedabad Mill Owner’s Association

• .

Location

• Located on Ashram Road, in the western part of the city, it overlooks the river Sabarmati. A ceremonial ramp makes for a grand approach into a triple-height entrance hall, open to the wind

• Completion 1954 • Architect, Urban plannerLe Corbusier • Latitude/Longitude 23°01'57N 72°34'16E

Type of Architecture

• The building can be classified as Brutalist Architecture, with its outer surface made of concrete stucco. The building surface looks dull due to the moss and many critiques of Brutalist architecture have argued that it does not age well.

• This is particularly true for this building, because it is situated next the river Sabarmati on Ashram Road where it is likely to be moist. The moisture is accentuated with the growth of plants along the facade, which obviously needs watering.

Façade• However the dullness of the

surface of the building is nicely complemented with the variety of plants and flowers which liven up the facade. The front and back facade of the building, which are in the east and west direction, “break the suns”, and was one of Le Corbusier’s genius. This particular feature is called sun breakers or brise-soleil, while blocking the direct gaze of the sun, it still lets ample light and air in.

Sun breaker doing their work

Open Spaces• The mechanism of planting the shrubs can be seen in the above

image. The lines along which shutters or cast was laid adds an angular or geometric look to the building. One cannot help but think that the third floor must feel like an open space, a balcony almost, where one can feel like being outside. Ironically, the building looks definitely closed from the outside.

Significant Areas

• As you follow a curved wall, you come before a massive wooden pivoted door on a double height wall in a 2m wide corridor. As you move through this narrow double height corridor, pass through the pivoted door and turn, you are suddenly inside a massive auditorium – a space which is empty, yet so powerful, one that impacts you so much. It is almost like you are inside a womb. This is one of the spaces where you realise the power of architecture – the power of space, the significance of volumes and light and shadow.

• Along the sweeping gray areas, there are a sudden shocks of bright colours such as the yellow wall or the bright red door.

• This is one of the spaces where you realise the power of architecture – the power of space, the significance of volumes and light and shadow.

Le Corbusier's Villa Shodhan

• In the 1950’s Le Corbusier designed a number of buildings in India. The most famous of these constructions is Chandigarh, the government town in Kashmir, the least known building is Villa Shodhan in Ahmedabad. As a privately owned home it has been protected from fame and only a few have been granted access to this fantastic house, the last villa to be designed by Le Corbusier. The owner of the building has been the same through out the years, and it has been preserved exactly as it was constructed in 1957.

Concept• Le Corbusier referred to the

house as Shodhan update the Villa Savoye. This metamorphosis involves the emergence of a brise soleil and a parasol-like armor béton brut superimposed on the city of Ahmedabad, a lattice wall to the bread of watercress and a roof garden on toit.

• On a magic trick that, by juxtaposition of two new elements, a refined house gives the appearance of a warrior of concrete, however, suggests the presence of the former.

Spaces

• At home Shodan pilotis lose the slenderness chasing the directionality of a ramp connecting seamlessly to the different areas of the building, housing space organizations.

• The front facade is a self-brise soleil that, freed from the rigors geometric be imposed in the House Curutchet a few years before going to dominate the image of the building without losing its original function hide torrador capture the sun and fresh breezes.

Plan

Various floor plans

The Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh

About Museum

• The Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, owes its existence to the partition of the country in August,1947. It is one of the premier institution of India with a very rich collection of Gandharan sculptures, Pahari and Rajasthani miniature paintings. Before the partition in 1947, the collection of art objects, paintings, sculptures and decorative arts, were housed in the Central Museum, Lahore the then capital of Punjab.

Building• Le-Corbusier designed this building as an

extention of his already established philosophy, where he conceives of such institution as ever growing and ever expanding ( first museum building designed by him in this country was 'Sanskar Kendra' in Ahmedabad, Gujarat ).

• The basic plan of the museum building is based on a grid system of columns and beams and is a square of 165 feet by 165 feet. The main building is divided vertically into three levels. Level 1 has the reception hall, foyer, reserve collection storage, conservation laboratory, temporary exhibition hall, and auditorium. The main galleries are on Level 2. Level 3 has the offices of curatorial staff, research rooms, committee room and library. Communication is through the centre of square by means of a ramp, and additional provision has been made for goods lift and service staircase to carry exhibits to the different levels of the museum.

Lighting• It is a museum in which lighting

by daylight has been used to maximum advantage. Light is admitted from the North East and South West sides through the sky light openings louvered to prevent the direct sun rays from penetrating into the galleries. In addition to this, a system of top lighting is provided along the entire length of the building from North East to South West. Handled with thought and imagination this provides the right intensity of lighting for the correct illumination of various objects of art

Reference• http://archzine.in• http://arkistudentscorner.blogspot.com• http://wikipedia.com

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• Ankit Palawat 2010uar154• Ravindra Saini 2010uar105