Le Corbusier Amal|Anamika|Jithin|Joel|Nadheem|Reyna

Le Corbusier (1887-1965)
• One of the most prominent architects of the 20th
century.
• Self-proclaimed town-planner
• His building designs are certainly embedded and
celebrated in architectural history
• His critics have been considerably less flattering
in their comments on his city planning.
Le Corbusier was and remains a highly polemical figure in the history of modern
architecture.
He was the first planner to express, in his writings and projects, the
importance of :
•high density concentrations,
•the city centers, to the functioning of a mechanized highly populated society.
•His separation of traffic according to speed and function was an early
recognition of the growing importance of the automobile in urban design,
But in his earliest designs ,this is overemphasized to the detriment of the pedestrian
and the visual effect of the city- scape.
 CIAM
CIAM 1928( Congrès Internationaux
•dArchitecture Moderne ).
•At the request of a rich patron of
architects,
Madame Hélène de Mandrot(1867–1948), in
1928, Sigfried Giedion organized a meeting
of leading Modern architects including
Berlage , Le Corbusier , El Lissitzky ,
Rietveld , and Stam
•The organization was hugely influential. It
was not only engaged in formalizing the
architectural principles of the Modern
Movement, but also saw architecture as an
economic and political tool that could be
used to improve the world through the
design of buildings and through urban
planning.
It affirmed that town planning is the
organizations of functions of collective
life –
this applies to both rural and urban
settlements four functions of any
settlement :
• dwelling
• work
• recreation
• transportation, which connects the first
three with one another.
• Le Corbusier organized in CIAM,
Assembly of Constructors for an
Architectural Renewal (ASCORAL) which
systematically studied the problems of
construction, architecture and city
planning.
Le Corbusier and Urban Planning
1935
• Publishes Aircraft and La
Ville Radiuses (The
Radiant City).
• First trip to the USA,
where he lectures in
Boston, Chicago,
Philadelphia, Madison
and Hartford.
1937
• Works on the plan of
Paris and his Cartesian
skyscraper.
• Builds the Pavilion des
Temps Nouveaux at the
International Exhibition
in Paris
1951
• 18 February, first trip to India : visits Chandigarh and Ahmadabad.
• Plans for the U.N.E.S.C.O. Headquarters in Paris are rejected.
• Presentation of the "Open Hand" monument in Chandigarh.
1955
Trip to Chandigarh for the inauguration of
the High Court building by Jawaharlal Nehru.
Le Corbusier and Urban Planning
1965
• Revises the study of the Monument of the Open Hand for Chandigarh.
• Construction of the stadium in Firminy.
• On 27 August, Le Corbusier dies while swimming at Cap-Martin.
CHANDIGARH
INTRODUCTION
•Chandigarh is one of the most significant urban planning experiments of
the 20th century.
•It is the only one of the numerous urban planning schemes of Le
Corbusier to have actually been executed. It is also the site of some of
his greatest architectural creations.
•The city has had a far-reaching impact, ushering in a modern idiom of
architecture and city planning all over India.
•It has become a symbol of planned urbanism. It is as famous for its
landscaping as for its architectural ambience.
•Most of the buildings are in pure, cubical form, geometrically
subdivided with emphasis on proportion, scale and detail.
HISTORY
•Since Punjab was divided into two parts, the capital was left in Pakistan
therefore Punjab in India required a new capital
•LE CORBUSIER WAS APPROACHED BY PUNJAB GOVERNMENT AND THE
PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA
•Maxwell Fry, Jane Drew and Pierre Jeannert were also involved in the
team of architects.
•When Le Corbusier assumed control of the Chandigarh project in 1951,
however the design of the city had already been devised by the New
York firm of Mayer, Whittlesey and Glass who received a contract for the
Master Plan of Chandigarh in 1950.
THE PREVIOUS MASTER PLAN
Albert Mayer and Mathew Nowicky
• Located between two boundary rivers
• fan shaped plan
• Govt. Centre – Northeast Side of the City
• Super Block - Accommodating some 1500
families.
