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Hall of nations, Pragati Maidan, Delhi.

The document summarizes the Hall of Nations building in New Delhi, designed by architect Raj Rewal and completed in 1972 to mark India's 25th anniversary of independence. It was the world's first and largest space frame structure, using a tessellating triangular concrete structure. Rewal designed it to reflect India's intermediate technology capabilities at the time using local materials and labor. The building linked four exhibition halls with ramps and was inspired by traditional Indian geometric designs like jails and the tomb of Emperor Humayun. The concrete space frame provided a vast clear span and served as a sun breaker like traditional jali screens. Unfortunately, the iconic structure was demolished in 2022.

Education◦
Project on CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE Movement :POST – INDEPENDENCE ARCHITECTURE Project name : HALL OF NATIONS (1972) Architect : RAJ REWAL Guided by : Prof. Jaikishor Pandit Presented by : Zainab Kabira Roll no : 309108
HALL OF NATIONS AND NEHRU PAVILION ( 1972)
INTRODUCTION • On August 15, 1947, India became an independent state, free from Britain’s colonial rule. In 1972, to mark the 25th anniversary of this momentous occasion, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi unveiled the Hall of Nations, designed by Indian architect Raj Rewal. • It was the world’s first and largest-span space-frame structure • The Permanent Exhibition Complex is designed to form the focus of 130 acres of Exhibition ground designed by Raj Rewal in New Delhi. The design was evolved to meet the constraints of time, availability of materials and labor, but above all, to reflect symbolically and technologically, India's intermediate technology in the 25th year of its independence. • Officially known as the Hall of Nations and Industries, the building was made from concrete cast in- situ and used a tessellating triangular structure to form a capped pyramid. • Rewal stated it as a “symbol of an achievement by young architects in a newly-independent India, creating a style which could be constructed with limited means, yet be uniquely Indian.” In early 1963
THE DESIGN • Raj Rewal leaned on geometry and proposed four halls linked by ramps. • The largest of these is the hall of nations. • The hall of nations is a structure based on tetrahedrons , triangulated forms and hexagons, which is seen in jails' in India. • Raj Rewal re-interpreted the traditional Indian element of design with ultra-modern form and techniques. Hence he created a powerful image to represent India’s modernity. • He used space frames as both, roof and wall combined to diffuse the harsh sunlight in Delhi. Hence the structure itself becomes a sun-breaker.
THE DESIGN • C HALL OF INDUSTRIES HALL OF NATIONS • Each of the four hall of industries is similar in design and is 44 x 22 x 16 M high, • Free standing coffered mezzanine floors cantilevering out of cylindrical shaft like columns provide extra exhibition space in each hall. • The ‘ hall of nations’ is supported on pile foundations ties together with post tensioned beams. • The main pavilion of the Hall of Nations has a clear span of 78 meters and a height varying from three meters to 21 meters, thereby providing a vast capacity for items to be exhibited, from books to bulldozers.
• The plan of these pavilions is square with chamfered corners, providing eight anchoring points. The corners were inspired by the tomb of Moghul Emperor Humayun. Nehru Pavilion Plan Nehru Pavilion Cross section 2 (Isometric view) Nehru Pavilion Plan
• The depth of the structural system was utilized as a Sun breaker and conceived of in terms of the traditional 'jali', a geometrical pattern of perforation that serves to obstruct directs rays of the harsh Sun while permitting air circulation.
• The concrete space frame structural system used, was very unusual at the time, because conventional space frame structures were built in steel. • Reasons for using concrete instead of steel for construction was : 1. Steel sections was not readily available in India, hence had to be imported. 2. Skilled fabricators were not available. 3. Economic limitations.
• On the morning of April 24th, Delhi’s architecture community reacted in shock and disgust to the news that the city's Hall of Nations and the four Halls of Industries had been demolished. • Bulldozers had worked through the previous night at the Pragati Maidan exhibition grounds in central Delhi, where the Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) razed the iconic structures to the ground.