Charles Correa is an Indian architect known for adapting modernism to non-Western cultures through an emphasis on local vernacular styles, resources, climate and open spaces like courtyards. Some of his notable works discussed include the Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya memorial in Ahmedabad using modular units, the high-rise Kanchanjunga Apartments in Mumbai with garden terraces, and low-cost housing projects in India and Peru organized around courtyards for ventilation.

1. CHARLES CORREA
PATRICIA BROWN
NIKITHA

2. INTRODUCTION
•CHARLES CORREA IS AN INDIAN ARCHITECT BORN ON SEPTEMBER 1ST 1930, HYDERABAD.
•HIS WORK IN INDIA IS AN ADAPTATION OF MODERNISM TO A NON WESTERN CULTURE.
•HIS EARLY WORKS ATTEMPT TO EXPLORE A LOCAL VERNACULAR WITHIN A MODERN
ENVIRONMENT.
•SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON PREVAILING RESOURCES, ENERGY AND CLIMATE AS MAJOR DETERMINANTS
IN THE ORDERING OF SPACE.
•HE WAS KNOWN FOR HIS LOW COST HOUSING.
•IMPORTED WESTERN IDEAS TO INDIA.
•INFLUENCED BY ARCHITECT LE CORBUSIER
•TRADEMARK STYLE INCLUDED OPEN SPACES IN THE FORM OF COURTYARDS, VERANDAHS,
TERRACE GARDENS
•GANDHI SMARAK SANGRAHALAYA, AHMEDABAD
•KANCHANJUNGAAPARTMENTS, BOMBAY
•LOW COST HOUSING
PREVI EXPERIMENTAL HOUSING
HUDCO HOUSING
BELAPUR HOUSING
•LIC CENTRE, DELHI

3. GANDHI SMARAK SANGRAHALAYA, 1958-63
•CORREA WAS ASKED TO DESIGN A MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND STUDY CENTRE TO HOUSE A
TREASURE OF SOME 30,000 LETTERS WRITTEN TO AND BY GANDHI, PHOTOGRAPHS AND
DOCUMENTS.
•THIS WAS THE ARCHITECTS FIRST IMPORTANT WORK IN PRIVATE PRACTICE
•IN ORDER TO REFLECT THE SIMPLICITY OF GANDHI’S LIFE AND THE INCREMENTAL NATURE OF A
LIVING INSTITUTION, THE ARCHITECT USED MODULAR UNITS 6MX6M REINFORCED CEMENT
CONCRETE CONNECTING SPACES BOTH OPEN AND COVERED, ALLOWING FOR EVENTUAL
EXPANSION.
•THE MODULAR SIMPLICITY OF THE STRUCTURE IS CONTINUED IN THE USE OF BASIC MATERIALS:
STONE FLOORS, BRICK WALLS, WOODEN DOORS, LOUVERED WINDOWS AND TILED ROOFS.

4. GANDHI SMARAK SANGRAHALAYA,1958-63
SITE PLAN

5. GANDHI SMARAK SANGRAHALAYA, 1958-63
•THE UNITS ARE PLACED IN AN ASYMMETRICAL MANNER TO BE ANALOGOUS TO THE INDIAN
VILLAGE WITH ITS PATHWAYS AND SEEMINGLY RANDOMLY PLACED BUILDINGS AND ITS MEETING
POINTS; IN THIS INSTANCE, THE CENTRAL WATER COURT.
•THE INITIAL CONSTRUCTION HAD 51 MODULAR UNITS.
•SOME OF THE UNITS ARE ENCLOSED WITH WALLS ; THE EXHIBITION SPACES SO CREATED
COUNTERPOINTED BY AREAS FOR REST WHERE THE VISITOR CAN SIT AND MEDITATE
SECTION

6. KANCHANJUNGA APARTMENTS, CUMBALLA HILLS, BOMBAY,
1970-83
PRINCIPLES OF CLIMATE CONTROL, ZONING OF SPACES, VIEWS,ETC
•USED THE ORGANISATION OF A BUNGALOW OF WRAPPING AROUND THE MAIN LIVING SPACES A
PROTECTIVE VERANDAH.
•INTERLOCKED UNITS WHICH FACED EAST AND WEST.
•CONSISTS OF 32 LUXURIOUS APARTMENTS, THE BUILDING IS 28 STOREYS HIGH AND SQUARE IN PLAN,
21MX21M.
•EACH OF THE FLATS HAVE LARGE USABLE GARDEN TERRACES WHICH HAVE DRAMATIC CITY VIEWS.
•THE TWO FLOOR HEIGHT TERRACES ACT AS A MEDIATOR BETWEEN THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL
SPACES BY BECOMING THE ORDERING ELEMENT OF THE BUILDING.

