INTRODUCTION

 Originally Pondicherry was

a settlement of fisher men and
weavers and a busy trading
port .They had ties with roman
empire and later came under
Cholas.

 It became busy trading

centre for the colonial powers
and was occupied by french
who fortified the entire town.

 It planned on a grid pattern

in oval shape encompasses
two parts.

 The streets have French

names and French language is
still in use.
 Christian Quarter

Hindu Quarter
Muslim Quarter

French Quarter
SITE AND TOPOGRAPHY
• The entire town is divided into two
sections.
1. “Ville blanche” or “White town”,the
french quarter, here buildings are
typically colonial style with long
compounds and stately walls.
2. “Ville noire” or “Black town”, the
Indian quarter, here the houses
lined with verandahs and has large
doors and grills.
• The grid iron plan is the most
successful feature of the town
which originated between 1724-
1735.
• It was considered to be built
according to the “principles of
ancient Hindu treatises of
architecture particularly silpa sastra
and the plan is similar to prastara
type of Vedic town.
 LAYOUT OF THE FRENCH TOWN
French town originally developed along
the coast line around the government
square.
• The square was surrounded by
government buildings while residential
buildings interspersed by institutional
buildings extended on either side.
• The avenue along the beach was
reserved for important buildings like the
customs house, the tribunal, the court
and others.
• The grand canal separates the town into
two parts and was connected by 2
bridges.
• One finds the design of large new town
with very regular geometric layout,
rectangular blocks of houses separated
by straight streets intersecting at right
angles.
 STREETSCAPE
•Characterized by continuous wall to wall
construction with full or partial street frontage.
•High garden walls elaborate gateways and
solid walls divided by use of pilasters and
cornices.
•The facades were plain enhancing the effect of
straight and perpendicular grid plan of the
town.
•Exterior wall featured flat and segmental arch
windows with bands and louvered shutters.
•In two storied buildings wooden balconies
supported on wrought iron brackets are
common.
•Continuous parapet with loopholes .
 DESIGN ASPECTS
•High compound walls.
•Ornate gates.
•Symmetrical plan.
•Facades open to garden or courtyards.
•Plan marked by interconnected large rooms
without corridors.
•Main facades has colonnaded porticos.
•Flat terraced roof instead of pitched roofs
are used as a influence of local climate and
construction technique.
•Rooms have high ceiling, windows with
louvered shutters and bands.
•Series of arched openings are found along
the halls.
•Ceiling marked by heavy wooden beams
supporting madras terrace roofing.
•The floors are of plain cement or coloured
by red oxide.
 EVOLUTION OF SYSTEM OF
PLANNING
• Tamil town developed around a nucleus
of a group of temples.
• The row houses along the streets stood
back to back .
• These streetscapes with continuos wall
to wall construction vary from french .
• exterior façade features a street
veranda and lean to roof over wooden
post , the THALVARAM-the social
extension of the house and thinnai the
semi public portico .
• these “talking street” so called because
of their intimate scale and interactive
nature are typical of tamil architecture .
• thinnai marks the sensitive transition
space after which you enter through a
finely carved wooden door .
 EVOLUTION OF SYSTEM OF
PLANNING
• The open mutram is flanked by covered
space on one side with wooden columns
meant for family interaction .
• The rear courtyard is reserved for
service and utilities next to kitchen .
•“Mutram” – is a open courtyard becomes
the central space around which other
spaces are functionally arranged .
• In french building the local influence is
obvious in the use of madras terrace ,
wooden balconies and sloping tiled roof .
• In two storied Tamil building the ground
floor is usually has Tamil architectural
features , while the first floor displays
french influence .
BUILDING TYPOLOGY
1. The residential buildings
2. Public buildings
3. religious buildings

RESIDENTIAL
BUILDINGS
•they are simple , solid
and varied .
• they have flat roofs and
inner courtyards with
gardens and colonnaded
porticos which has double
function of protecting
from sun and rain and
serving as a transition
space to the rest of the
house .
TYPICAL HOUSE PLAN

SECTION

Typical plan
TYPICAL SECTION THROUGH A FRENCH HOUSE

Madras terrace

Arch window

Sit out

Grand entrance

Garden
TYPICAL SECTION THROUGH A TAMIL HOUSE
FAÇADE OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

cornice

Louvered windows

Pilaster
Decorated carved
wooden door

French style F.F

Lean-to roof

Typical tamil style G.F

PUBLIC BUILDINGS
1. GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS .
2. INSTITUTIONAL BUILDINGS .
• These buildings are usually
surrounded by large fenced
compounds .
• They have a colonnaded facade .
• The height of the first floor is
sometimes lesser than that of
ground floor.
 ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
• the facades are divided into smaller
panels by use of vertical pilasters and
horizontal cornices .
• the arched windows with wooden
louvers .
• the balconies are often built over iron
brackets .
• loop holed parapets and sometimes
features terracotta pot designs.
•High ceilings and tall arched doors and
windows with louvers dominate the
spaces.
•Floors are of polished cement and
coloured with redoxide or tiled.
•Belgian glass is set in the arched
wooden frames above doors and
porticos.
RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS
• CHURCHES
• MASJIDS
• TEMPLES
 Churches in pondicherry are of
typically french style.

Plan-Notre dames des anges

PLANNING:
•Typical Latin cross plan. FACADE
•Single aisled nave. •TYPICAL TOWERED
•Semi circular apse. FACEDE
INTERIORS OF NOTRE DAMES DES ANGES.

VIEW OF NAVE STAINED GLASS WINDOW CORINTHIAN ORDER

MARBLE BLUSTER AND ALTAR

COFFERED CEILING
INTERIORS OF NOTRE DAMES DES ANGES.

CENTRAL
DOME

AISLE COLUMN

TYPICAL EGG
AND DART
MOULDING
WITH DENTILS

VAULTED AISLE
GALLERY ABOVE NAVE
 STRUCTURAL SYSTEM
•All walls are load bearing walls.
•Brick walls packed with an infill of mud and
brickbats.
•The first floor walls are lesser in width than
those of ground floor.
•Columns and arches are of brick masonry.
•These supported heavy timber or steel
beams with madras terrace roofing.
•Excellent water proofing was done with
local lime terracing.
•The balconies are liner resting on wooden
joists held in place by iron brackets or
cornice platforms.
•In case lean-to roof, iron brackets are used.
•Brick corbelling is used for cornices,
copings and decorative bands.
 CLIMATIC CONSIDERATIONS
•The climate is tropical
•The monsoon active from October
through december.
•the warmer pert of the year is april to
august is when temperature reaches to a
maximum of 43 C
•Average temp ranges from 25 – 30 C .
The architecture of the place has well
adapted to the climatic conditions of the
region .
•High ceilings .
•Voluminous rooms .
•Large louvered windows .
•Semi-open colonnades or arcades .
 CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
• burnt brick in lime mortar is the main building material .
•Lime was made by burning sea shells and lime stone
quarried from tutipet .
•Plastering was done in high quality lime .
•Timber used was Burmese teak .
•Balusters and fire pots were prefabricated by potters.
•Lime stucco was used in external.
 PONDICHERRY TODAY
The French influence continues even
today .
•The examples include the shaped
city center with right angled street
intersections and the boulevard that
encircles the main part of the town .
•Viewed from the sea the skyline is
typical of that of a french
Mediterranean village.
•The various tourist attraction include
the religious sites , the beach and
even a statue of MAHATMA GANDHI.