Ar.

CHARLES
CORREA

LECTURE - 8

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, LINGAYA’S VIDYAPEETH

CHARLES CORREA :
•Charles Correa is an Indian Architect and Urban Planner, particularly
noted for his sensitivity to the needs of the urban poor and for his use
of traditional methods & materials.
•Born into a middle class catholic family in
Bombay.
•Became fascinated with the principles of
design as a child.
•At michigan two professors who influenced
him the most are Walter Salders &
Buckminister Fuller.
•Kevin lynch, then in the process of
developing his themes for image of the city
triggered Correa’s interest in urban issues.
•India of those was a different place, it was
a brand new country, there was so much
hope.
EDUCATION :
• 1946 – 1948 : Inter-science. St.Xavier’s College, University of
Bombay.
• 1949 – 1953 : B Arch., University of Michigan.
• 1953 – 1955 : M Arch., Massachusetts Institute Of Technology

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE :
•1955 – 1958 : Partner with G.M. Bhuta associates.
• 1964 – 1965 : Prepared master plan proposing twin city
across the harbour from Bombay.
•1971 – 1975 : Chief architect to CIDCO.
•1975 – 1976 : Consultant to UN secretory general for Habitat.
•1975 – 1983 : Chairman Housing Urban Renewal & Ecology Board.
•1985 : Chairman Dharavavi Planning Commission.
AWARDS :
•1961 : Prize for low costing housing.
•1984 : Gold medal - Royal Institute Of British Architects
•1987 : Gold medal - Indian Institute Of Architects
•1999 : Aga Khan award for Vidhan Sabha - Bhopal
PRINCIPLES :
•Incrementality
•Identity
•Equity
•Attempt to explore a local vernacular within a modern environment.
•Emphasis on prevailing resources, energy & climate as major
determinants in ordering of space.
•Open-to-sky Concept .
• Particularly for low income groups – even in reasonably dense
housing, individual terrace principleswere also applied to high rised
buildings in Mumbai.
E.g : Sonmarg Apartments (1962), Mumbai.
•Another variation : To turn his verandah into a garden, a preferable
of double height.
E.g : Kanchenjunga Apartments , Mumbai
WORKS :
•Kanchenjunga Apartments , Mumbai
•Jawahar Kala Kendra
•Vidhan Sabha
•Life Insurance Corporation , Delhi
•Bharat Bhavan
•Sabarmati Ashram
•Aga Khan Museum
•National handicrafts and handlooms
museum
•Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya
•British Council Delhi , Headquarters
•Champalimaud Foundation Centre
•Ismaili Centre
KANCHENJUNGA
APARTMENTS
KANCHENJUNGA APARTMENTS :

•Location : Mumbai

•Construction : 1970 - 1983

•Building Type : Housing

•Climate : Hot

•Context : Urban

•Style : Modern

•Floors : 27

•Orientation : East-West
• The building is a square in plan, 21mx21m, and 85m high-
thus forming a tower with the width / height proportion of
1:4.

• This building has 32 different apartments with 4 types of

flats varying from 3 to 6 bedrooms.

• Interlocking of these variations expressed externally by shear

end walls that hold up the cantilevers.

•Along east and west faces, each apartment is protected by a

zone of verandahs and bathrooms- which gives two line of
defense against the elements and of course by the large
terrace garden in the corner, which forms the focus for the
whole apartment.

•Every unit has an open to sky terrace of 10m

partially protected by a pergola for sitting out
during the mornings and evenings, and for
sleeping out at night.
ORIENTATION :

• In bombay building has to be oriented

east-west to catch the prevaling sea
breezers and open up views in the
city : arabian sea & the harbour.

