CHARLES CORREA AND JAWAHAR KALA KENDRA

1. INTRODUCTION
BORN IN HYDERABAD, INDIA IN 1930.
STUDIED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN AND MASSACHUSETTS
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.
 WORK IN INDIA- DEVELOPMENT.
UNDERSTANDING AND ADAPTATION OF
MODERNISM TO NON WESTERN
CULTURE
ATTEMPT TO EXPLORE A LOCAL
VERNACULAR WITH IN A MODERN
ENVIRONMENT.
‘OPEN TO SKY SPACE’ PERVASIVE
THEME IN HIS ARCHITECTURE.
ACHIEVEMENTS
 PIONEER IN DESIGNING LOW COST
HOUSES.
 IN 1984, HE FOUNDED THE URBAN
DESIGN RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN
BOMBAY- WHICH TO THIS DAY IS
DEDICATED TO THE PROTECTION OF THE
BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND
IMPROVEMENT OF URBAN
COMMUNITIES.
 AWARDS –
 AN INTERNATIONAL LECTURER AND
TRAVELLER, AWARDED THE RIBA ROYAL
GOLD MEDAL IN 1984,
 THE AALTO MEDAL,
 UIA GOLD MEDAL IN 1990,
 AGA KHAN AWARD FOR ARCHITECTURE,
 PREMIUM IMPERIAL OF JAPAN,
PADMA SHREE IN 1972,
PADMA VIBHUSHAN IN 2006
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OPEN TO SKY
CONCEPT0
 CAN MAKE A DECISIVE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN LIVABLE HABITAT AND
CLAUSTROPHOBIA.
PARTICULARLY FOR LOW INCOME
GROUPS.
EVEN IN REASONABLE DENSE
HOUSING , INDIVIDUAL TERRACE /
GARDENS CAN BE GIVEN.
NOT ONLY IMPROVES LIVING
CONDITION, BUT ALSO HAS ECONOMIC
VALUE IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY
LIKE INDIA.
THESE PRINCIPLES WERE ALSO
APPLIED TO HIGH – RISE BUILDING IN
MUMBAI.
PHILOSOPHIES
FEW PHILOSOPHIES IN HIS
VAST BODY OF WORK:
• INCREMENTALLY
• PLURALISM
• PARTICIPATION
• INCOME GENERATION
• EQUITY
• OPEN-TO-SKY SPACE
• DISAGGREGATION.
-SHADY INNER COURTYARDS AND HUGE
ARBORES.
(E.G. ADMINISTRATION BUILDING OF
ELECTRONICS CORPORATION OF INDIA ECIL,
1965 -68, IN HYDERABAD)
-CORREA WORKS INTENSIVELY ON THE
CONCEPTION OF CITY DISTRICTS AND
WHOLE CITIES, ESPECIALLY FOR
FAMILIES WITH A LOW INCOME.
-CORREA REJECTS THE ANONYMOUS HIGH-
RISE HOUSING SCHEMES IN FAVORS OF
LOWER, CLEVERLY DESIGNED COMPLEX
SPLIT-LEVEL HOUSES ALLOW FOR
INTENSIFIED UTILIZATION OF SPACE AT THE
SAME TIME.
-SHOWS NEW WAYS TO COUNTRIES WITH
INCREASING DENSITY OF POPULATION.
EXPERINCES
•1955-1958 PARTNER WITH G.M. BHUTA ASSOCIATES •1964-1965 PREPARED
MASTER PLAN PROPOSING TWIN CITY ACROSS THE HARBOR FROM BOMBAY.
•1969-1971 INVITED BY THE GOVT. OF PERU
•1971-1975 CHIEF ARCHITECT TO CIDCO
•1975-1976 CONSULTANT TO UN SECRETORY-GENERAL FOR HABITAT
CONCLUSION FROM HIS
PHILOSOPHIES
•CHARLES CORREA THUS BELIEVES THAT ARCHITECTURE IS
NOT JUST A REINFORCEMENT OF EXISTING VALUES BUT SOCIAL,
POLITICALAND ECONOMICAL.
