LE CORBUSIER AND CHANDIGARH: AN ARCHITECTURAL EXPERIENCE

Detail of  the Palace of the Assembly, Chandigarh.

All the photos belong to Carlos Zeballos Velarde, except as otherwise indicated 

ESPAÑOL

Intro by Gonzalo Ríos

We live among objects, we move through constructed spaces, the world is manifested through them and we erect our reality by means of a sort of recomposition of fragments of the perceived and interpreted information. The architecture is thus not only a shelter for our body, it is often a filter through which the order that governs the universe is manifested. This order is perceived, subsequently related and finally transformed into individual and collective meanings. It was always like this and it was fine.

Accustomed today to remain in virtual spaces, satisfied with simple images, hurrying to distinguish our preferences with a "like it", we  increasingly do not recognize the revelatory function of architecture, or at least we select the most superficial and useful information to the extent that it will allow us to stay in comfortable spaces, promoting the genesis of an architecture for the media that hides behind its epidermal formal fanfare, the monotony of standardized production and the lack of attention to what the context demands.

Three architects who share these concerns met in a cafe in Arequipa and agreed to share a vivid architectural experience which transcended the ordinary and, in some way or another,  influenced their way of perceiving the world or finding themselves.  They hope that through these experiences they will encourage more people to tell their own ones and thus made a small contribution  to put architecture in the proper place.

I will share with you my own experience. The other ones are available in the blog in Spanish.

Symbolic Hyperbole:

Legislative Assembly of Chandigarh, India, May 2007, 
Carlos Zeballos

Monumental. The scale of the Capitol in Chandigarh overwelmed me. The place conveyed a sense of grand, almost megalomaniac power. It was made ​​to impress, but it seemed to have forgotten to accommodate people. In that hot morning in the Indian spring it would have been very comfortable to sit under a tree, but this sort of banality would had interfered with the colossal perspective of the space, something that the Swiss architect who conceived it was not willing to compromise. 

Still, I was grateful to be standing for the first time before a building by the great master Le Corbusier and to enjoy the landscape of the Himalayas mountains, emerging as a backdrop to the east. I had previously only seen reproductions in black and white of this complex, so it was a very special experience to be standing there, admiring the grandeur of the Capitol,  the strength of their volumes, the roughness and plasticity of the concrete and to be able to breathe the passion for design that the Swiss master embedded in this work, from the urban design to the details of the murals and carpets.

I arrived there escorted by a friend's relative and after he showed me the complex from afar, he prepared to return to the city center. When I insisted to approach in order to have a better look of the buildings, he nervously told me that it was complicated, that I would need to ask for a special permission the next day. I could understand his nervousness because Chandigarh is located near the border with Pakistan , in a very tense area where security measures are taken seriously. 

But I was not going to give up just like that. I went to get that permission and the initial reluctance of the officers gradually became an effective collaboration. They were flattered by the presence of such an exotic visitor, and soon I left that office carrying the permission as well as many souvenirs and information about the city.

Early next day I was back at the Capitol, with its three symbolic buildings: the Secretariat, the Palace of the Assembly and the High Court. Of all the elements of the complex it was the Palais de l'Assemblée the building that moved me the most, due to its mathematical grid of brise-soleil, so necessary in that hot climate, and its photogenic south facade reflected in a water mirror. 

The grid made that heavy rectangular concrete box look lighter, and its rational lines contrasted  with the sculptural volume of a truncated hyperbolic shell, a monumental form whose inspiration came from industrial chimneys.

I made that tour escorted by a soldier armed with an automatic gun, because security was particularly strict.

 
We entered the building, adorned with murals designed by Le Corbusier himself, who had not neglected any details at the time of conceiving his masterpiece. 

Inside, the indirect light passed through the brise-soleil and gave a depth effect to the hypostyle hall, reminiscent of the classical temples that the Swiss master had admired so much during his journey of discovery to Greece.

