History of Architecture (AP313) | Essay | 2013

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Influence of le Corbusier on architecture in India

Essay for History of Architecture (AP131)

Ishant Anand
Roll Number: 01016901611
Sushant School of Art and Architecture


Introduction
In the range of his work and in his ability to enrage the establishment and surprise
his followers, he was matched in the field of modern architecture perhaps only by
Frank Lloyd Wright. He adopted the pseudonym Le Corbusier for his architectural
work c. 1920 and for his paintings c. 1930. His visionary books, startling white
houses and terrifying urban plans set him at the head of the Modern Movement in
the 1920s, while in the 1930s he became more of a complex and skeptical explorer
of cultural and architectural possibilities.
In 1922, he designed the plan of a contemporary city, a city of 3 million people,
with a central cruciform skyscraper, surrounding buildings and vast green spaces,
providing an interesting zoning by activities.
In the Villa Savoye, 1929, sums up his 5 points for a new architecture: supports on
piles at a regular distance, flat roofs that can be used as a garden, continuous
windows along the facade that provide lighting inside, free structure of the facade,
open floor eliminating support walls.
In the housing unit in 1945, achieved his dream was materialized. Build a collective
housing as a compact building.
It is a large rectangular prism, which separates from the ground thanks to huge
pillars of reinforced concrete, the architect favorite material from these moments,
leaving the exposed concrete and timber formwork showing.
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Notre-Dame-du-Haut at Ronchamp, built between 1950 and 1955. It is an irregular
floor building, which stands on a hill. Presents three protrusions at the corners, as if
it were towers. The roof resembles the keel of a boat, including a canvas lifted. The
color white dominates the set, illuminating the interior through attractive colored
glass windows.
The synthesis of his career has been in the city of Chandigarh, the capital of the
Indian state of Punjab. This is a new town, which highlights the parliament, a
spectacular building which is preceded by a concrete porch that is finished with a
structure in the form of a truncated cone, thus replacing the traditional dome of
classical architecture.
Le Corbusier would also have a far ranging influence on architecture around the
world through is studio in Paris. He was invited to many countries to participate in
such projects as the Ministry of Education in Rio
de Janeiro, where his brises-soliel were introduced to help combat the intense sun
of the tropics. He would have a profound impact on Oscar Niemeyer and other
architects he came in contact with.With Modern Architecture once again at the
forefront of design, there has been renewed interest in Le Corbusier. Of course,
many of us never dismissed him, as others did during the brief Post-Modern era,
realizing that his work represented a benchmark in 20th century architecture and
would stand the test of time. What is fascinating in leafing through the pages of
these volumes is the great concern Le Corbusier had for the environment and the
urban context. While his early visions may have been driven too much by the rise of
modern technology, as expressed in his "machines for living," he would later
advocate the use of
Beton Brut, or bare concrete, to give his monumental buildings of the 50's and 60's
a more human texture. But, even in his earliest designs, Le Corbusier saw the need
for open plans as well as open facades that allowed light and air to circulate
through the building. He also foresaw the need for standardized housing
types to meet the immediate need for affordable living in the devastating aftermath
of WWI. His Citrohan House was designed to be mass produced and his immeubles
villas, residential blocks, were designed as pre-fabricated living modules with airy
courtyards and facades that had ample garden terraces. He also advocated roof
gardens, none more active than that of the Unite de Habitation in Marseilles, which
are now being mandated in many European cities. His plan and building designs for
the provincial capital of Chandigarh, in India, worked with the natural environment
in a way that is still valued by its residents 35 years later. He also drew from
traditional Indian typology and showed a deep understanding of the solar patterns
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of the region, creating a city that was thoroughly modern but also specific to its
part of the world, greatly influencing contemporary Indian architects like Balkrishna
Doshi.

Le Corbusier (1887-1965) revolutionised the ways in which we inhabit spaces,
reinventing the idea of the house, designing radical furniture, vast urban planning
schemes and the design of whole cities. His use of open-plan spaces, terrace
gardens, horizontal windows and light-filled interiors created iconic and
immediately recognisable buildings, among them the Villa Savoye outside Paris,
Chapelle Notre-Dame du Haut in Eastern France, LUnite dHabitation in Marseille
and the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, India. Richard Pares obvious delight in the
detail and poetics of Le Corbusiers architecture creates new and vital views of
buildings which are so well known that they could easily lead to clichd
photography. Le Corbusier: The Art of Architecture, moves from its current home in
Paris to the crypt of Liverpool's Metropolitan cathedral in October. And this month
an enormous new book, which collects together his diverse achievements for the
first time. You couldn't make a book like this about just any architect. Leafing, or
rather hefting, through the slab-like tome, it's astounding to see just how much Le
Corbusier accomplished. He executed more than 300 designs on every scale, from
small huts to entire cities (though only 78 of those designs were ultimately built).
He also wrote 34 books, gave countless speeches, lectures and interviews, drew,
painted and sculpted, designed furniture, ran businesses, travelled the world, had
love affairs, co-edited a magazine, invented his own system of proportions and
wrote to his mother at least once a week.

