CHANDIGARH

CHARLES EDOUARD JEANNERET NOW POPULARLY KNOWN AS LE CORBUSIER

October 6, 1887 August 27, 1965)

INTRODUCTION
SINCE PUNJAB WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS, THE CAPITAL WAS
LEFT IN PAKISTAN THERE FORE PUNJAB IN INDIA REQUIRED NEW
CAPITAL-CHANDIGARH.
LE CORBUSIER WAS APPROACHED BY PUNJAB GOVERNMENT AND
THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA.
CHANDIGARH IS A BOLD EXPERIMENT IN MODERN CIVIC DESIGN.
CHANDIGARH HAS PROVOKED FRESH THINKING AND IN FACT
SHOWN NEW WAY OF LIFE.
MAXWELL FRY, JANE DREW AND PIERRE JEANNERET WERE ALSO
INVOLVED IN THE TEAM OF ARCHITECTS
WHEN LE CORBUSIER ASSUMED CONTROL OF THE CHANDIGARH
PROJECT IN 1951, HOWEVER THE DESIGN OF THE CITY HAD
ALREADY BEEN DEVISED BY THE NEW YORK FIRM OF MAYER,
WHITTLESEY, AND GLASS WHO RECEIVED A CONTRACT FOR THE
MASTER PLAN OF CHANDIGARH IN 1950

ALBERT MAYER THE MASTER PLAN

MAYER WAS THE FIRST ONE TO GET THE CHANDIGARH PROJECT.

MAYER STATED THAT HE WAS TRYING TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT

REALLY APPLIES TO WHAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT MUCH BUT WHICH
HAS BEEN AT BEST DONE IN A LIMITED WAY IN RADBUBN,THE GREENBELT
TOWNS AND BALDWIN HILLS.
THE BASIC AIM, STATED MAYER,WAS A BEAUTIFUL CITY.
THE MASTER PLAN WHICH ALBERT MAYER PRODUCED FOR
CHANDIGARH ASSUMES A FAN-SHAPED OUTLINE,SPREADING GENTLY TO
FILL THE FILE THE SITE BETWEEN THE TWO RIVER BEDS.
THE PROVINCIAL GOVT. BUILDINGS ARE LOCATED THE UPPER EDGE OF
THE CITY WITHIN A FORK IN ONE OF THE RIVERS,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 HAT THE
OVERALL
PATTERN
DELIBERATELY
AVOIDS A GEOMETRIC GRID IN FAVOUR
OF A LOOSELY CURVING SYSTEM.

Drawings showing Mayers master plan and neighbourhood

unit on top and Le Corbusiers plan and Sector below.

THE PROVINCIAL GOVT. BUILDINGS

ARE LOCATED THE UPPER EDGE OF
THE CITY WITHIN A FORK IN ONE OF
THE RIVERS, WHILE THE CENTRAL
BUSINESS DISTRICT OCCUPIES AN
AREA NEAR THE CENTER.
A CURVING NETWORK OF MAIN
ROADS
SURROUNDS
THE
RESIDENTIAL
SUPERBLOCKS,EACH
OF WHICH CONTAINS A CENTRAL
AREA OF PARKLAND

MASTER PLAN
IN 1951 IT WAS GIVEN TO LE CORBUSIER
IN CHANDIGARH LE CORBUSIER SYTEM OF SELF SUPPORTING
NEIGHBORHOOD UNIT KNOWN AS A SECTOR HAS WORKED VERY WELL
SECTOR WHICH IS INTROVERTED IN CHARACTER COMMUNICATES ONLY
AT 4 JUNCTIONS WITH THE ADJOINING NEIGHBOURHOOD UNITS
ALL THE HOUSES OPEN UP INSIDE
GRID PLANNING IS DONE
CHANDIGARH PLANNING WAS DONE IN AN MANNER THAT EVERYTHING
WAS EASILY CLEAR ABOUT THE ROUTES AND SECTORS

7 VS ROAD SYSTEM IS USED

THE ROADS ARE CLASSIFIED AS V1 ,V2 ,V3V7

V1-CONNECTS CHANDIGARH
TO OTHER CITIES

V2 -ARE THE MAJOR AVENUES

OF THE CITY
V3 -ARE THE CORRIDORS
STREETS FOR VEHICULAR
TRAFFIC ONLY
V4..V7 -ARE THE ROADS
WITHIN THE SECTORS

CORBUSIERS
SYSTEM

CONCEPTUAL

SKETCH

SHOWING

THE

V-ROAD

1.INSPECTING THE SITE,1951.