7. KANCHANJUNGA APARTMENTS CUMBALLA HILLS,
BOMBAY, 1970-83

8. KANCHANJUNGA APARTMENTS, CUMBALLA HILLS, BOMBAY
1970-83
•IN SECTION THERE IS A CONTINUOUS VARIATION OF INTERNAL SPACES BEST EXPRESSED AS SHEAR
WALLS ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH ELEVATIONS OF THE BUILDING.
•THE APARTMENTS ARE WELL VENTILATED.
•THE HIGHLY ARTICULATED AND COMPLEX INTERIORS DO NOT FOLLOW THE GEOMETRIC RHYTHMS
OF THE EXTERIORS.
•THE CUT OUT SHAPES OF THESE TERRACES ON TWO FACADES ENLIVEN, THROUGH THE USE OF
COLOURED TILED WALLS AND BRIGHTLY PAINTED CEILINGS.
•VIEWS FROM WITHIN THE LIVING AND BEDROOM.
SECTION FLOOR PLANS

9. KANCHANJUNGA APARTMENTS CUMBALLA HILLS,
BOMBAY, 1970-83
TYPE A TYPE B

10. PREVI HOUSING, LIMA PERU, 1969-73
•EXPERIMENTAL HOUSING PROJECT COMPETITION
•THE COMPETITION WAS SPONSORED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF PERU AND UNITED NATIONS IN 1969.
•DESIGN FOR A COMMUNITY OF 1500 FAMILIES.
•OBJECTIVE WAS TO DESIGN HIGH DENSITY LOW-COST HOUSING UNITS IN CONJUNCTION WITH
COMMUNITY FACILITIES SUCH AS SCHOOLS, SPORT CENTRES, SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
•PEDESTRIAN AND VEHICULAR TRAFFIC SEPARATED AND THE HOUSES ARE BUILT AS CLUSTERS.
•THE HOUSES ARE EXPANDABLE TO ACCOMMODATE UPTO 8 CHILDREN AND 3 ADULTS.
BACKYARD ALONG STAGGERED UNITS VIEW FROM THE INTERNAL COURT FROM
THE LIVING ROOM

11. PREVI HOUSING, LIMA PERU, 1969-73
•INITIATED BY BRITISH ARCHITECT PETER LAND.
•PEDESTRIAN AND VEHICULAR TRAFFIC WAS TO BE SEPERATED AND THE HOUSES TO BE DESIGNED AS
CLUSTERS.
•THERE WERE 23 DIFFERENT DESIGNS AMONG THE 502 UNITS BUILT
•CORREA’S SCHEME CONCENTRATES ON TWO MAJOR DESIGN IDEAS; THAT OF THE MINIMISATION OF
SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE USE OF CLIMATE AS A TEMPERATURE REGULATOR.
•THE STAGGERED PARTY WALLS ALSO PROVIDED GREAT EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE.
•THE ORIENTATION OF HOUSES ALLOWS THE PREVAILING WINDS TO TRAVEL ALONG THE AXIS OF EACH
SPINE.
•THE AIR IS DRAWN INTO THE HOUSES BY A LOUVERED AIR SCOOP OVER THE DOUBLE HEIGHT 6MX6M
VOLUME WITHIN EACH UNIT.
MODEL OF THE HOUSING SHOWING WINDSCOOPS IN
EACH UNIT AND PARKING ALONG PERIPHERY

12. PREVI HOUSING, LIMA PERU, 1969-73
UPPER AND LOWER UNITS

13. PREVI HOUSING, LIMA PERU, 1969-73
GENERAL PLAN ALONG COMMUNITY SPINE

14. HUDCO HOUSING, JODHPUR- 1986
•HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION- 176 HOUSES.
•THE ARCHITECT GROUPED THE UNITS AROUND A HIERARCHY OF OPEN SPACES.
•THE HOUSES CATER TO 4 INCOME CATEGORIES, FROM LOWER TO MID LEVEL INCOME
FAMILIES.
•LOCAL STONE WAS USED FOR CONSTRUCTION OF LOAD BEARING WALLS AND ROOF SLABS.
•THE UNITS THEMSELVES ARE MASSED IN SINGLE AND DOUBLE STOREY BLOCKS.
•THE HOUSES OF THE TWO TO FOUR ROOM UNITS REMAIN SIMPLE AND ARE INFLUENCED BY
THE RAJASTHAN CONTEXT IN TERMS OF ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION.
•DUE TO THE HOT DRY CLIMATE, EACH UNIT IS BUILT AROUND AN ENCLOSED COURTYARD.
COMMUNAL SPACES SURROUNDED BY HOUSES