What was the main ideas he was influenced on?
His artistic talent was recognized early by his teachers, who encouraged him to take
advantage of it and consider more ambitious goals than a employment in the
industry of watches.
Indian colors
Colors found in the landscape, paintings and clothing of India inspired the architect
in the designs for the Chandigarh building. He had also used these bright colors in
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the walls of Chandigarh and Ahmedabad buildings.

Sourcehttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/nzHplNx7nGs/T8KPSLammEI/AAAAAAAAAUY/iKv13tBU5Z0/s1600/1
421511139_e6ca51199d.jpg
Landscaping
The use of water in the exteriors and interiors of Mughal buildings enabled
evaporative cooling, which is an effective environmental strategy in the hot dry
tropics. His assembly and high court sit on large water bodies.

Water body in Shalimar garden
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Source : http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Shalamar_Garden_July_14_2005-
South_wall_pavilion_with_fountains.jpg
The traditional Indian buildings had gardens and verandahs with profuse greenery,
which reduced heat in the environment by the process of photosynthesis. The
architect employed this idea in his buildings, gardens and even in sun shades of
high court of Chandigarh and mill owners association building, Ahmedabad.

Sun shade at high court, Chandigarh
Source : http://architectureoftravel.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/20120907-215941.jpg?w=800
Lutyens architecture
Le Corbusier had studied British architect Edwin lutyens buildings in new Delhi, in
terms of how the imported English renaissance was indianized by lutyen with the
traditional climate modifying elements such as chajja or extended canopies,
verandahs and water bodies.
Urban architecture of old towns
He visited the old cities of Ahmadabad and looked at the buildings in terms of
indoor and outdoor environment. He studied the havelis or country houses of the
pol or neighborhood with narrow winding streets, building shading building,
shaded courtyards, and various elements of environmental control.
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Haveli at Ahmedabad
Source: http://ahmedabad.burrp.com/images/e/u/0/photo_mangaldas-ni-haveli-the-house-of-
mg_lal-darwaja_ahmedabad@u0ikqh0g_bk5_2_300.jpg
Nehru
Friendship and strong support of the prime minister of Nehru specially helped the
realization of Corbusiers dreams and ideas of architecture for India. Nehru wanted
Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab to be modern, and symbolize the belief in free,
democratic and scientific of the newly Independent country. Equipped with modern
architecture vocabulary, the architect fulfilled this desire by successfully
accommodating program, climate and society.

Site and nature
Respect for the site is visible in all of le Corbusiers works. According to him, site
was the source of nourishment for the soul. In India, the analysis of sun and wind
was the first step in his designs. He made numerous visits to the Chandigarh site.
The vast fields dotted with a few mango trees and the immense presence of the
Himalayas in the distance had a great influence on le Corbusiers thinking. Inspired
by the nature of the site and beyond, he decided that the capitol complex would be
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his offerings to the Himalayas.

Site Sketch, Chandigarh by Le Corbusier
[4]
Source-
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/images/images_2/richelle/58savechandigarh/chandi22.jpg
Rural architecture
The architect looked and saw, sensed and felt the rural environment with keen
interest. He studied the traditional solutions to problems of the intense sun visible
in the compact site planning, shaded courtyard, thick walls, small openings, roof
overhangs in the huts of Gujarat and Punjab villages. Thermal mass of thick walls
and deep recessed shaded openings were traditional strategies explored, in his own
special architectural language, by the architect throughout his tropical buildings.
Courtyards, verandahs, shading and ventilation devices
Shading devices such as chajjas, jail, jharokah and verandahs provided the
Corbusier wit the answers to the environmental problems. He realized that the
rooms should not be flooded with direct daylight because of the heat, and the
incoming sunlight needs to be controlled and made softer. He employed the idea of
traditional jalis or perforated shading screens in the buildings at Chandigarh, which
had openness but cool daylight. Jail also provided natural ventilation to the interior.
The shading devices called brisesoleil at the secretariat and assembly echo the
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provision of soft light and cool air of jail.

Sarabhai house
Source- http://www.viewpictures.co.uk/ImageThumbs/LE-SARO-0001/3/LE-SARO-
0001_SARABHAI_HOUSE_OVERAL_VIEW_FROM_GARDEN.jpg

Jali, Mughal Buildings
Source- http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RhQuqsKGD0s/TQ3TuA09HBI/AAAAAAAABAE/xOaFfemTM-
s/s1600/DSC02944.JPG
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Temples
The maestro while visiting the Buddhist temples and universities captured the spirit
of institution. The thick walls, the quiet solemn quality of the interiors inspired him
to think of a place for congregation, which would encourage high thinking.
Corbusier admired the sculptured walls of Hindu temples, and he believed that the
dark cool mystic environment of the temples had clear intention and meaning.
Mughal architecture
The environment strategies of Mughal buildings utilized most by le Corbusier are
layering of walls, spaces and roofs, large columned halls or forums, elements of
shading and natural ventilation. Corbusier stated comfort is in the shades, it is in
the coolness of currents of air, and in the shaded naves of Mughal palaces. He tried
to reinterpret the essence of tradition by producing similar shaded columned halls
or forums in millowners association building at Ahmedabad and in assembly
building at Chandigarh. Resonance of the layering of spaces of cool interiors in
panchmahal, fatehpur sikri is found in corbs designs. Similar to the panchmahals
chatri roof, the top roof in the high court at Chandigarh reflects most of the heat
and the air flowing in between the two roofs drives the incoming heat away. His
solutions always included shading and natural ventilation, which were common
features of Mughal architecture.