•ARCHITECTURE VARIES DEPENDING UPON THE NEEDS OF THE
INHABITANTS AS WELL AS POPULATION DENSITY.
•CLIMATIC CONDITIONS HAVE A DIRECT EFFECT ON THE
TECHNICAL DESIGN OF HIS BUILDINGS , THUS SHOULD
BEACCORDINGLY DESIGNED.
SOME OF HIS WORKS
NAMRATA JINDAL
Sheet no. 1
KANCHENJUNGA APARTMENTS:
THE 32 LUXURY APARTMENTS ARE LOCATED SOUTH-WEST MUMBAI. THE
KANCHANJUNGAAPARTMENTS ARE A DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE PRESENT
CULTURE, THE ESCALATING URBANIZATION, AND THE CLIMATIC
CONDITIONS FOR THE REGION. THEY PAY HOMAGE TO THE VERNACULAR
ARCHITECTURE.
IN MUMBAI, A BUILDING HAS TO BE ORIENTED EAST-WEST TO CATCH
PREVAILING SEA BREEZES AND TO OPEN UP THE BEST VIEWS OF THE
CITY. UNFORTUNATELY, THESE ARE ALSO THE DIRECTIONS OF THE HOT
SUN AND THE HEAVY MONSOON RAINS. THE OLD BUNGALOWS SOLVED
THESE PROBLEMS BY WRAPPING A PROTECTIVE LAYER OF VERANDAS
AROUND THE MAIN LIVING AREAS, THUS PROVIDING THE OCCUPANTS
WITH TWO LINES OF DEFENSE AGAINST THE ELEMENTS.
THE BUILDING IS A 32 STORY
REINFORCED CONCRETE
STRUCTURE WITH 6.3M
CANTILEVERED OPEN
TERRACES. THE CENTRAL
CORE IS COMPOSED OF LIFTS
AND PROVIDES THE MAIN
STRUCTURAL ELEMENT FOR
RESISTING LATERAL LOADS..
THE CENTRAL CORE WAS CONSTRUCTED AHEAD OF THE MAIN STRUCTURE BY
SLIP METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION. THIS TECHNIQUE WAS USED FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN INDIA FOR A MULTISTORY BUILDING
ABOUT ARCHITECT

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JAWAHAR KALA KENDRA IS AN ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTRE
LOCATED IN THE CITY OF JAIPUR.
THE CENTRE IS IMPORTANT NOT BECAUSE OF THE NOMENCLATURE
BUT ITS CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH THE CITY OF JAIPUR ITSELF.
THE CENTRE WAS BUILT IN THE YEAR 1986 AND THE CONSTRUCTION
COMPLETED IN 1991.
THE CENTRE WAS LAUNCHED BY THE STATE GOVERNMENT TO
PROVIDE SPACE TO THE CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL VALUES OF INDIA
AND DISPLAY THE RICH CRAFT HERITAGE.
THE CENTRE IS DEDICATED TO THE LATE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU.
THE CENTRE HAS BEEN MADE IN THE NINE BLOCKS HOUSING
MUSEUMS,THEATRES, LIBRARY, ART DISPLAY
ROOM,CAFETERIA,ADMINISTATION AND STUDIO
EACH UNIT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER WITH THE USE OF
DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND THE PRESENCE, EACH OF THE PLANETS
IS EXPRESSED BY ITS TRADITIONAL SYMBOL INLAID IN WHITE
MARBLE
A VIEW AT ENTRANCE LEVEL
MAP OF JAIPUR AS
PRECEDENT
DEFINED SPACE
ACCORDING TO USAGE
TYPICAL PLAN
SITE LOCATION
SKETCH VIEW OF ENTRANCE FACADE
RESPONSE TO CLIMATE
-MATERIAL: RED SANDSTONE AND WHITE
MARBLE
-VASTU SYMBOLS ON FACADE OF EACH UNIT
-SMALL PUNCTURES ON WALLS FOR
VENTILATION
-LIGHT SHAFTS HAVE STEP PROFILES WITH
MARBLE CAPPING
-SMALLER OPENINGS
-LIGHT SHAFTS AT CORNER OF EACH UNIT
-CENTRAL COURTYARD TO BRING IN LIGHT
AND AIR.