15. HUDCO HOUSING, JODHPUR- 1986
SITE PLAN

16. HUDCO HOUSING, JODHPUR- 1986
TYPICAL PLAN- UNIT I TYPICAL PLAN- UNIT II

17. BELAPUR HOUSING, NEW BOMBAY,1983-86
•THIS HOUSING HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO HOUSE 500 PEOOPLE- A TOTAL OF 550 FAMILIES.
•THE PROJECT USES 1 PRINCIPLE: EACH UNIT IS ON ITS OWN INDIVIDUAL SITE FOR EXPANSION.
•THIS HOUSING CATERS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF INCOME GROUPS, FROM THE LOWEST TO MIDDLE IN
COME GROUPS.
•EACH PLOT SIZES ARE DIFFERENT
•AS EACH UNIT HAS ITS OWN PLOT AND DOES NOT SHARE ANYB COMMON WALLS WITH ITS
NEIGHBOUR, IT ALSO HAS ITS OWN OPEN TO SKY SPACE WHICH AUGMENTS THE BUILT UP AREA.
•THIS LOW RISE HIGH DENSITY SCHEME UTILISES A CLUSTER ARRANGEMENT AROUND SMALL
COMMUNITY SPACES.
•AT A SMALLER SCALE, 7 UNITS ARE GROUPED AROUNG AN INTIMATE COURTYARD OF ABOUT 8MX8M. 3
OF THE CLUSTERS COMBINE TO FORM A LARGER MODULE OF 21 HOUSES SURROUNDING AN OPEN
SPACE OF 12MX12M.
•THE SPATIAL HIERARCHY CONTINUES UNTIL THE NEIGHBOURHOOD SPACES ARE FORMED WHERE
SCHOOLS AND OTHER PUBLIC USE FACILITIES ARE LOCATED.
•THE WHOLE IS ARRANGED SO THAT THE NEIGHBOURHOOD SPACES OPEN TO A SMALL STREAM WHICH
RUNS THROUGH THE CENTRE OF THE SITE (WHICH DRAINS THE SURFACE WATER DURING MONSOON
RAINS)
•ALONG A DIAGONAL RUNNING THROUGH THE SITE IS THE PROPOSED BAZAAR.
•THE HOUSES ARE PLANNED WITH TOILETS LOCATED IN PAIRS TO SAVE ON PLUMBING AND SANITATION
COSTS.

18. BELAPUR HOUSING, NEW BOMBAY,1983-86
BELAPUR HOUSING, NEW BOMBAY, 1983-86
PHASE I, SITE PLAN

19. BELAPUR HOUSING, NEW BOMBAY, 1983-86
PHASE I, TYPE A
TYPE B
TYPE A
TYPE D
TYPE E

20. BELAPUR HOUSING, NEW BOMBAY, 1983-86
SIDE ELEVATION
PLAN
TYPE B
SIDE ELEVATION
GROUND FLOOR PLAN FIRST FLOOR PLAN
ELEVATION
TYPE A

21. BELAPUR HOUSING, NEW BOMBAY, 1983-86

22. LIC CENTRE, DELHI, 1975-86
•THE LIFE INSURANCE CORPORATION COMPLEX IS SITUATED ON THE OUTER ROAD OF CONNAUGHT AS A
PIVOTAL SITE BETWEEN TWO MAJOR ARTERIES: PARLIAMENT STREET AND JANPATH.
•IT ACTS AS A TRANSITION BETWEEN THE CIRCLES COLONNADES AND THE HIGH RISE TOWERS THAT ARE
SPRINING UP.
•THE BUILDING ACTS BOTH AS PROSCENIUM AND BACKDROP: A HUGE 12 STOREY PROSCENIUM BEYOND
WHICH THE TOWERS CAN BE GLIMPSED AND THE FACETED GLASS SURFACES WHICH BECOMES A STAGE
BACKDROP REFLECTING IMAGES OF THE BUILDING AND TREES.
•THE 2 LOWER LEVELS OF THE COMPLEX CONSIST OF SHOPPING DECKS AND RESTAURANTS.
•THE UPPER OFFICE LEVELS FORM SEPARATE WINGS FOCUSED ON A CENTRAL OPEN SPACE OF GARDENS
AND PATIOS.
•THE WHOLE IS CONNECTED BY A 98 METER LONG PERGOLA SUPPORTED AT EITHER END BY MASONARY
PIERS AND IN THE MIDDLE BY A SINGLE COLUMN.

23. LIC CENTRE, DELHI- 1975-86

24. INFERENCE:
•ADAPTED MODERNISM
•IMPORTED WESTERN IDEAS IN INDIA
•TRADE MARK STYLE INCLUDE OPEN SPACES IN THE FORM OF COURTYARDS,
VERANDAHS AND TERRACE GARDENS.
•EMPHASIS ON PREVAILING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
•REFERENCES:
• CHARLES CORREA- ARCHITECT IN INDIA
• PRO ARCHITECT- CHARLES CORREA
• WWW.GREATBUILDINGS.COM