• But these unfortunately are also

the directions of hot sun and
heavy monsoon rains.
JAWAHAR KALA KENDRA
JAWAHAR KALA KENDRA:
• This cultural center for the city of Jaipur , is dedicated to the memory
of India's great leader Jawaharlal Nehru.
• Ideas for the building, sited in an open
field near the university in a new part of
the city, formed in Correa's mind; but it
was not until 1986 that the concept for the
building was finalized.
• Jawahar Kala Kendra is an arts and crafts
center located in the city of Jaipur. The center is important not because of
the nomenclature but its close association with the city of Jaipur itself.
• The center was built in the year 1986 and the construction completed in
1991. The center was launched by the state government to provide space to
the cultural and spiritual values of India and display the rich craft heritage.
• The center is dedicated to the late prime minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru.
•Construction time :6 years
•Constructed by :PWD
•Site area :9 Acre
 CONCEPT:
• The plan was prepared by the noted architect Charles Correa in 1986
and the building was ready in 1991.
• The plan is inspired by the Ketu Budh Chandra
original city plan of Jaipur,
consisting of nine squares
with central square left open. Mangal
Shani
• The whole complex is itself a
unique design & concept in
the architectural industry especially
the concept of nine squares as
Shukra
‘ Navgrah’. Rahu Guru
• Each square was linked to the planet as per the characteristics of the
particular planet and its astrological values and the functionality of the
square.
• This Navgrah concept with its energy values their favorable color, quality
and the favorable functionality to the each planet with square kept in mind
while designing and allocation of spaces.
• Partly open courtyards and the traditional design elements of Rajasthan have
been incorporated in the complex.
PLANNING : FACILITIES :
• Library
•Print making studio
• Museum
• Terracotta gallery
• Chaturdik gallery
• Sukriti gallery
• Surekh gallery
• Parjit-1 gallery
• Parjit-2 gallery
• Workshops
• Cafeteria
• Guest house
• Open air theatre
• Theatre
• Shilpgram
• The ceiling which depicts animals, CIRCULTION :
mountains, rivers in a traditional
Indian cosmology, it shows how well
Correa was able to meld the
traditional with contemporary.

•Circulation and planning: grid iron

planning with connectivity.
PROGRAMMATIC DENSITY:

•The central courtyard can be viewed

from all the galleries.

• Density: Specially even, programmatic

density varies.
RESPONSE TO CLIMATE :
• Material: red stone and white marble.
• Vastu symbol on façade of each unit.
• Small punctures on wall for ventilation.
• Light shafts have step profiles with marble
capping.
• Light shafts at corner of each unit.
• Central courtyard bring in light and air.
SANDARBH I.E. LIBRARY:

• The whole complex in itself has a unique design

• Each square was linked to the planet as per the
characteristics of the particular planet and its
astrological values .
• This particular square was linked with ‘Jupiter’
the characteristics were matched in such a way
linked planet ‘Jupiter’ - color lemon yellow
• Quality of the planet Knowledge
functionality allotted Library
PLAY WITH LIGHT AND SHADOW:
• The second most significant feature which was been
adopted in this particular square was the spectacular
play with the light and the shadow.
•As the the square was partially open to sky and the
particular side had the full height glazing in it the
partial open roof was treated with the architectural
feature ‘ pergolas’.
• The cut out was designed in such a way that the
corridor will always remain in shade and has the
pond in corner which would reduce the effect of the
harsh sun to the library.
USE OF LOCALMATERIAL:
• The spanning between beams was
designed and kept such that the local
material available like wooden bamboo
sticks could be used to complete the
entire space frame.
MADHYAVARTI I.E OPEN AIR THEATRE:
• The theatre was located and placed so well in layout and planned
that the rest of 8 square were well connected to the central open
theatre and the best part of it
were the stepped platforms
which could be used as seating
areas.
• The same were surroundedby
the 8m high walls and the
design stepping was
incorporated in the cornersof
two walls to make them more
interacted to eachother.
• The stepping and the walls
were cladded with red
sandstone the locally available
material the theater was
opening into the library ,Vehicular entrance ,gallery and workshop.
CHAMPALIMAUD
CENTRE
 CONCEPT :
• The 3 units that constitute the project (the largest for the doctors
and scientist, the second for the theatre, the exhibition hall, the
foundation offices, etc, and the third is an open-air amphitheater for
the city) have been arranged to
create a 125m long pathway leading
diagonally across the site, towards
the open seas.
• Correa said after visiting the site
“the site must be structured along
a powerful architectural diagonal
axis, an open-to-sky space, going
right from the entrance to the
opposite corner, where you finally see the river beginning to merge
with the ocean and the great unknown”
• The pathway is ramped up (at a gentle slope of1:20) – so as one
ascend, he see only sky ahead of him.
• At the end of the ramp are two stone monoliths, straight from the quarry.
• When one reach the highest point, he begin to see a large body of water,
which seemingly connects to the ocean beyond.
• In the center of this water body, just below the
surface of the water, is an oval shaped object—
made of stainless steel and slightly convex, so
that it reflects the blue sky and passing clouds
above.
• The material used in making the building is View through the
lioz stone. The Lioz is a well-known limestone water body
from Portugal, with a considerable history. It is an
historical Portuguese natural stone that has been
used for centuries on public buildings and hence
the site was a historical site, therefore this stone
was chosen by Correa.
Pathway

Lioz stone
Glass vessel connecting Through the glass vessel Built form
two units

Vivarium Open airAmphitheatre Two huge monolith

columns