LE CORBUSIER

CENTER
Old Architect Building, Madhya Marg, Sector 19B, Sector 19,
Chandigarh, 160019
Timings: wed-sun 10AM to 5PM
 Le Corbusier Centre has been set up by the Chandigarh
Administration, at the old Sector 19 office of the city’s architect,
Le Corbusier. The Swiss-French architect used the office while
conceptualizing the city almost six decades ago.
The Centre displays and exhibits the life and works of Le
Corbusier, so that tourists and future generations may be able
to acquaint themselves with the rich cultural heritage of the
city. 

The main aim of the Centre would be preservation,

interpretation, research, display of the works and legacy of Le
Corbusier.
 
The Le Corbusier Centre and three Souvenir Shops at Sukhna
Lake, Le Corbusier Center and Rock Garden, are being run
successfully under STEPS (Society for Tourism and
Entertainment PromotionS).
 The Old Architects’ Office was one of the earliest buildings
constructed in Chandigarh, along with the Old Engineers’
office and staff residences in Sector 19. It continued to be
put to its original use till 1965, when the Department of
Urban Planning shifted to its present location within the
U.T. Secretariat in Sector 9. Being the workplace of Le
Corbusier and his team, as also the spot from where the
entire city was designed, the building is of immense
historic value to Chandigarh. The structure is also a
significant resource for understanding the technological,
formal, and aesthetic spirit of Modern architecture, as also
its peculiar manifestation in the context of Chandigarh.

  Large windows allow sufficient glare-free lighting of

       interior. Small air inlets below the window, and, larger outlets into central
       corridors aid natural ventilation.

Le Corbusier & Pierre Jeanneret P L Varma, Le Corbusier & Pierre

in the Committee Room. Note Jeanneret in a discussion. Note
also the the original drafting table then in
chair on which Le Corbusier is use.
seated.
PHYSICAL APPRAISAL : 

The original building was designed with particular

attention to Chandigarh’s mandate of cost-effective
and climate responsive design. The spirit of
experimentation of Nehru’s new city ‘free from
encumbrances of the past’ was also obvious in the
choice of its general form as well as construction.
 
The building, thus, was made with experimental and
cost-effective materials and methods, such as the
exposed reinforced concrete shell of the porch,
precast beams of the sloping roofs, bricktile for
floors, and, jute-lac panels for doors and cupboard The thin RCC shell of the entrance porch of the Old Architects’ Office
shutters. Also were incorporated several design is also an early demonstration of the plastic and structural potential of
this Modern material.
elements to obstruct harsh sun, to create ample
glarefree natural light, and, to induce natural
ventilation – in general, to create a comfortable work
environment without recourse to costly mechanical
devices. The modest structure of our Old Architects’
Office may well be considered as a seminal attempt
at introducing concepts of ‘sustainability’ and ‘green
architecture’ in the architectural annals of Modern
Room No. : 1
Reception, Information and publications
ROOM NO. 2
ARCHIVAL RECORDS
i) Documents pertaining to inception, development and growth of Chandigarh
compiled by late Dr. M.S. Randhawa, I.C.S (Retd.), the first Chief Commissioner
of Chandigarh
ii) Harappan findings in Chandigarh and photographs of different archeological
excavations in Chandigarh
Room No. 3
DOCUMENTS
i)      Final selection of Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Maxwell Fry.
ii)     Telegram dated 20 December, 1950 announcing the signing of contracts
with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret.
iii)    Draft agreement made with Le Corbusier.
iv)    A letter from Le Corbusier dated 15 July, 1954 to C.P.N.Singh , Governor of
Punjab for the construction of the Governor’s palace and also a reminder for
the release of his pending fee for the work done on the Capitol Project.
Room No.4 
PLANS, SECTIONS, ELEVATIONS, SKETCHES AND STUDIES

i)      Survey plan of the proposed Chandigarh site

ii)     Periphery control
iii)    Modular concept
iv)    Le Corbusier’s planning concepts
v)     Plan of Capitol area by Le Corbusier
vi)   Plan of the Secretariat
    The Museum of Knowledge (unbuilt).    
Room No.5
MAPS AND MODELS
i)     Location of Chandigarh with regard to the adjoining states
ii)      Chandigarh on the map of India
iii)     Chandigarh after reorganization of Punjab in 1966
iv)    Rainfall, temperature, humidity,& surface wind in
Chandigarh
v)     Old office building of the Chief Architect, Capital Project
(model) 
vi)    The Open Hand Monument (model)
vii)   The Secretariat (model)
Room No.6
PHOTOGRAPHS (B&W) ANDCOLOR AND TRANSLIGHTS
i)      Le Corbusier’s planning concept
ii)     Comparison of the Chandigarh’s Master Plan with that of Paris
iii)    Think sketches for the study of dome of Assembly
iv)    A study of road network in Chandigarh
v)     A panoramic collage of Open Hand Monument
vi)    Chandigarh Master Plan (translight)
vii Door of the Assembly (translight)
 
Room No. 7
Committee Room
Master Plan of Chandigarh and furniture
FURNITURE
i)      Single seater with cord back and hand woven strips
ii)     Three seater with cord back and hand woven strips
iii)    Three legged table with wooden top and bamboo legs
iv)    A chair with cord back, jute seat and bamboo frame
v)     A Chair with swinging seat
vi)    A wooden chair with steel frame
vii)   A wooden chair with steel frame, bamboo hand wooden strips
Room No. 8
Reference, Research and Digital library 
 Room No. 9
Administration Verandah:
Exhibition Hall
Exhibition: ‘A Dream Realized’: An architectural overview of
ideas that became cities – organized in collaboration with the
Sakaar foundation.
 
Corridor:
Photo Gallery
Le Corbusier – A Multi Faceted Personality
 
 
 
Thank you
B.V.ABHIRAM
1216513232