Chandigarh - Le Corbusier

Rameez R. Gazi Theory of Design - II
Pioneer of Modern Architecture

“The seed of Chandigarh is well sown. It is
for the citizens to see that the tree
flourishes”.
Mon Le Corbusier
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flourishes”.
Mon Le Corbusier
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– INTRODUCTION
• CHANDIGARH was the first planned city post
independence. It is known internationally for its
Architecture, Landscape and Urban Design.
• Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater
Chandigarh is an area in northern India,
comprising of the Union Territory of Chandigarh,
the state of Punjab (Mohali dist.)
• The region consists of the cities of Chandigarh,
Panchkula, Mohali, Zirakpur and Kharar
• The city is located at the picturesque junction of
foothills of the Himalayas Mountain range and
the Ganges plains.
• It houses a population of 1,054,600 inhabitants
(2001) and is one of the richest cities of the
nation.
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flourishes”.
Mon Le Corbusier
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• The partition of 1947 had spilt the
province of Punjab into two – East
Punjab in Indian territory and West
Punjab in Pakistan.
• Lahore the then capital of the Punjab
province which was in located in West
Punjab and hence became a part of
Pakistan.
• East Punjab required a new capital.
• Chandigarh comes into existence.
Map of PUNJAB province before the partition of 1947
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• Chandigarh was the brain child project
of the first Prime Minister of independent
India (L) Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.
• Maciej Nowicki [Matthew Nowiski] and
Albert Mayer were the first architects to
be appointed for the project.
• Choice of site were
a. Ambala
b. Amritsar
c. Chandigarh
d. Patiala
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(L) Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Maciej Nowicki and Albert
Mayer

• Matthew Nowiski and Albert Mayer
proposed a fan shaped master plan:
a. Organic plan form
b. Concept evolved from neighborhood
villages (Village community in Urban
Context.)
• Matthew Nowiski passed away on the
midnight of 31st Aug/1st Sept 1950 in a plane
crash near Egypt on his way back from
India.
• Albert Mayer decided to discontinue.
Fan shaped Master plan of Chandigarh proposed by
Maciej Nowicki and Albert Mayer
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• Thereafter the Prime Minsiter of India (L) Pt.
Jawaharlal Nehru approached Charles Édouard
Jeanneret or better known as Le Corbusier in 1951.
• He was assisted by three senior architects, Maxwell
Fry, his wife Jane B Drew and Corbusier’s cousin,
Pierre Jeanneret.
• These senior architects were supported by a team
of young Indian architect and planner consisting of
M.N. Sharma, A. R. Prabhawalkar, U.E. Chowdhary,
J.S. Dethe, B.P. Mathur, Aditya Prakash, N.S. Lanbha
and others. Charles Édouard Jeanneret - LE CORBUSIER
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Picture of LE CORBUSIER with the Master Plan of Chandigar
• The Master plan prepared by Le Corbusier was
broadly similar to the one prepared by the
team of planners led by Albert Mayer and
Matthew Nowiski.
• The city plan was conceived as post war
‘Garden City’ wherein vertical and high rise
buildings were ruled out, keeping in view the
socio economic-conditions and living habits of
the people.
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flourishes”.
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Rameez R. Gazi Theory of Design - II 12
• The fan shaped master plan proposed by
Matthew Nowiski and Albert Mayer.
• It spreads gently over the chosen site, a flat
site between two river beds.
• Two axial routes bordered by linear parks
connected the zones.
• The provincial govt. buildings are located
at the upper edge of the city, while the
central business district occupies an area
near the center.

• A curving network of main roads surrounds
the residential super blocks, each of which
contains a central area of parkland.
• The flatness of the site allowed almost
complete freedom in creating street layout
and it is of interest to note that the overall
pattern deliberately avoids a geometric
grid in favor of a loosely curving system.

Le Corbusier’s conceptual sketch – Master Plan
• Le Corbusier’s conceptual Master Plan was
quite similar to that of Matthew Nowiski and
Albert Mayer.
• This Master Plan too had the govt. buildings
towards the upper edge of the city and the
commercial center towards the heart of the
city.
• The new Master Plan was changed to a grid
iron pattern from the previous fan shaped
design for the fast traffic roads, besides
reducing its area for reason of economy.

flourishes”.
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Le Corbusier’s conceptual sketch – Master Plan
• The primary module of city’s design is a
Sector, a neighborhood unit of size 800 x 1200
meters.
• Each SECTOR is a self-sufficient neighborhood
unit having shops, school, health centers and
places of recreations and worship and open
green spaces.
• The population of a sector varies between
3000 and 20000 depending upon the sizes of
plots and the topography of the

Le Corbusier and his Human form.
• Le Corbusier conceived the master plan of
Chandigarh as analogous to human body.
• It had a clearly defined
› Head – The Capitol Complex (Sector – 1)
› Heart – The City Centre (Sector – 17)
› Lungs – The leisure valley, innumerable open spaces,
Sector greens.
› Limbs – Educational and cultural institutions
› Viscera – Industries
› Circulation System – Road Network
• Concept of the city is based on four major functions :
living, working, care of the body & spirit, & circulation.