ARCHITECT :CHARLES CORREA
CONSTRUCTION TIME :6YEARS
CONSTRUCTED BY :PWD
SITE AREA :9.5 ACRES
CONCEPT
THE CENTRE IS AN ANALOGUE OF THE ORIGINAL CITY PIAN OF JAIPUR DRAWN
UP BY THE MAHARAJA, A SCHOLAR, MATHEMATICIAN AND ASTRONOMER, JAI
SINGH THE SECOND, IN THE MID-17TH CENTURY.
HIS CITY PLAN, GUIDED BY THE SHIPLA SHASTRAS, WAS BASED ON THE ANCIENT
VEDIC MADALA OF NINE SQUARES OR HOUSES WHICH REPRESENT THE NINE
PLANETS (INCLUDING TWO IMAGINARY ONES KETU AND RAHU).
 DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF A HILL ONE OF THE SQUARES WAS TRANSPOSED TO
THE EAST AND TWO OF THE SQUARES WERE AMALGAMATED TO HOUSE THE
PALACE.
THE PLAN OF JAIPUR CITY IS BASED ON NINE SQUARE YANTRA IN WHICH ONE SQUARE
IS DISPLACED AND TWO CENTRAL SQUARES ARE COMBINED
FACILITES
•LIBRARY
•PRINT MAKING STUDIO
•SCULPTURE STUDIO
•ALANKAR MUSEUM
•SUDERSHAN TERRACOTTA GALLERY
•CHATURDIK GALLERY, RUNNING WALL SPACE 48.5 FT.
•SUKRITI GALLERY, RUNNING WALL SPACE 160 FT.
•SUREKH GALLERY, RUNNING WALL SPACE 160 FT.
•PARIJAT-1 GALLERY RUNNING WALL SPACE 60 FT.
•PARIJAT-2 GALLERY RUNNING WALL SPACE 88 FT.
•SATKAR CAFETERIA
•GUEST AND DOMIATORY
•MADHYAVARTI OPEN THEATRE
•RANGAYAN AND KRISHNAYAN DIRECTOR THEATRE
•SHILPGRAM
CORREA'S PLAN FOR THE KENDRA INVOKES DIRECTLY THE ORIGINAL NAVAGRAHA OR NINE
HOUSE MANDALA.
ONE OF THE SQUARES IS PIVOTED TO RECALL THE ORIGINAL CITY PLAN AND ALSO TO CREATE
THE ENTRANCE.
 THE PLAN OF JAIPUR CITY BASED ON THE NINE SQUARE YANTRA IN WHICH ONE SQUARE IS
DISPLACED AND TWO CENTRAL SQUARES COMBINED. THE SQUARES IS DEFINED BY 8M HIGH
WALL, SYMBOLIC OF THE FORTIFICATION WALL ALONG THE JAIPUR OLD CITY
THIS IS AN INTERIOR SHOT
THAT SHOWS A CEILING WHICH
DEPICTS
RIVERS,MOUNTAINS,ANIMALS
AND VEGETATION IN A
TRADITIONAL INDIAN
COSMOLOGY. IT SHOWS HOW
WELL CORREA HAS BEEN ABLE
TO MELD THE TRADITIONAL
WITH THE CONTEMPORARY
AMPHITHEATRE
CENTRAL
COURTYARD
A VOLUMETRIC
MODEL EACH’S
DIMENSION IS
30X30X8 M
PERGOLA
OPENINGS
NAMRATA JINDAL SHEET NO. 2