Columned halls, Mughal buildings
Source- http://www.yurtopic.com/travel/destinations/images/india-attractions/Columned-hall-of-
Amber-fort2.jpg
Influence of local architects
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Le Corbusier studied the buildings of local architects in terms of aesthetic as well as
climatic aspects. He was respectful of the suggestions of local architects who
worked with him in India, and had listened to the ideas of young architects b.v.
doshi and a. raje regarding the utilization of prevailing breeze in Ahmedabad
buildings.
The detailed landscaping planning of the city of Chandigarh was done with the help
of the Indian landscape architect m.s. randhawa. The architects ideas of mall hills
of colored flowers, organic gardens of seasonal bloom and shading trees were
successfully executed with radhawas input. The streets were to be lined with trees
appropriately planted to bar the western sunlight hitting the drivers eyes while
returning home after work.

Miniature paintings
Miniature paintings of the subcontinent intrigued le Corbusier. He studied the
movements of dancing krishna showing many sides/planes and movements in a
single two dimensional painting and he tried to utilize this theme of interpretation
of planes and the movement of spaces in his architecture.
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Again, the semi open environment of the corbusian design in the subcontinent was
a re-creation of spaces depicted in the miniature paintings.

Miniature Painting by le Corbusier
Source- http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/0/128/1083/lecorbusier6_1.jpg
How did he use these ideas and developed?
Le Corbusier said: I am only known as an architect, people will not recognize me as
a painter, and yet it is by way of painting that I came to architecture
[1]
He figured out his ideas by painting and sculpture. Jean-Louis Cohen, one of the
best knowers of him, said: "Le Corbusier, visited his studio every morning to work
on his canvases, before before heading to his studio every afternoon to study how
to apply them in the architectural compositions, on architectural manner.
Chandigarh, the city planned
The city has projects designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, Jane Drew and
Maxwell Fry.
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It was the Indian landscape That inspired the construction of the final built utopian
city Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab.
The design was based on the conceptualization of La Ville Radieuse (The Radiant
City), which in turn was an update of the ideas for the Ville Contemporaine.
The central idea of Le Corbusier was to establish in the heart of the city a number of
skyscrapers, not next to each other, but all of them separated by spacious gardens
and numerous spaces, roads and parking spaces for motorists.
The shape of the city plan was modified from one with a curving road network to
rectangular shape with a grid iron pattern for the fast traffic roads, reducing
besides its area for reason of economy.
The city plan was conceived as post war 'Garden City', where in upright and high
rise buildings were ruled out, keeping in view the socio-economic conditions and
living habits of the people.
The skyscrapers of the same size and the same height, would be bathed in the sun
and the air everywhere. The green areas at the foot of the same would be gardens
and playgrounds. In the distance we extend the garden cities, on the outskirts of
the business district, in which reside the inhabitants of the city. Distribution of the
city by bounded areas (residential and industrial area, leisure area, work area, etc.
..) And organize pedestrian circulation and vehicles in seven different types of roads
for circulation speeds.
Not only Art Noveau or Arts and Crafts movement, analysis and observation on his
own, because, It would seem that, also his personal collection of marine
crustaceans, whose mysterious cavities and their shapes inspired the design of his
ideas. Developed in its latest buildings, as a paraleloide hyperbolic roof of the
House of Assembly in Chandigarh or the roof of the Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut,
Ronchamp.
What were the main ideas from Le Corbusier?
"Five Points Toward a New Architecture":
1. The supports (pilotis) are precisely calculated, spaced regularly, and used to
elevate the first floor off the damp ground.
2. The flat roof or roof garden is used for demsetic purposes such as gardening,
play and relaxtion-thereby recovering all the build-upon ground for outdoor
activities.
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3. The interior walls, independent of the support system, can be arranged in a free
plan.
4.The horizontal windows made possible by the support system, assure even
illumination from wall to wall and admit eight times as much light as vertically
placed window of equal area.
5.The facade, also independent of the structural supports, can be freely designed.
Bibliography
[1] http://blog.ramzinaja.com/2010/07/research-paper-on-le-corbusiers.html
[2]gans, d.(1987). The le Corbusier guide . in d. gans, the le Corbusier guide. New
york: priceton architectural press.
[3] Hoffman, anna.(2009,08 10). Le Corbusier-mordenist-visiona. Retrieved 02
02,2014 from http://www.apartmenttherapy.com:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com /le corbusier-modernist-visiona-97845
[4] Chandigarhs Le Corbusier: The Struggle for Modernity in Postcolonial India, by
Vikramaditya Prakash. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2002, 179 pages