• Housed all important govt.
buildings – the Center of Power

Palace of Assembly
Palace of Justice
Palace of Assembly
Secretariat Building

• The Central Sector of the city,
Sector – 17, is the main Public
Congregation area of the city.
• It houses all major Shopping
Complexes, Sports Facilities and
Congregation Spaces.

• All buildings located along the road V2 was subjected to
control.
• Buildings were constructed on a 5.60 M grid, occupants
had the freedom to control the interior aesthetics and
limited treatment to external façade was permitted.

• The Leisure Valley (8 Km long stretch along a seasonal
rivulet) is a green sprawling space extending North-East
to South-West along a seasonal riverlet gradient and was
conceived by Le Corbusier as the LUNGS OF THE CITY.
• Apart from large Public Parks and special Botanical
Gardens, it houses series of Fitness Trails, amphitheatres
and spaces for open-air exhibitions.

Google Earth Image showing sectoral greens / open spaces – D.O.I : 9/27/2015

• An entire zone (Sector 12 and
Sector 14) has been designated as
institutional area – INSTITUTES FOR
HIGHER LEARNING (Post Graduate
Institute for Medical Education &
Research, Punjab Engineering
College, Panjab University, etc.) in
the master plan.

• An entire zone has been
designated as Industrial Area in the
Master Plan.
• Site for the Industrial Area was
chosen according to the
prevailing wind direction.
• The wind blew away smoke from
the industries and it could never
enter the city.

• Le Corbusier's traffic system
followed Mayer's lines but was
more elaborate; he called it Les
Sept Voies de Circulation, or Seven
Vs.

The Seven Vs :
# V1 - The National Highway (Connecting Chandigarh with other cities like
Ambala, Kharar & Shimla.)
# V2 - They are the major avenues with important institutional &
commercial functions running alongside
# V3 - They are the corridor-streets for fast moving vehicular traffic. A Sector
is surrounded either by V-2 or V-3 roads.
# V4 - Roads bisecting the Sectors.
# V5 - Roads meandering through the Sector giving access to its inner
lands.
# V6 - Roads coming off of the V-5s and leading to the residential houses.
# V7 - They are intended for pedestrian movement and run through the
middle of the sectors in the green areas.
# V8 - Intended to run parallel with V-7s for the bi-cycles.
Le Corbusier’s conceptual sketch of Seven Vs.

V2/V3
V4
V5
V6
The Seven Vs :
# V1 – Highways
# V2 – Major Roads
# V3 – Sector Definers
# V4 – Sector Bisectors
# V5 – Sector Loop
# V6 – Inland Access
# V7 – Pedestrian

flourishes”.
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Images of Le Corbusier’s meetings with Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru

Le Corbusier taking a walk
with Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
on the corridors of the
newly constructed
Secretariat building of
Chandigarh.

Le Corbusier defined Chandigarh as:
Chandigarh is a city offering all amenities of life to the poorest of the poor of its citizens to lead a dignified life.
Chandigarh is a Government city with a precise goal and consequently a precise quality of inhabitants. On this
presumption, the city has not to be a big city (metropolis) - it must not lose its definition. People say that life must come
in the city from other source or activity especially industry. An industrial city is not the same as an administrative city.
One must not mix the two. It seems that complement of the original definition should be the invitation of forces, which
can supplement the forces of the city not opening a conflict or rivalry. We must take care that any temptations do not
kill the goal, which was foreseen at the moment of the foundation of the city. Therefore, naturally, old doors must be
opened to actually unknown initiatives. It appears that the future of Chandigarh will be opened to all the cultural
factors in different kinds of manifestation: teaching (school), university, new science of imparting audio-visual training
and so on.
It is a means to express and to disperse thought (editions: books, magazines and eventually printing of books,
magazines, etc). Means to express and disperse arts (in time and space - history and geography). Al1 kinds of
reproduction of art-witnesses(editions: visual means - photographs, diagrams etc at different scales). Diverse
manifestations of exhibitions, shows, theatre, festivals, creations of highest modernity etc. such manifestations
reclaiming the organizations and use of travelling, possibilities of hostelry, etc. For the culture of the body there can be
created an organism having as disposition any possibilities of meeting for competitions or tournaments- All this will
afford the creation of a 'Chandigarh' label, which will be the guarantee of quality and worth emulation.
As written by Le Corbusier in 1959 and Produced by Government of Punjab Administration on their offIcial web site,
1999.

Chandigarh - Le Corbusier

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