 Photo courtesy of Fondation Le Corbusier

In the midst of that forest of columns the curved volume of the assembly emerged as an impetuous volcano.

 Photo courtesy of  Fondation Le Corbusier

Then, we approached to the main chamber, which luckily could be accessed at that moment due to the recess of the legislators. Neither the books on Le Corbusier or the treaties on modern architecture that I had previously read could have prepared me for that impression. The monumental  space, molded in that 15 cm thick concrete shell, raised above the upholstered seats of the legislators. The truncated section of the hyperbole accentuated its directionality and its geometry favored the acoustics. The height of the space was also conceived due to climate concerns, allowing the circulation of airflow through conduction.

 Photo courtesy of The Tribune

 
But that place did not seem to me a civic space, but a sacred one. The light filtering indirectly produced a spiritual effect, that I would encounter again few years later in the chapel made ​​by Le Corbusier in Ronchamp. However, unlike the white walls of the church, the epidermis of this concrete room was covered with colorful aluminum sheets, which seemed to crept the walls as a sort of infection, producing colored spots.

Photos courtesy of The Tribune

It was a sublime moment that seemed not to be shared by the soldier who was accompanying me, who insisted that photographs were strictly prohibited. I tried to imbue every detail of that moment  in my memory, knowing that this experience will probably not be repeated. I tried to breathe the most of this beautiful, grand, dramatic space. But suddenly, with an unfriendly gesture, the soldier let me know that the visit was over.

SEE ALSO

• Hundertwasser House, by Cristina Dreifuss (in Spanish)
• Saint Chapelle, Paris, by Gonzalo Rios (in Spanish)

Other Works by Le Corbusier

• Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp
• Capitol complex in Chandigarh
• Curutchet House, La Plata, Argentina. (1949-53)
• Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Japan. (1959)
• Unité d'Habitation, Berlin, Germany. (1956-59)

GERRIT RIETVELD: SCHRÖDER HOUSE

ESPAÑOL

Dutch architect Gerrit Rielvield's masterpiece, the Schröder house (1924), stands as the most important example of Neoplasticist architecture. In 2000 UNESCO included it in the World Heritage list because it was considered  "an icon of the Modern Movement in architecture and an outstanding expression of human creative genius in its purity of ideas and concepts as developed by the De Stijl movement" and "whose radical approach to design and the use of space, occupies a seminal position in the development of architecture in the modern age.". 

BACKGROUND
Frits Schröder was a lawyer married to Truus Schröder, a pharmacist. They owned a building on Biltstraat Street in the quiet Dutch city of Utrecht. There Mr. Schröder allowed his wife to modify a room at will and for that purpose she commissioned the design to Gerrit Rietveld. When Mrs. Truss Schröder widowed she decided to move to a new property,  and given the successful design experience with Rietveld, she again gave him the commission of  her new house in 1924, in which she wanted to express his vision of how a woman should live in a modern and independent way. She actively participated in the design of the house and is furniture (this building is actually called  the Rietvield Schröder House) and lived there for 60 years until her death in 1984.
Rietvield, meanwhile, used the opportunity to use the concepts of the De Stijl or Neoplasticism Movement, which was based on the abstraction of all forms into orthogonal lines and planes, and all the chromatic palette into primary colors, white and black.
Rietvield himself rented an office in the house until 1932, and after the death of his wife in 1958 he moved to this house, until he died in 1964 at the age of 76.

LOCATION

The Schröder Rietvield house is located in a suburb of the city of Utretcht, in the center of Holland. This neighborhood is composed of brick neoclassical houses, to the point that when I was walking down the Hendriklaan street looking for a symbol of the Modern Movement, the conservative style  of the houses made me think that I was in the wrong place.

