| CHANDIGARH The City Beautiful |
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| The Capitol Complex The Capitol Complex is Le Corbusier's most spectacular work. The magnificent edifices, set against the Shivalik peaks, stand as massive concrete sculptures, representing the monumental character and authority that the complex represents. it is the seat of the government of the States of Punjab and Haryana. It comprises three epoch-making master-pieces ; the Secretariat, the High Court and the Legislative Assembly. Separated by large piazzas, the subtle and most evocative grouping of these buildings is of breath-taking beauty. And in the centre stands the giant metallic sculpture of The open Hand, the official emblem of Chandigarh, signifying the city's credo of 'open to give; open to receive'. The High Court The law-interpreting monument was the first building to be built in the Capitol Complex during 1951-57. This structure has a double roof, Projecting over the office block like a parasol or an inverted umbrella. The magnificent outward sweep of the upper roof is symbolic of protection and justice to the people. The three vertical piers, rising 60 feet from the floor and painted in bright colours, form the grand entrance to building.A gigantic egg-crate screen covers the building facade. on the rear walls of the court rooms, hang the giant woollen tapestries designed by Le Corbusier. The Secretariat The law executing monument is the largest and tallest of the three edifices in the Capitol Complex. Built during 1953-59, it is shaped like an eight storey concrete slab, with its distinctive brise-soleil (louvered screen) of deeply sculptured two-storey porticos in the centre, housing the offices of ministers. The cafeteria rests atop the terrace like an art object, giving a Spectacular view of the city . The Legislative Assembly The profile of this law-forming monument epitomises stately grandeur. Square in plan, with a monumental portico standing free from the main building, it faces the High Court. The shape of the cupola is an obliquely truncated hyperbolic paraboloid, extending well above the roof line. A pyramid covers the upper chamber' of the erstwhile bicameral system and offers an exciting counterpoint to the cupola, lending artistic grace to the entire complex . |
| Other 'Monuments' The Capitol Piazza extend, to about 1,200 feet, displaying a number of attractive structures. These include the Martyrs' Memorial, raised in commemoration of the martyrs' of India's freedom struggle, a Geometric Hill, the Tower of Shadows and the Open Hand Monument. The Heart The city centre is the heart of Chandigarh's activities. It comprises a District Centre, Inter-State bus terminus, Parade Ground, District courts etc.on one hand, and vast business and shopping centres on the other. The 4 storey concrete buildings house banks and offices above, while at the ground level are the shops and showrooms, with wide pedestrian concourses. A piazza at the centre, has fountains where light and water play hide and seek in the evenings. The Living A major part of the visual expression of the city's architecture includes trend-setting government houses, designed by Pierre Jeanneret, Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew. The open brick work, a regulated skyline, orderly streets, simple geometric unadorned surfaces and sculptural facades are some of the representative features visible in the residential buildings Each living area has provision for greenery and each sector has a green belt of its own with play grounds and gardens. All sectors leave been planned as self-sufficiet units with shopping and community facilities. The Circulation Traffic segmentation is another novel feature of the city's architecture. Le Corbusier developed a 7Vs system which establishes a hierarchy of traffic from fast maving to slow moving ranging from the arterial roads. The Vs define major boulevards, sectors, shopping streets, neighbourhood streets, access lanes to houses, pedestrian paths and cycle tracks meandering through green spaces. The roads of the city are classified into seven categories, known as the system of 7 Vs, as below: V-1 -- Fast roads connecting Chandigarh to other towns; V-2 -- arterial roads; V-3 -- Fast vehicular roads; V-4 -- Meandering shopping streets; V-5 -- Sector circulation roads; V-6 Access roads to houses; V-7 -- footpaths and cycle tracks. Buses will ply only on V-1, V-2, V-3 and V-4 roads. A wall shall seal the V-3 roads from the sectors. The Viscera The Master Plan has kept the Industrial Area away from the residential complexes, separated by a green belt to contain pollution. No industrial activity is allowed inside the residential areas. To any visitor, whether Indian or foreign, it is a relief to be saved of noise and air pollution. The lungs Tree plantation and landscaping has been an integral part of the city's Master Plan. Different types of flowering trees have been grown along the roads, around the parking areas. around the shopping complexes, in residential areas and open parks, to mollify the harsh climate of the region. An 8 km long linear park, known as the Leisure Valley, runs through the city from its north-eastern tip to its southwestern end. The Rose Garden, the Fitness Trail, the Topiary Park. the Terraced Garden, the Champa Park, the Botanical Garden, all form a part of the green belt in the city. Chandigarh lives. It breathes. It exudes freshness. With its unique architectural beauty. which is a source of inspiration to many budding architects and connoisseurs it gracefully combines modernity with ecology and sustains urban growth while preserving nature's bounties. |
SECTORS:
This city is composed of sectors. Each sector is 800 meters by 1,200 meters, enclosed by roads allocated to fast
mechanised transport and sealed to direct access from the houses. Each sector caters to the daily needs of its
inhabitants, which vary from 5,000 to 25,000 and has a green strip oriented longitudinally stretching centrally along the
sector in the direction of the mountains. The green strip should stay uninterrupted and accommodate schools, sports
fields, walks and recreational facilities for the sector. Vehicular traffic is completely forbidden in the green strips,
where tranquility shall reign and the curse of noise shall not penetrate.
