NEW DELHI

EDWIN LEUTEYNS
 PROMINENT ARCHITECTURE STYLE OF DELHI

• THE ARCHITECTURAL STYLE OF THE BRITISH PERIOD IS VERY PROMIENT IN DELHI AND IS
REPRECUTED BY THE CENTRAL SECRETARIAT.

• PARLIAMENT HOUSE OR THE ‘SANSAD BHAWAN’ AND THE PRESIDENT HOUSE OR

RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN FORMERLY THE BRITISH VICEROY HOUSE THE SPERDID RAJPATH
INDIA GATE AND NEW DELHI COMBINING THE BET FEATURES OF THE MODERN ENGLISH
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE WITH TRADITIONAL INDIAN FORMS.

• THE BRITISH FOLLOWED VARIOUS ARCHITECTURAL STYLES – GOTHIC IMPERIAL,

CHRISTIAN ENGLISH RENAISSANCE AND VICTORIAN

• IN 1911 KING GEORGE V PASSED AN ORDER DECLARING THAT THE CAPITAL WOULD BE
MOVED FROM CALCUTTA TO DELHI. THE CITY WAS PLANNED SYSTEMATICALLY COMBINING
• 20TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE.

• SIR EDWIN LUTYENS WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OVERALL PLAN OF DELHI.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
HISTORY
DELHI REPLACED CALCUTTA AS SEAT OF SHAHJAHANABAD IS TOWARDS NORTH OF NEW DELHI.ON THE WEST OF SITE
BRITISH GOVERNMENT IN 1912 NATURAL LIMIT WAS THE RIDGE.RIVER FORMED EASTERN LIMIT.

SHAJAHANABAD

REDFORT

NEW DELHI

PURANA QUILA
SAFDARJUNG
TOMB
LAYOUT
ATTEMPT WAS TO INCLUDE ALL NATURAL AND HISTORICAL WONDERS IN NEW CITY.
LEUTYN’S DELHI WAS PLANNED ON THE MOST SPACIOUS GARDEN CITY LINE WITH GREAT AVENUES DECORATED WITH CLASSICAL
BUILDINGS WITH LUSH LANDSCAPE

LAYOUT WAS GOVERNED BY 3 MAJOR VISUAL CORRIDOR:

JAMA MAZJID
INDRAPRASTHA
SAFDARJUNGS TOMB

FOR LUTYENS, THE STEEP SLOPE TOWARDS

RAISINA HILL WOULD OBSCURE 'HIS'
VICEROY'S HOUSE FOR SOME TIME, WHILE
FOR BAKER A GENTLER SLOPE WOULD
UNDERMINE HIS CONCEPTION OF THE
SECRETARIATS.
LAYOUT TAKES INTO
ACCOUNT THE DUST
STORMS THAT SWEEP
THE LANDSCAPE IN
THESE PARTS, THUS
LEUTYNS INSISTS ON
ROUNDABOUTS,
HEDGES AND TREES
TO BREAK THEIR
FORCE,
LAYOUT

INDIAN CLERK QUARTERS

RAJAS

RAJ
PATH

RAJAS

GAZETTED OFFICERS

NEW DELHI WAS LAIDOUT ON THE GARDEN CITY PATTERN IN

1912 BY EDWIN LUTYENS. NEW DELHI WAS LAID ON THE
GEOMETRIC PATTERN OVER A TRIANGULAR BASE.
LUTYENS VISUALISED THAT THE CENTRAL VISTA WOULD
HAVE A GRAND VISION,HILIGHTING THE SUPREMACY OF
THE BRITISH RULE
THE GOVERNMENT COMPLEX/ ADMINISTRATIVE AREA