The home sits at the end of the street, facing a highway that crosses perpendicularly (which certainly did not exist when the house was built, as it was constructed in the 60's. Previously there was a small forest to which  the visuals of the social area were directed). The house contrasts with its surroundings, both in form and in proportions and materials, and precisely the massiveness of the surrounding brick houses highlights the lightness and transparency of this house made of concrete, steel and glass.

  See location on Google Maps

CONCEPT

The cubic volume of the building is broken, almost dematerialized and reassembled into primary elements such as lines and planes, whose  transparency exposes its interior. Balconies, terraces and metal columns intertwine trying to emphasize the immateriality of the volume.

The structure also frees the components of the building, separating the clearly expressing its function.

The planes, lines and colors of the facade and interior, painted in white, black, red and yellow, evoke a Piet Mondrian composition.

However, the greatest contribution of the house is its interior space, both for its flow and its visual connection to the outside. The house consists of two levels, linked by a central spiral staircase.

The Rietveld house is noted for its flexibility, particularly in the second level, where the rooms can be expanded or divided by deploying panels, a concept that modern designers took from the traditional Japanese architecture . Its open plan contrasts with the closed layout of the houses of the time, composed of rigid rooms and spaces. The multiplicity of functional options was a direct contribution of Mrs. Schröder, who wanted a house that would offer different lifestyle alternatives.

Interestingly, the private spaces are arranged on the first level, while most public ones are located on the second level.

First level. Plant and axonometric.

Second level. Plant and axonometric.

Sections.

"... We didn't avoid older styles because they were ugly, or because we couldn't reproduce them, but because our own times demanded their own form, I mean, their own manifestation. It was of course extremely difficult to achieve all this in spite of the building regulations and that's why the interior of the downstairs part of the house is somewhat traditional, I mean with fixed walls. But upstairs we simply called it and 'attic' and that's where we actually made the house we wanted."> Gerrit Rietveld.

For this purpose Rietvield, who was initially a carpenter, installed a series of foldable panels which can divide the space into different shapes, changing the interior according to needs of area, lighting and privacy.

The following 3D model video explains the components of the house.

DETAILS

The Neoplasticist style of the house is complemented in its details, in the windows and accessories, such as furniture, to the point of establishing an ongoing dialogue with the architecture that contains them.

Red and Blue Chair and Chair Zigzag two Rietveld creations

The Schröder house remains valid to this day due to its apparent modernity: simple volumes and rational lines that evoke a Piet Mondrian painting in three dimensions, its frank flexibility, airy transparency and fluid spaciousness have inspired numerous contemporary works.

Note: I would like to thank architect Fredy G. Ovando for the information provided.

SEE ALSO

- OTHER WORKS OF GERRIT RIETVELD

• Van Gogh Museum

- MODERN ARCHITECTURE

• Curutchet House, La Plata, Argentina. Le Corbusier (1949-53)
• Fallingwater, Pennsylvanya, USA. Frank L. Wright (1935-37)
• Luis Barragan´s House and Studio, Mexico, Mexico (1947)
• Unité d'Habitation, Berlin, Germany. Le Corbusier, (1956-59)

Along with Cristina, a kind and beautiful Spanish student of architecture whom I met at the house.

CHANDIGARH AND LE CORBUSIER (II)

ESPAÑOL

This second part is devoted to the architectural work of Le Corbusier in Chandigarh, is a complement to our previous post on the city's urban design.

The Capitol buildings in Chandigarh are the most important monumental complex in this city and some of the most interesting examples of Le Corbusier's work, although there are other of his buildings scattered throughout the city. The novel conceptual development and the thoroughness and detail evident in each building are typical of a Swiss watchmaker (actually, that was the profession of Le Corbusier in his youth) and demonstrate the commitment and love that the master devoted in his work.

Detail of the Assembly Palace's coverage .
Unless otherwise indicated, all photos in this article belong to C. Zeballos

THE CAPITOL.

Isolated from the rest of the city, located in the north foothills of the Himalayas, and separated from it by parks and highways, the entire Capitol represents the head of Chandigarh, in an analogy with the human body that was explained in the previous article .