THE LAKE:
The Lake is a gift of the creators of Chandigarh to the citizens to be at one with the lake and its environments and its
tranquility shall be guaranteed by banning noises.
LANDSCAPING:
The landscaping of this city is based on careful observation of the vegetation of India. Selected ornamental trees, shrubs
and climbers have been planted according to colour schemes to beautify it. In future planting and replacements, these
principles must be kept in view. There should be no haphazard replacements, so that the avenues retain their harmony
and beauty.
The Leisure Valley, the Rajendra Park and other parks shall be developed as parks only and no building other than
already planned shall be permitted
This city is composed of sectors. Each sector is 800 meters by 1,200 meters, enclosed by roads allocated to fast
mechanised transport and sealed to direct access from the houses. Each sector caters to the daily needs of its
inhabitants, which vary from 5,000 to 25,000 and has a green strip oriented longitudinally stretching centrally along the
sector in the direction of the mountains. The green strip should stay uninterrupted and accommodate schools, sports
fields, walks and recreational facilities for the sector. Vehicular traffic is completely forbidden in the green strips,
where tranquility shall reign and the curse of noise shall not penetrate.
THE LAKE:
The Lake is a gift of the creators of Chandigarh to the citizens to be at one with the lake and its environments and its
tranquility shall be guaranteed by banning noises.
LANDSCAPING:
The landscaping of this city is based on careful observation of the vegetation of India. Selected ornamental trees, shrubs
and climbers have been planted according to colour schemes to beautify it. In future planting and replacements, these
principles must be kept in view. There should be no haphazard replacements, so that the avenues retain their harmony
and beauty.
The Leisure Valley, the Rajendra Park and other parks shall be developed as parks only and no building other than
already planned shall be permitted
| Chandigarh is a grand success story in the annals of modern architecture A revolutionary experiment which came to fruition with the juxtaposition of a great vision that the India's first Prime Minister Pandit jawaharlal Nehru nurtured, and the profound genius of a French arcititect Le Corbusier and his team. In March, 1948, the Government of Punjab in consultation with the Government of India, approved a 114.59 sq. km tract of land at the foot of the Shivalik Hills in Ropar district as the site of the new capital. An existing village gave its name (Chandi - Goddess of Power + garh - fortress) to the new city. Today Chandigarh is 114 square kilometer Of invigorating aesthetics. It combines elegant architectural forms with wide tree-lined avenues, green belts and gardens and offers a pleasant living experience to its residents and visitors. THE SITE selected the site -- a sub-mountainous area of the then Ambala district about 240 km north of New Delhi, the capital of the republic. The area was a flat, gently sloping plain of agricultural land dotted with groves of mango trees which marked the sites of 24 villages or hamlets -- one of which was named Chandigarh on account of its temple dedicated to After an extensive aerial survey, then the Capital Project Administrator, P.N. Thapar and Chief Engineer, P.L. Verma the goddess. The general ground level of the site ranges from 305 to 366 meters with a 1 per cent grade giving adequate drainage. To the northeast are the foothills of the Himalayas -- the Shivalik Range -- rising abruptly to about 1524 meters and a dramatic natural backdrop. One seasonal stream, the Patiali ki Rao, lies on the western side of the city and another, the Sukhna Choe, on the eastern side. A third, smaller seasonal stream flows through the very center of Chandigarh. The area along this streambed has been turned into a series of public gardens called the Leisure Valley. The Concept Chandigarh was conceived amidst the postpartition crisis. Work began on this project in the year 1950. Pandit Nehra on his first visit to the city remarked : "Let this be a new town symbolic of the freedom of India, unfettered by the traditions of the past, an expression of the nation's faith in the future....The new capital of Punjab will be christened as Chandigarh-a name symbolic of the valiant spirit of the Punjabis. Chandigarh is rightly associated with the name of Goddess Chandi -- Shakti, or power." Undoubtedly the city has grown to symbolise Modern India and has earned for itself, and deservedly so, the acronym of the 'City Beautiful'. The city, with its chequered mesh of the grid-iron plan, nestles in the foothills of the majestic Shipalik hill range in the north. Two rivulets - the Patiali-ki-Rao and the Sukhna-Choe bound its north-west and south-west limits, respectively. The master plan divides the city into rectangular modules called sectors, each measuring 800 to 1,200 meters with self-sufficient shopping complexes and other facilities. Le Corbusier planned the city as a living organism, with the Capitol Complex in the north representing the head, the city centre the heart, the open spaces the lungs, the network of roads as the circulatory system, the industrial area the viscera, and tile cultural and educational belts, the intellect. The conception of the city has been formulated on the basis of four major functions : Living, Working, Care of the Body and Spirit and Circulation. The architectural style of the City, which has rightly come to be called the 'Chandigarh architecture', is represented by the unfinished concrete far the buildings in the Capitol Complex and other major buildings, exposed brickwork and use of brise-soleil, a louvered screen that replaces conventional verandah to keep sunlight from walls and windows, The buildings have been built with meticulously developed , and standardised architectural features like flat iron railings, rainwater- spouts, ramps, aerators, undulatory glass panels and the use of bright primary colours (red, blue, yellow) for painting doors and windows. |
