1. Le corbusier
Works in India

2. Buildings covered in this
presentation• Mill Owners’ Association Building,
Ahemadabad
• Villa Shodhan, Ahemadabad
• Government Meuseum and Art
Gallery museum, Chandigh

3. Mill Owners’ Association Building,
Ahmedabad
• Le Corbusier came to India on
invitation by Jawaharlal Nehru to
design Chandigarh, the new
capital of Punjab. Along with this
he was invited to Ahmedabad and
was commissioned to build 5
buildings. One of this was the new
headquarters for the Ahmedabad
Mill Owner’s Association
• .

4. Location
• Located on Ashram Road, in the western part of the city, it
overlooks the river Sabarmati. A ceremonial ramp makes for a grand
approach into a triple-height entrance hall, open to the wind
• Completion 1954
• Architect, Urban plannerLe Corbusier
• Latitude/Longitude 23°01'57N 72°34'16E

5. Type of Architecture
• The building can be classified
as Brutalist Architecture, with
its outer surface made of
concrete stucco. The building
surface looks dull due to the
moss and many critiques of
Brutalist architecture have
argued that it does not age
well.

6. • This is particularly true for
this building, because it is
situated next the river
Sabarmati on Ashram Road
where it is likely to be moist.
The moisture is accentuated
with the growth of plants
along the facade, which
obviously needs watering.

7. Façade
• However the dullness of the
surface of the building is nicely
complemented with the variety
of plants and flowers which
liven up the facade. The front
and back facade of the
building, which are in the east
and west direction, “break the
suns”, and was one of Le
Corbusier’s genius. This
particular feature is called sun
breakers or brise-soleil, while
blocking the direct gaze of the
sun, it still lets ample light and
air in.

8. Sun breaker doing their work

9. Open Spaces
• The mechanism of planting the shrubs can be seen in the above
image. The lines along which shutters or cast was laid adds an
angular or geometric look to the building. One cannot help but
think that the third floor must feel like an open space, a balcony
almost, where one can feel like being outside. Ironically, the
building looks definitely closed from the outside.

10. Significant Areas
• As you follow a curved wall,
you come before a massive
wooden pivoted door on a
double height wall in a 2m
wide corridor. As you move
through this narrow double
height corridor, pass through
the pivoted door and turn, you
are suddenly inside a massive
auditorium – a space which is
empty, yet so powerful, one
that impacts you so much. It is
almost like you are inside a
womb. This is one of the
spaces where you realise the
power of architecture – the
power of space, the
significance of volumes and
light and shadow.

11. • Along the sweeping
gray areas, there are
a sudden shocks of
bright colours such
as the yellow wall or
the bright red door.
• This is one of the
spaces where you
realise the power of
architecture – the
power of space, the
significance of
volumes and light
and shadow.

12. Le Corbusier's Villa Shodhan
• In the 1950’s Le Corbusier
designed a number of buildings in
India. The most famous of these
constructions is Chandigarh, the
government town in Kashmir, the
least known building is Villa
Shodhan in Ahmedabad. As a
privately owned home it has been
protected from fame and only a
few have been granted access to
this fantastic house, the last villa
to be designed by Le Corbusier.
The owner of the building has
been the same through out the
years, and it has been preserved
exactly as it was constructed in
1957.

13. Concept
• Le Corbusier referred to the
house as Shodhan update
the Villa Savoye. This
metamorphosis involves the
emergence of a brise soleil and
a parasol-like armor béton brut
superimposed on the city of
Ahmedabad, a lattice wall to
the bread of watercress and a
roof garden on toit.
• On a magic trick that, by
juxtaposition of two new
elements, a refined house gives
the appearance of a warrior of
concrete, however, suggests the
presence of the former.

14. Spaces
• At home Shodan pilotis lose the slenderness chasing
the directionality of a ramp connecting seamlessly to
the different areas of the building, housing space
organizations.
• The front facade is a self-brise soleil that, freed from
the rigors geometric be imposed in the House
Curutchet a few years before going to dominate the
image of the building without losing its original function
hide torrador capture the sun and fresh breezes.

15. Plan

16. Various floor plans

17. The Government Museum and
Art Gallery, Chandigarh

18. About Museum
• The Government Museum
and Art Gallery,
Chandigarh, owes its
existence to the partition
of the country in
August,1947. It is one of
the premier institution of
India with a very rich
collection of Gandharan
sculptures, Pahari and
Rajasthani miniature
paintings. Before the
partition in 1947, the
collection of art objects,
paintings, sculptures and
decorative arts, were
housed in the Central
Museum, Lahore the then
capital of Punjab.

19. Building
• Le-Corbusier designed this building as an
extention of his already established
philosophy, where he conceives of such
institution as ever growing and ever
expanding ( first museum building
designed by him in this country was
'Sanskar Kendra' in Ahmedabad, Gujarat ).
• The basic plan of the museum building is
based on a grid system of columns and
beams and is a square of 165 feet by 165
feet. The main building is divided vertically
into three levels. Level 1 has the reception
hall, foyer, reserve collection storage,
conservation laboratory, temporary
exhibition hall, and auditorium. The main
galleries are on Level 2. Level 3 has the
offices of curatorial staff, research rooms,
committee room and library.
Communication is through the centre of
square by means of a ramp, and additional
provision has been made for goods lift and
service staircase to carry exhibits to the
different levels of the museum.

20. Lighting
• It is a museum in which
lighting by daylight has been
used to maximum advantage.
Light is admitted from the
North East and South West
sides through the sky light
openings louvered to prevent
the direct sun rays from
penetrating into the galleries.
In addition to this, a system
of top lighting is provided
along the entire length of the
building from North East to
South West. Handled with
thought and imagination this
provides the right intensity of
lighting for the correct
illumination of various
objects of art

21. Reference
• http://archzine.in
• http://arkistudentscorner.blogspot.com
• http://wikipedia.com

22. END
• Ankit Palawat 2010uar154
• Ravindra Saini 2010uar105