2.BUILDING ROADS, 1951.
3.MINISTERS BUNGALOW, SEC-2,1956.
4.NURSERY SCHOOL, SECTOR -16,1956.

1.TOWN HALL & STATE LIBRARY, SEC-17,1961.

2.POLYTECHNIQUE FOR MEN, SEC-26,1961.
3.GANDHI BHAVAN, SEC-14,1966.
4.ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, SEC-14.1966.

Drawings showing the realisation of the first phase of Chandigarh from 1951-66.
Source: Documenting Chandigarh

THE SECTOR
In its first phase Chandigarh was organized in 30sectors. The sector was conceived
as an autonomous unit including housing as well as all service needed for everyday
life: schools, artisans, shops, leisure.

THE CITY LANDSCAPE PLAN OF THE FIRST PHASES, SHOWING THE LEISURE VALLEY & THE
SWATHS OF GREEN SPACES THAT ALSO ACT AS FLOOD CONTROL

THE GROWTH OF CHANDIGARH

1966-96,
STARTING
WITH
SECTORS 1 & 2 IN PHASE 1, &
CURRENTLY CONSISTING OF 86
SECTORS

ANALYSIS OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF SOCIAL

GROUPS IN CHANDIGARH IN 1998.

EACH SECTOR IS DESIGNATED BY NUMBER,THE CAPITAL COMPLEX BEING NUMBER 1,WITH

THE REMAINING SECTORS NUMBERED CONSECUTIVELY BEGINNING AT THE NORTH CORNER
OF THE CITY.

EACH SECTOR IS DESIGNATED BY NUMBER,THE CAPITAL COMPLEX BEING NUMBER 1,WITH

THE REMAINING SECTORS NUMBERED CONSECUTIVELY BEGINNING AT THE NORTH CORNER
OF THE CITY.

Drawings showing sector 22 with its shopping district running across the sector.

EXISTING PLAN OF SECTOR 22 (HAVING POPULATION OF 25000 PEOPLE)

COMPARATIVE FIGURE GROUND DIAGRAMS OF ONE SQUARE MILE AREA

THE CAPITOL COMPLEX

THE AREA OF THE GREATEST SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE IN
CHANDIGARH WAS THE CAPITOL COMPLEX , WHICH IN ITS FINAL
FORM WAS BASED ON THE DESIGN OF A GRAET CROSS AXIS.
THE MOST IMPORTANT GROUP OF THE BUILDINGS CONSTITUTING
THE CAPITOL-PARLIAMENT, THE SECRETARIAT.
IN THE FOREGROUND, THE POOL OF THE PALACE OF JUSTICE.
THE CAPITOL AREA WAS DESIGNED AS THE GREAT PEDISTRIAN
PLAZA WITH MOTOR TRAFFIC SEPARATED INTO SUNKEN TRENCHES
LEADING TO PARKING AREAS
ALTHOUGH THE SITE IS VERY BIG,IT IS NOT DESIGNED WITH
ALLOWENCE FOR EXPANSION

PLAN OF CAPITOL BUILDING,SECTOR-1

1.Parliament
2.Secretariat
3.Governors Palace
4.High Court
5.Truncated Pyramid
6.Monument for the victims
7.Open Hand

LE CORBUSIERS UNSHAKEABLE BELIEF IN THE ANTHROPOMETRIC

PROPORTIONAL CONNECTIONS & LINKS CREATED BY GOLDEN
SECTION

The Secretariat

The Assembly Hall

The High Court

Huge Open Plaza

REFERENCES

1. HASAN-UDDIN KHAN WITH JULIAN BEINART & CHARLES CORREA, LE Corbusier

CHANDIGARH AND THE MODERN CITY. MAPIN PUBLISHING PVT LTD, AHMEDABAD.
2. KLAUS-PETER GAST, LE CORBUSIER PARIS-------CHANDIGARH. BIRKHAUSER-PUBLISHER
FOR ARCHITECTURE, BERLIN-BOTSON.
3.KIRAN JOSHI, DOCUMENTING CHANDIGARH, THE INDIAN ARCHITECTURE OF PIERRE
JEANNERET, EDWIN MAXWELL FRY, JANE BEVERLY DREW, VOLUME-1. MAPIN PUBLISHING
PVT LTD, AHMEDABAD.