The Secretariat Building in Chandigarh, India was designed by Le Corbusier in 1953. It is composed of six eight-story blocks separated by expansion joints and measures 254 meters long and 42 meters high. It houses ministerial chambers and government agencies. The building uses a modular design of 3.66 meters for office spaces and employs brise soleil shading devices, cross ventilation, and a long, narrow plan to maximize natural lighting.

1. SECRETARIAT BUILDING,
chandigarh
Sagar panchal

2. SECRETARIAT BUILDING
• Location : chandigarh.
• Project year :1953.
• Architecture style: Modern Architecture.
• Architects: Le Corbusier Architects.
The very large building 254 m long and 42 m high
houses the ministerial chamber and al ministerial
agencies. It marks the edge of Capitol Complex on the left
side. The building is composed of six eight storied blocks
separated by expansion joints and bears close
resemblance to the Marseilles apartment block, one of
Corbusier’s earlier projects.

3. SITE PLAN

4. CONCEPTUAL SKETCHES
• BRAISE-SOLEIL AS A SHADING DEVICE
• ELEVATION AND SECTION
DRAWINGS OF THE BUILDING
WHERE IT SHOWS GLASS
WINOWS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO
THE BUILDING TOGETHER WITH
AIR CONDITIONING UNIT.

5. PLANS OF THE SECRETARIAT BUILDING
• The secretariat building
has a linear planning.
• The elevation looks
exactly the same from
both the faces because
of its planning.
• It is the horizontally the
longest planned
building in the
Chandigarh city.

6. SECTIONS

7. CIRCULATION
• THE CIRCULATION OF OVER 6,000 EMPLOYEES IS
AIDED BY A SYSTEM OF ELEVATORS .
• APPROACH TO THE BUILDING IS THROUGH
ROADWAYS BELOW GROUND LEVEL TO A LARGE
PARKING AREA IN FRONT OF THE CENTRAL
BLOCK, AND A FLOOR IS LEFT OPEN AT THIS
LEVEL TO FORM AN ENTRANCE HALLA SPIRAL
STAIRCASE
• BLOCK 1 AND 2 RISES DIRECTLY FROM THR
GROUND.
• BLOCK 3,4 AND PART OF 5 FACE ON THE
EXCAVATED AREA OF THE PARKING LOT AND
HAVE THE LOWER STOREY OPEN BETWEEN
PILOTIS.
• FOR THE REST PART OF BLOCK 5 AND WHOLE
OF 6 THE LEVEL GOES TILL PLAZA HEIGHT, AND
LOWER PORTION OF THESE BLOCKS ARE LEFT
OPEN TO A HEIGHT OF TWO STORYES
• FOR SUPPLEMENTARY COMMUNICATION
WITHIN THE BUILDING , EACH OF SIX BLOCKS IS
EQUIPPED WITH INTERIOR STAIRWAYS AND
LIMITED ELEVATOR SERVICE
• HORIZONTAL CIRCULATION IS BY MEANS OF A
CENTRAL CORRIDORS

8. SPECIFICATIONS
• THE FIRST DESIGN FOR THE SECRETARIAT PRESENTS THE BUILDING AS A
TALL, THIN SLAB CARRYING A SURFACE BRISE SOLEIL DIVIDED BY A
CENTRAL HORIZONTAL BAND.
• THE DESIGN WHICH WAS ACCEPTED ESTABLISHED THE BUILDING FORM
AS A LONG, HORIZONTAL CONCRETE SLAB.
• THE SECRETARIAT, LONGEST BUILDING IN CHANDIGARH, 254M LONG, 42
M HIGH FORMS THE ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER, WITH MINISTERIAL
OFFICES GROUPED IN THE CENTER AND OFFICES FOR EMPLOYEES
ARRANGED ON EITHER SIDE.
• THE BUILDING WAS COMPLETED IN 1958.
• THE BUILDING IS COMPOSED OF SIX EIGHT STOREY BLOCKS SEPERATED
BY EXPANSION JOINTS.
• THE CENTRAL PAVELION, BLOCK 4, CONTAINS THE OFFICES OF THE
MINISTERS.
• THE TOP OF THE BUILDING IS DEVELOPED AS A ROOF GARDEN
CONTAINING THE SERVICE BLOCKS AND CAFETARIA FOR THE EMPLOYEES.
• THE PLASTIC EMPHASIS IS GIVEN TO THE BUILDING BY FREE STANDING
EXTERIOR RAMP WALL.
• FOR SUPPLEMENTRY COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE BUILDING , EACH OF
THE SIX BLOCK IS EQUIPPED WITH INTERIOR STAIRWAYS AND LIMITED
ELEVATOR SERVICE.
• HORIZONTAL SERVICE IS BY MEANS OF CENTRAL CORRIDORS.
• FOR MINISTER’S BLOCK THE BAY SIZE IS INCREASED AND THE COLLEGE IS
THICKENED.