1. LUTYENS LAID OUT THE CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE AREA OF THE CITY.

2. AT THE HEART OF THE CITY WAS THE IMPRESSIVE RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN,
LOCATED ON THE TOP OF RAISINA HILL. THE RAJPATH CONNECTS INDIA
GATE TO RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN, WHILE JANPATH, WHICH CROSSES IT AT A
RIGHT ANGLE, CONNECTS SOUTH END WITH CONNAUGHT PLACE.
3. THE SECRETARIAT BUILDING, WHICH HOUSES VARIOUS MINISTRIES OF THE
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA INCLUDING PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE ARE BESIDE
THE RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN AND WERE DESIGNED BY HERBERT BAKER.
4. ALSO DESIGNED BY BAKER WAS THE PARLIAMENT HOUSE, LOCATED ON
THE SANSAD MARG, RUNNING PARALLEL WITH THE RAJPATH.
 FEATURES OF LEUTYN’S PLAN

1. THE PLAN REFLECTS LUTYENS’ “TRANSCENDENT FERVOUR FOR GEOMETRIC

SYMMETRY,” WHICH IS EXPRESSED THROUGH AMAZING SEQUENCES OF TRIANGLES
AND HEXAGONS, THROUGH SIGHTLINES AND AXES.
2. LUTYENS’ PLAN IS ALSO REMARKABLE FOR THE GENEROUS GREEN SPACES,
LAWNS, WATERCOURSES, FLOWER AND FRUIT-BEARING TREES, AND THEIR
INTEGRATION WITH THE PARKS DEVELOPED AROUND MONUMENTS.

3. THE ATTEMPT WAS TO INCLUDE ALL NATURAL AND HISTORICAL WONDERS IN THE
NEW CITY.
ZONING

GOVERNMEN
T COMPLEX

BUNGLOW
ZONE
COMMERCIAL
DISTRICT
 MUGHAL GARDEN
PLANNING ADDRESSED THE QUESTION
OF URBAN PLANNING AND
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE

RAJ BHAWAN

SECRETARIAT
BUILDING

RAJ
PATH

LAYOUT
DETAILED LAYOUT
ON NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE CENTRAL AXIS LEUTYN LAID
OUT A PLAN FOR A GRAND CITY WITH A SERIES OF TREE
LINED RADIATING AVENUE, FOUR SIX OR MORE OF IT, WHICH
MET AT A CRCULAR OR ELLIPTICAL JUNCTION.PLOTS OF
EQUALY IRREGULAR SHAPES WERE THEN CARVED OUT OF
THE HYBRID SPACE THAT EMERGED BETWEEN THE AVENUES
FOR BUNGLAWS.

A CIRCULAR SHOPPING CENTRE, CONNAUGHT PALACE,

FOR NATIVES AND NEW DELHI AILWAY STATION THE
NORTH OF LAYOUT.
 RAJ BHAWAN SECRETARIA RAJ
T PATH

MAIN FEATURE OF DELHI IS THE BROAD PROCESSIONAL

AVENUE RAJPATH
SITE SELECTION CRITERIA
IMPERIAL CAPITAL TO BE FAVOURABLY SITUATED TO PRESENT AN EFFECTIVE APPEARANCE.IT SHOULD BE PPROACED ALOND A LINE
OF RISING GROUND. RAISINA HILL IS CHOSEN FOR LOCATING VICEROY’S OUSE BECAUSE OFIT’S STRATEGIC LOCATION ON A HILL TOP

SECRETARIAT SECRETARIAT

RAJ BHAWAN
(ON TOP OF RAISINA HILL)
PREVIOUSLY VICEROY’S HOUSE
ROAD NETWORK

BESIDE THE MAJOR PATHWAYS, ALL

AVENUES RANGED FROM 18 M TO 180
M IN WIDTH.THE ORIGINAL DESIGN OF
THE ROAD NETWORK WAS CAPABLE
OF ACCOMODATNG 6000
VEHICLES.THESE AVENUES HAD THE
POTENIAL TO INCREASE THEIR
CARRIAGE WAYS.

ROAD NETWORK CONSISTED OF

DIAGONALS AND RADIALS, AT 30
DEGREE AND 60 DEGREE ANGLE TO
THE MAIN AXIS, FORMING TRAINGLES
AND HEXAGONS.