While the scale of the complex exceeded the buildings functional requirements, its monumentality was necessary to symbolize the Prime Minister Nehru's vision, who hoped to overcome the glory and fame of Lahore, the ancient capital of Punjab ceded to Pakistan; a goal which, at least in the western world, has been achieved.

Asymmetrically arranged in a huge open area, the buildings of the Capitol area represent the powers of the democratic state and are comprised by: the Assembly (legislative), the Courts (judiciary), the Secretariat (executive) and accompanied by monuments such as the Open Hand and the Tower of Shadows. Here, Le Corbusier demonstrates is mastery in the use of the concrete, while reaffirming his conception of architecture as an element imposed to nature, achieving harmony and balance though contrast.

Capitol Area in Chandigarh.
See location on Google Earth

SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE

Court of Justice from the Secretariat.

The Superior Court of Justice was the first building to be finished. It consists of an L-shaped block, framed by a concrete cover that functions as a large umbrella that unfolds gracefully in the shape of arches, and that somehow establishes an reference to the covers of the havelis in Mughal architecture. This space between the double cover offers a smooth ventilation in the summer and protection during the rainy season. Le Corbusier used to say that both the sun and the rain are components of the architecture, and therefore applied in this building his famous concept of brise-soleil, or the inclusion of parasols as permanent and constituent elements of the building. Despite this, the functional distribution of the courts and the judges offices had to be shifted to prevent  the sun from direct insolation.

Detail of the facade of the Court, showing different grid compositions.

The main elevation faces a square where most vehicles park and where the entry controls are located. The rear facade looks at the esplanade facing the Assembly. Both spaces are spatially linked  through a portico formed by three large painted concrete columns (in contrast to the other exposed concrete elements).

Detail of the concrete parasol and its encounter with the plates.

The building contains 8 high courts, supreme court separated by the above mentioned plates . The courts are spaces of 8 * 8 * 12 meters, in which Le Corbusier applied another of his well-known principles, the modulation system known as modulor .

A system of ramps connecting the various offices of the judicial bureaucracy, while offering impressive views of the entire Capitol complex.

Detail the perforations in the ramps.

On the roof, Le Corbusier devised a set of outdoor terraces, which unfortunately today are used as warehouses.

Rooftop terraces of the courts.

It also had to create a special parking area for the judges, who did not agreed park next to the general public.

THE SECRETARIAT

Main facade of the Secretariat.

Located at the other end of the Capitol, the so-called Secretariat is a long, 8-story, 245 m long and 42 high block, that houses  the administrative offices of two provinces, Punjab and Haryana. Its shape resembles Le Corbusier's Housing Units, called Unités.

Interior of dining in the secretariat. Note the separation of the windows from the structure, one of Le Corbusier's favorite principles .

With numerous elements that alter and dynamize its repetitive modulated character, the block  is an analogy to classical architecture: it is composed of a base, a body and a capital. Le Corbusier wanted to include his famous piles at the base and was about to give up the whole project when he was rejected (yes, he was very proud). Fortunately an intermediate alternative was found and the offices in the first floors were removed to make way for a gallery that offers shade for pedestrians.

Details of how the facade is dynamized by a sculptural element that enriches the composition.

In contrast to the light grid of the facade, there is a massive sculptural element, pierced by small windows, that houses a series of internal ramps.

Detail of stairs

Similarly, on the roof there is another recurring element in Corbusian architecture: the roof-garden, which was designed to compensate the ground that the building takes away from nature, and is composed of a series of sculptural and symbolic elements that used to have a civic role. Unfortunately today this area is closed for safety reasons (it was the first time in my life that I took pictures escorted by an armed soldier).

