The document summarizes the design, construction, and components of the Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi, India. It describes the architect's design evolution of a symmetrical half-open lotus flower structure and the complex analysis and construction process. Key aspects included the reinforced concrete shells and domes, white marble cladding, and specialized construction techniques needed to complete the intricate geometric design. The completed structure was hailed as an architectural and engineering marvel.

3. Contents:
• Introduction
• Design Evolution
• Components of the structure
•Analysis & Design of structural components
• Reinforcement
• Foundations
• Construction challenges
• Concreting
• Cladding
• Conclusion

4. Introduction:
• Baha’i Faith
• A temple in the capital city of India
• Architect Mr. Fariborz Sahba was selected by the world governing body of
Baha’i faith, “ The Universal House of Justice” in the year 1974
• Flint & Neill partnership of London was the consultancy
• ECC construction group of Larsen & Toubro Ltd. were the contractors
• Design process for the structure began in the year 1976

5. Design Evolution:
• Architect’s travel throughout India for Proper design
• Symmetric Half-open Lotus flower surrounded by its leaves

6. Model of the Lotus temple

7. Components of the structure:
• Main building consisting of
Basement
Three groups of Nine shells springing from the podium
Double layered Interior dome
Nine arches
Nine ponds
Walkways
• Ancillary building consisting of
Information center
Library
Administrative building
Rest rooms

11. Analysis & Design of Structural components:
• Spherical surfaces for the Entrance & Outer leaves
• Arch soffits have a Parabolic cone shape
• Spheres, cylinders, toroids & cones for Inner leaves
• Nine intersecting spheres form interior dome
• Final geometrically converted shapes were so complex that it took the designers
over two & a half years to complete the detailed drawings of the temple.
• In-situ Reinforced Concrete construction
• Guniting

12. Analysis & Design of Structural components:
• Interior dome is 28 m in height and 34m in diameter
• Inner leaves are of 200 mm thick and of 33.6 m in height
• Outer leaves are of 135 mm from their cusps to the line of glazing, beyond
which they thicken to 250 mm and of 22.5 m in height
• Entrance leaves are of 150 mm at center to 300 mm thick at their edges and
of 7.8 m in height
• Shells within the interior dome: 60mm thick

13. Analysis & Design of Structural components:
• Tubular steel glazing frames
• Designed for
1.Dead load
2.Live load
3.Wind load ( Return period: 500 years)
Wind tunnel test in Aeronautical Engineering Department at Imperial
College, London.
4. Earthquake load
• Finite Element Analysis
• Equivalent grillage models for shells in the computer program
• Quadrilateral elements

15. Reinforcement:
• Cold twisted deformed high-tensile steel bars
• Galvanized to provide additional corrosion resistance
• Hot-dipped the bars prior to bending, having preheated them to 100º C to
drive off moisture, Prebent bars tended to suffer cracking during galvanizing.
• Tests showed that the mechanical properties of the bars were not
significantly affected by the process.

16. Foundations:
• Heavily fissured quartzite
• Random lenses of mica
• Uncertainties in the positions and extent of the large soft pockets precluded the
use of piles and all column foundations were designed as mass concrete pads.
• Neoprene pads were thought of providing to reduce earthquake forces and
accommodate thermal movements but in view of intended longevity of the
building foundations were placed directly on the rock and designed for full
seismic forces and moments.

17. Construction Challenges:
• Excavations were undertaken by Ahlwalia Construction Company
• Primary supports to the formwork for the shells, dome and arches, were
designed by the contractor and constructed of welded steel.
• Plywood forms
• Purlins
• Forms and their supports for all shells were designed to withstand pressures
from continuous concreting and the outer forms were placed as concreting
proceeded.
• Three inner leaves were concreted at a time, generally in only two lifts.

23. Concreting:
• White concrete was decided to be used consisting of
white cement
silica sand
dolomite aggregate in the proportions: 1:1.5:3.5 by weight
plasticizer
water/cement ratio: 0.43
• Slump achieved was in the range of 70-100 mm
• Bush hammered finish for the interior dome, inner & outer leaves
• Specified strength was M30
• Concrete was drum mixed on site

24. Concreting:
• Three inner leaves at 120º spacing, were concreted at a time, in only two lifts
from their bases to the level of the star beams above
• Outer & Entrance leaves were concreted in a continuous operation one at a
time, using the removable outer shutter panels for access for concrete and
vibrators to avoid cold joints.
• Concreting time for an outer leaf was of the order of 48 hours.
• Ice melt water was used in the mix to take care of the hot weather in Delhi to
cool the concrete, that brought down temperature of concrete from 40º C to
25º C.
•Systems of horizontal sprinkler pipes were used in curing.

25. Cladding:
• Shells & arches are clad in white Greek marble panels, preformed in Italy to
the surface profiles and to patterns related to the geometry by Marmi Vicentini
S.P.A Company.
• The panels are fixed by means of stainless steel brackets secured by bolts in
holes drilled after concreting and the joints were filled with molded rubber
cordon & silicon sealant was applied over it.
• Floor finishes were also of white marble
• Balustrades, stairs were precast
• Stones used for stairs were made of red sandstone.
• Complete construction of the structure was completed in the year 1986.

30. Conclusion:
• The Baha’i temple is probably one of the most special and most distinctive
buildings to be built in today’s world
• The structure’s complexity and the high standard of quality demanded of the
workers meant that supervision of construction had to be very dynamic and
endowed with an acute capacity to immediately perceive innovatory processes.
• Necessary too was a group of technical personnel and of workmen who were
conscious of the task they were performing and imbued with an authentic
spirit of cooperation.
• The completed structure remains both Architecturally and in Engineering
point of view , as a MARVEL!

32. Presented by: P. Chandrasekhar
B.E.Civil (4/4)
University College of Engineering
Osmania University