POINT OF CLIMAX WERE PLACED

ALONG THE AVENUES AFTER EVERY ¼
OR ¾ MILES AS BEYOND THIS THE
PERCEPTION OF FOCAL POINT IS
GREATLY REDUCED
 MAJOR AXIS

THE PRINCIPLE PARKWAY, KINGS WAY FORM THE

MAIN AXIS (PROCESSIONAL ROUTE) WHICH LEADS
FROM PURANA QUILA THROUGH CEREMONIAL GATES
TOWARDS THE FORECOURT AT THE BASE OF RAISINA
HILL

CROSSING THIS PARKWAY AT RIGHT ANGLE IS THE

N-S AXIS , QUEENSWAY , TERMINATING AT
CONNAUGHT PALACE IN THE NORTH.

AT THE JUNCTION OF THE TWO MAIN AVENUES ARE

THE FOUR LARGE BUILDINGS

ORIENTAL INSTITUTE
NATIONAL MUSEUM
NATIONAL LIBRARY
IMPERIAL RECORD OFFICE
INTERLOCKED DUALITY OF CONTRADICTORY GRID AND RADIAL DIAGONAL HEIGHTENS THE VISUAL IMPACTOF EACH ELEMENTS AND
GIVES THE ENTIRE PLAN A COMPLEX AND CREATIVE TENSION

AXIS

AXIAL ROAD

RADIALS

COLLECTORS
GENERAL STREET PATTERN IS DIAGONAL
TO THE MAIN AXIS
RAJ BHAWAN

SECTION
TYPOLOGY
BUNGLAW AREA
AREA OF LOW DENSITY DEVELOPMENT COMPRISED OF GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATELY LEASED BUNGLAWS LEASED FOR SENIOR
GAZETTED OFFICERS).
THEY WERE SURROUNDED BY WALLS ENCLOSING LARGE GARDENS, WITH HIGH PROPOSITIONOF TREES AND SHRUBBERY,
CONTRIBUTED IN FORMING A THEMATIC UNIT WITH THE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT
SOCIAL HIERARCHY WAS USED TO ESTABLISH THEMATIC CONTRAST. PHYSICAL ELEMENTS WITHIN WERE USED TO CONVEY THE
STATUS OF THE RESIDENTS
SOCIAL HIERARCHY WAS USED TO STRENGTHEN THE IMAGE
THE CLOSER THE ROAD OR PATH TO THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE, THE GREATER ITS WIDTH
STATUS WAS COMMUNICATED BY ELEVATIONS, SIZE OF COMPOUND, WIDTH AND NAME OF THE ROAD AND AREA, QUANTITY AND
TYPE OF VEGETATION, SIZE OF GATE AND NAME PLATES ETC.
MUGHAL GARDEN

THE MAIN FEATURES OF GARDEN ARE:

ENGLISH LANDSCAPE
INTRODUCTION OF LAWN
USE OF FOUNTAINS IN CORTYARDS,EVEN ON THE ROOF.
GRAND AVENUES
STRAIGHT & BROAD PATH WAYS
32 BROAD STEPS LEADING UP TO THE PORTICO IS LIKE
ARRIVING AT THE STEPS OF ST.PETER’S.
VERANDAS.
 FUSION OF ARCHITECTURE

THE FEATURES OF THESE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS WERE BORROWED FROM DIFFERENT PERIODS OF INDIA’S IMPERIAL HISTORY,
BUT THE OVERALL LOOK WAS CLASSICAL GREECE (FIFTH CENTURY BCE). APPLICATION OF SYMBOLOGY AND INFLUENCES FROM
HINDU, MUSLIM AND BUDHIST ARCHITECTURE

FOR INSTANCE, THE CENTRAL DOME OF THE VICEROY’S PALACE WAS COPIED FROM THE BUDDHIST STUPA AT SANCHI, AND THE RED
SANDSTONE AND CARVED SCREENS OR JAILS WERE BORROWED FROM MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE.