Le Corbusier centre

A short presentation on Le Corbusier centre

1. LE CORBUSIER CENTER Old Architect Building, Madhya Marg, Sector 19B, Sector 19, Chandigarh, 160019 Timings: wed-sun 10AM to 5PM

2. Le Corbusier Centre has been set up by the Chandigarh Administration, at the old Sector 19 office of the city’s architect, Le Corbusier. The Swiss-French architect used the office while conceptualizing the city almost six decades ago. The Centre displays and exhibits the life and works of Le Corbusier, so that tourists and future generations may be able to acquaint themselves with the rich cultural heritage of the city.  The main aim of the Centre would be preservation, interpretation, research, display of the works and legacy of Le Corbusier.   The Le Corbusier Centre and three Souvenir Shops at Sukhna Lake, Le Corbusier Center and Rock Garden, are being run successfully under STEPS (Society for Tourism and Entertainment PromotionS ).

3.     Large windows allow sufficient glare-free lighting of        interior. Small air inlets below the window, and, larger outlets into central        corridors aid natural ventilation. The Old Architects’ Office was one of the earliest buildings constructed in Chandigarh, along with the Old Engineers’ office and staff residences in Sector 19. It continued to be put to its original use till 1965, when the Department of Urban Planning shifted to its present location within the U.T. Secretariat in Sector 9. Being the workplace of Le Corbusier and his team, as also the spot from where the entire city was designed, the building is of immense historic value to Chandigarh. The structure is also a significant resource for understanding the technological, formal, and aesthetic spirit of Modern architecture, as also its peculiar manifestation in the context of Chandigarh. Le Corbusier & Pierre Jeanneret in the Committee Room. Note also the chair on which Le Corbusier is seated. P L Varma, Le Corbusier & Pierre Jeanneret in a discussion. Note the original drafting table then in use.

4. PHYSICAL APPRAISAL :   The original building was designed with particular attention to Chandigarh’s mandate of cost-effective and climate responsive design. The spirit of experimentation of Nehru’s new city ‘free from encumbrances of the past’ was also obvious in the choice of its general form as well as construction. The thin RCC shell of the entrance porch of the Old Architects’ Office is also an early demonstration of the plastic and structural potential of this Modern material.   The building, thus, was made with experimental and cost-effective materials and methods, such as the exposed reinforced concrete shell of the porch, precast beams of the sloping roofs, bricktile for floors, and, jute-lac panels for doors and cupboard shutters. Also were incorporated several design elements to obstruct harsh sun, to create ample glarefree natural light, and, to induce natural ventilation – in general, to create a comfortable work environment without recourse to costly mechanical devices. The modest structure of our Old Architects’ Office may well be considered as a seminal attempt at introducing concepts of ‘sustainability’ and ‘green architecture’ in the architectural annals of Modern India.

5. Room No. : 1 Reception, Information and publications ROOM NO. 2 ARCHIVAL RECORDS i ) Documents pertaining to inception, development and growth of Chandigarh compiled by late Dr. M.S. Randhawa, I.C.S ( Retd .), the first Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh ii) Harappan findings in Chandigarh and photographs of different archeological excavations in Chandigarh Room No. 3 DOCUMENTS i )      Final selection of Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Maxwell Fry. ii)     Telegram dated 20 December, 1950 announcing the signing of contracts with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret . iii)    Draft agreement made with Le Corbusier. iv)    A letter from Le Corbusier dated 15 July, 1954 to C.P.N.Singh , Governor of Punjab for the construction of the Governor’s palace and also a reminder for the release of his pending fee for the work done on the Capitol Project.

6. Room No.4   PLANS, SECTIONS, ELEVATIONS, SKETCHES AND STUDIES i )      Survey plan of the proposed Chandigarh site ii)     Periphery control iii)    Modular concept iv)    Le Corbusier’s planning concepts v)     Plan of Capitol area by Le Corbusier vi)   Plan of the Secretariat     The Museum of Knowledge (unbuilt).      Room No.5 MAPS AND MODELS i )       Location of Chandigarh with regard to the adjoining states ii)      Chandigarh on the map of India iii)     Chandigarh after reorganization of Punjab in 1966 iv)    Rainfall, temperature, humidity,& surface wind in Chandigarh v)     Old office building of the Chief Architect, Capital Project (model)  vi)    The Open Hand Monument (model) vii)   The Secretariat (model )

7. Room No.6 PHOTOGRAPHS (B&W) ANDCOLOR AND TRANSLIGHTS i )      Le Corbusier’s planning concept ii)     Comparison of the Chandigarh’s Master Plan with that of Paris iii)    Think sketches for the study of dome of Assembly iv)    A study of road network in Chandigarh v)     A panoramic collage of Open Hand Monument vi)    Chandigarh Master Plan ( translight ) vii Door of the Assembly ( translight )   Room No. 7 Committee Room Master Plan of Chandigarh and furniture FURNITURE i )      Single seater with cord back and hand woven strips ii)     Three seater with cord back and hand woven strips iii)    Three legged table with wooden top and bamboo legs iv)    A chair with cord back, jute seat and bamboo frame v)     A Chair with swinging seat vi)    A wooden chair with steel frame vii)   A wooden chair with steel frame, bamboo hand wooden strips

8. Room No. 8 Reference, Research and Digital library    Room No. 9 Administration Verandah: Exhibition Hall Exhibition: ‘A Dream Realized’: An architectural overview of ideas that became cities – organized in collaboration with the Sakaar foundation.   Corridor: Photo Gallery Le Corbusier – A Multi Faceted Personality      

9. Thank you B.V.ABHIRAM 1216513232