• 3 Superblocks to make a district
• Industrial area planned in southern corner
• Administration area in north-east
• 2 Large parkland zones across city
• Future expansion in the southwest across
the plan
GEOGRAPHICAL AND
DEMOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
•Area 114 sq kms
•Longitude 76 47' 14E
•Latitude 30 44' 14N
•Total Population (2011 census) 10.55 Lacs(97.25% people live in urban regions)
•Density of population/sq. km. -7,900
The city of Chandigarh is situated at the base of the Shiwalik Range of the
Himalayas, at 333m above sea
level, approximately 260 km northwest of India's capital, New Delhi.
•The site is a gently sloping plain, with two seasonal rivulets - Patiali-ki-Rao and
Sukhna Choe -marking its
northwest and southeast boundaries.
• The city forms the urban core of the "Union Territory of Chandigarh", which has a
total area of 114 sq km.
CONCEPT BASED ON ANATOMY OF
THE HUMAN BODY
The city of Chandigarh is planned to human scale.
•Head–capitol (place of power)
•Heart –the city centre
•Stomach–the commercial area
•Arms–university and Industrial zone
• Lungs–leisure valley ,open spaces
•Arteries–network of roads
 Le Corbusier’s Intervention
• One dominant off-centered doglegged axis
• The grid of superblock increased in size to 1200 x 800mts (3900 x 2700 feet)
• Accommodating up to 25000 inhabitants
• Within superblock centralized market was replaced by continuous bazar street across
the block.
• Capital Complex and high court combined in one govt. complex
• CBD Area remained the same
• Shifted Capital complex to higher ground
• Two linear parks were replaced by total of 6 later by 8.
• Each Sector with its own green space around which houses are designed
SECTORS
•The key of modern urbanism is 'the Sector', which was defined as a
container of family life (24 solar hours: night and day).
•Each sector was 800 meters by 1,200 meters, enclosed by roads
allocated to fast mechanized transport and sealed to direct access from
the houses.
•The population would be approximately from 5,000 to 20,000
inhabitants.
•Chandigarh had 30 sectors.
SECTORS
Total 30 sectors
• 24 residential sectors
• 70% building private
• Autonomous unit including housing, school, shops, recreational spaces.
• Surrounded by high speed roads
• Bus stops every 400 mts
• No pedestrian needs to walk more than 10 minutes
ROADS
The roads of the city were classified into seven categories, known as the
system of 7 Vs.
V-1 Fast roads connecting Chandigarh to other towns;
V-2 Arterial roads;
V-3 Fast vehicular roads;
V-4 Free Flowing shopping streets;
V-5 Sector circulation roads;
V-6 Access roads to houses;
V-7 Footpaths and cycle tracks
HOUSING
•The residential buildings were governed by a mechanism known as
'frame control' created by the municipal administration to control their
facades.
• This fixed the building line and height and the use of building materials.
•Certain standard sizes of doors and windows are specified and all the
gates and boundary walls must conform to standard design.
•The idea was to ensure that the view from the street, which belonged to
the community, was of same visual order and discipline to maintain
uniformity.
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
All buildings located in the City Centre and commercial or institutional
buildings located along V-2 roads were subjected to controls.
The system of the City Centre was based on a grid of columns fixed 5.26
meters shuttering pattern on concrete and a system of glazing or screen
walls behind the line of columns.
The interior planning was left to the owners. and in the exterior, certain
variations are permitted to give variety to the architectural composition.
SECRETARIAT BUILDING
ASSEMBLY BUILDING

HIGH COURT
CONCLUSION
POSITIVE HIGHLIGHTS
•Each sector satisfies the necessities of human needs
•Separate roads for pedestrian, bicycle and heavy vehicles
•Shops on ground floor, Residence on upper floor
•Shop protected from rain and sun, as a covered walkway for the customers
NEGATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
•Roads being similar to each other creates confusion
• Brutal concrete gives a rough look
•City not planned for lower income people.
•Existence of slums around the city
CONCLUSION
Criticism
•Department of Architecture and
•Regional Planning, IIT Kharagpur
•Safe, Yet boring
•Discouraging Place to go for walk.
•Un-Indian and yet inspiration of architects.
Lack in Characteristics
• Street Culture.
• Excitement of Indian cities.
• Noise of Lahore.
• Intimacy of Delhi.
THANK YOU