9. SPECIFICATIONS
• THE HEIGHT OF THE BASIC OFFICE STYLE WAS DETERMINED BY
THE MODULAR TO BE 3.66 M UNDER THE TRANSOMS; WITH A
DOUBLING OF PROPORTIONS IN MINISTERIAL CHAMBERS IN
THE CENTER OF BUILDING IS AN EXCAVATION ONE STORY DEEP
WHERE THE MAIN ENTRANCE IS PLACED.
• CLIMATE CONTROL IN THIDS BUILDING, WITH ITS ENORMOUS
BANDS OF GLAZING , IS ACHIEVED BY THE PROVISION OF
ADJUSTABLE AERATORS SET BEHIND WIRE MESH. THE
UNDULATORY GLASS PANELS ARE WEL PROTECTED AGAINST
THE SUN AND RAIN BY A GRILL OF BRISE SOLEIL ON THE TWO
MAIN FACADES. CORBUSIER’S SYSTEM OF LOUVERS TO
PROTECT WINDOWS FROM INCLEMENT WEATHER HAS NOT
PROVIDED TO BE VERY EFFICIENT. DURING THE SUMMER
MONTHS, THEY ABSORB THE SUN’S HEAT AND TRANSMITS IT
TO THE INTERIOR.
• AS A RESULT OF SHORTAGE OF SPACE , EVERY CONCEIVABLE
AREAS ON THE BALCONIES HAS BEEN CONVERTED INTO
OFFICES. THE FIXED CONCRETE BRISE SOLEIL APPEARED
VISUALLY NOT AS AN APPLIED SCREEN BUT AS A PART OF
BUILDING FABRIC ITSELF AND PATTERN OF SUN BREAKERS WAS
ALTERED TO EMPHASIZE THE VARING USES WITHIN THE
BUILDING.

10. SPECIFICATIONS
• THE SECRETARIAT BUILDING AVOIDS OVERSHADOWING THE
CAPITOL AS A WHOLE WITH ITS BULK SIZE. INSTEAD, IT
PLAYS A UNIFYING ROLE IN THE COMPLEX, WHICH IS
SYMBOLIC OF ITS ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION.
• THE SECRETARIAT WAS AMONG THE FIRST BUILDINGS
DESIGNED AS A “HEALTHY BUILDING” WITH CAREFUL
ATTENTION PAID TO NATURAL LIGHTING, VENTILATION,
AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY.
• OVER 800 FEET LONG, THE EXTENSIVE FACADE OF THE
BUILDING GIVES A SCULPTURAL AESTHETIC WITH EXPOSED
CONCRETE RAMPS, PUNCTURED WITH SMALL SQUARE
WINDOWS DICTATING THE FRONT AND REAR VIEWSTHE
BUILDING IS COMPOSED OF SIX EIGHT-STORY BLOCK
DIVIDED BY EXPANSION JOINTS AND MEASURES OVER 800
FEET LONG, BOOKENDED BY TWO SCULPTURAL RAMPS
PROVIDING VERTICAL CIRCULATION THROUGHOUT THE
FACILITIES’ LEVELS..
• TO MAXIMIZE NATURAL LIGHTING AND INCREASE CROSS-
VENTILATION, A LONG AND NARROW PLAN WAS
IMPLEMENTED BY CORBUSIER , THIS APPROACH ALSO
HELPED DELINEATE BOTH THE ACTUAL AND THE IMPLIED
BORDERS OF THE CAPITOL COMPLEX AS A WHOLE

11. BUILDING DESIGN AND MATERIAL
• IT IS A REINFORCED FRAMED STRUCTURE, SEPERATED
BY FIVE EXPANSION JOINT INTO SIX DISTINCT BAYS.
FIVE OF THE BAYS ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL WHERE AS
THE ONE CONTAINING. THE DOUBLE HEIGHT OFFICES
OF MINISTERS, HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A
BACKGROUND BENEFITING THE DIGNITY OF THE
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE.
• CORBUSIER MARKS THE MINISTER’S SECTION WITH
BRISE SOLEIL COMPOSITION.
• CORBUSIER ALSO USED THIS UNIFORM FAÇADE
STRUCTURE OF FLOOR SLABS WITH EXTERNAL
SUPPORT AND DETACHED BALCONY WALLS IN
CENTRAL BUILDING IN THE CITY.
• THE BUILDING IS ORIENTED TO OBTAIN THE
MAXIMUM BENEFIT OF THE WIND DIRECTION FOR
EFFECTIVE CROSS VENTILATION AND PROVIDE AN
UNOBSTRUCTED VIEW OF THE SHIVALIK HILL AS WELL
OF THE PERSPECTIVES OF THE CITY.

12. LANDSCAPE
• THE TOP OF THE BUILDING IS DEVELOPED AS A ROOF GARDEN CONTAINING THE SERVICE BLOCKS AND
CAFETERIA FOR EMPLOYEES
• LE CORBUISER PLANNED A GARDEN FOR THE CAPITOL BUILDING KNOWN AS RAJENDRA PARK WHICH IS
ALSO USED BY THE EMPLOYEES OF SECRETARIAT BUILDING.
• ORIGINALLY, DUE TO THE TRIMIX FLOORING IN THE WHOLE CAPITOL COMPLEX, THE SCOPE OF
LANDSCAPING HAS REDUCED TO AN EXTENT..