The Secretariat Garden-terrace 

THE LEGISLATURE

Photo courtesy of John Steedman

Perhaps the most emblematic building of the complex, is aligned on the axis of the Capitol. It is a large rectangular block that reaches 38 m at its highest point. Instead two legislative houses of curved forms are linked by a foyer.

The front grid is rotated to avoid direct sunlight

Around the square there is a huge concrete parasol, whose monumental form is reflected on a pond, a detail used by Le Corbusier to give lightness to the building, gaving the impression of a large ship.

Assembly Plant

But the most significant aspect of the building is the coverage of the legislative chambers, formed by a pyramidal prism in the case of the Council Chambers and a sculptural hyperbolic paraboloid to the House of Assembly. It is said that Le Corbusier was inspired by a cooling chimneys saw in Ahmedabad and also by his fascination for the Indian bulls.

Game volume on the terrace of the Assembly

The scale and magnificence of the Assembly Hall is spectacular, and personally, is the vault that has impressed me most, along with the Pantheon in Rome. Unfortunately it was not allowed to take pictures, but still doubt I would have managed to capture the majesty of this space.

Painted black, it highlights the dramatic game of light, that gives the space generating a sense of solemnity.

Interesting structural models and lighting, courtesy of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia

The seats of legislators, of colorful tapestries, surrounding the Congress president and are arranged in a horseshoe layout. Outside, the building's doors are adorned with colorful paintings by the talented, versatile and workaholic Le Corbusier.

Pictorial work of Le Corbusier in the door of the Assembly

TOWER OF SHADOWS

Designed to study the solar movement, this building served to Le Corbusier to support his thesis that "it is possible to control the sunlight in the 4 corners of a building, play with it even in a hot country and finally obtain low temperatures" .

Detail of the tower of the shadows. Behind the Assembly building

MONUMENT TO OPEN HAND.


This interesting composition, which is both a dove and an open hand ready to give, became the symbol of Chandigarh. This mobile sculpture that rotates according to the wind direction, represents the synthesis of the Swiss architect philosophy.


A few weeks before he died while swimming in the Mediterranean Sea in August 1965, Le Corbusier wrote a letter called Mise au point, which says:

"This symbol of the Open Hand, open to receive the wealth created, to distribute to the peoples of the world, must be the symbol of our age. Before I find myself one day (a little later on) in the celestial spheres amid the stars of God Almighty. I shall be happy to see at Chandigarh, in front of the Himalayas, which rise up straight upon the horizon, this Open Hand, which marks for père Corbu a deed, a certain distance covered, from you, André Malraux, from you, my associates, from you, my friends. I ask help in realizing this symbol of the Open Hand in the skies of Chandigarh, a city desired by Nehru. Gandhi's disciple."

NON-BUILT BUILDINGS

The Capitol area included other buildings that were designed but never realized. One of them was the Governor's Palace, which included offices and accommodation for the governor and his environment.
To learn more about the governor's house, I recommend this interesting and very complete dissertation Pere Perez Fuentes, entitled " Le Corbusier from the Governor's Palace . "

Governor's House. Model located in the City Museum

3D Model of the Governor's Palace, made ​​by Henry Gunawan.

Another building that was not realized was the Museum of Knowledge, an "Electronic laboratory for scientific decision making" where the user was able to interact with information stored in electronic media: words, sounds , colors, movies, etc. This is another example that his ideas were decades ahead with respect to his colleagues, Le Corbusier proposed the type of equipment that ultimately Toyo Ito built  in his Sendai Mediatheque 50 years later.

Press here to see a video of the Capitol, produced by architect Louis Gualtieri.

The Capitol is set candidate to be declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

SEE ALSO / SEE ALSO:

- OTHER WORKS BY LE CORBUSIER.

• Chandigarh and Le Corbusier I
  
  
• Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, France.  (1950-59)
• Curutchet House, La Plata, Argentina. (1949-53)
• Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Japan. (1959)
• Unité d'Habitation, Berlin, Germany. (1956-59)