PLANNING OF CHANDIGARH

Harish Kumar Manjul Gambhir Sumit Dixit Gopal Gupta Rhythm Murgai

SELECTION OF SITE

• To select a suitable site, the Govt. of Punjab appointed a Committee in 1948 under the Chairmanship of P.L Verma, Chief Engineer to assess and evaluate the existing towns in the State for setting up the proposed capital of Punjab.

• However, none was found suitable on the basis of several reasons, such as military vulnerability, shortage of drinking water, inaccessibility, inability to cope in flux of large number of refugees etc.

• The present site was selected in 1948 taking into account various attributes such as its Central location in the state, proximity to the national capital & availability of sufficient water supply, fertile of soil, gradient of land for natural drainage, beautiful site with the panorama of blue hills as backdrop & moderate climate.

PLANNER

• An American Firm, M/s. Mayer, Whittlessay and Glass was commissioned in 1950 to prepare the Master Plan for the new City.

• Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki evolved a fan shaped Master Plan and worked out conceptual sketches of the super block.

• Novicki was tragically killed in an air accident and Mayer decided to discontinue. Thereafter, the work was assigned to a team of architect known as Le Corbusier in 1951.

Le Corbusier's Master Plan

• The Master plan prepared by Le Corbusier was broadly similar to the one prepared by the team of planners led by Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki except that the shape of the city plan was modified from one with a curving road network to rectangular shape with a grid iron pattern for the fast traffic roads, besides reducing its area for reason of economy.

• The city plan was conceived as post war ‘Garden City’ wherein vertical and high rise buildings were ruled out, keeping in view the socio economic-conditions and living habits of the people.

• Due to economic constraints, the master plan was to be realized in two phases, catering to a total population of half a million.

• Phase-I consisting of 30 low density sector spread over an area of 9000 acres (Sector 1 to 30) for 1,50,000 people

• Phase-II consisting of 17 considerably high density Sectors ( Sectors 31 to 47) spread over an area of 6000 acres for a population of 3,50,000.

THREE DISCIPLINES

• The discipline of money - In working up his designs,le corbuiser consulted the program for each building as given in the budget and then prepared the initial project.

• The discipline of technology Available in quantity, however, was good clay stone and sand,and,above all’ human labour. The materials of which chandigarh has been constructed are rough concrete in the capitol complex and the central business district and for most of the city, especially in housing,locally produced brick.

• The discipline of climate Besides the administrative and financial regulatons there was a law of the sun in india. The architectural problem consists;first to make shade,second to make a current of air[to ventilate], third to control hydraulics.

SECTOR- THE BASIS PLANNING UNIT

• The primary module of city’s design is a Sector, a neighborhood unit of size 800 meters x 1200 meters.

• It is a self-sufficient unit having shops, school, health centers and places of recreations and worship.

• The population of a sector varies between 3000 and 20000 depending upon the sizes of plots and the topography of the area.

• The shops are located along the V4 street (shopping street), which runs North-West to South-East across the sector.

• Every sector permits only 4 vehicular entries into its interior.

Circulation• Le Corbusier's traffic system followed Mayer's lines but was more elaborate; he called it Les Sept

Voies de Circulation, or Seven Vs.• The rationale of his planning was the motor car. "From his early studies in urbanism, Le Corbusier

had identified the motor car as the central factor of modern town planning.• The 7 Vs act in the town plan as the bloodstream, the lymph system and the respiratory system act in

biology.• The 7Vs establishes a hierarchy of traffic circulation ranging from : arterial roads (V1), major

boulevards (V2) sector definers (V3), shopping streets (V4), neighbourhood streets (V5), access lanes (V6) and pedestrian paths and cycle tracks (V7s and V8s).

• V1 connects chandigarh to other cities.• The entrance of cars into the sectors, which are exclusively reserved to family life, can take place on

four points only; in the middle of the 1,200 meters; in the middle of the 800 meters.•  The bus stops are provided each time at 200 meters from the circus so as to served the four

pedestrian entrances into a sector.• The road system was so designed that "never a door will open on the surrounding V3s: precisely the

four surrounding V3s must be separated from the sector by a blind wall all along." Buses can ply on the V4s, the horizontal connection between contiguous sectors, but not within the sector interiors

Road Circulation

Working

Chandigarh has four main work centers :

•The Capitol Complex in the north-east

•The Educational institutes in the north-west

•The City Centre in the heart

•The industrial area in the south-east

HIERARCHY of GREEN AREAS

• A Hierarchy of Green Spaces can be observed in both the layout ranging from Public Greens at City Level to Semi-Private to Private Green Areas.

City Level Public Green Space with Artificial Water Body Free- Flowing Green Space, connecting the entire site Semi-Private Green Areas for neighborhood pockets Private Green Areas for Residential Units

CONCEPT

• The 7Vs establishes a hierarchy of traffic circulation ranging from : arterial roads (V1), major boulevards (V2) sector definers (V3), shopping streets (V4), neighbourhood streets (V5), access lanes (V6) and pedestrian paths and cycle tracks (V7s and V8s). The essence of his plan for Chandigarh rests on preserving intact the true functions of these seven types of roads.

ROADS

V-1 Roads connecting Chandigarh with other cities like Ambala, Kharar and Shimla. V-2 They are the major avenues of Chandigarh, with important institutional and commercial functions running alongside. In Chandigarh they are identifiable as 'Margs'. Madhya Marg, DakshinMarg, Jan Marg, Himalaya Marg, UttarMargand PurvMarg are important examples. V-3 They are the corridor-streets for fast moving vehicular traffic. A Sector is surrounded by either V-2 or V-3 roads. V-4 Roads bisecting the Sectors with shopping complexes located along their southern edge. V-5 Roads meandering through the Sector giving access to its inner areas. V-6 Roads leading off the V-5s and providing access to dwelling.

• V-7 They are intended for pedestrian movement and run through the middle of the sectors in the green areas. A few examples are along the Jan Marg, in Punjab University & Sector 15.

• V-8 They are intended to run parallel to V-7s for bi-cycles and are not fully developed.

THE CAPITOL COMPLEX

• THE AREA OF THE GREATEST SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE IN CHANDIGARH WAS THE CAPITOL COMPLEX , WHICH IN ITS FINAL FORM WAS BASED ON THE DESIGN OF A GRAET CROSS AXIS

• THE MOST IMPORTANT GROUP OF THE BUILDINGS CONSTITUTING THE CAPITOL- RIGHT, THE PARLIAMENT, LEFT,IN THE BACKGROUND, THE SECRETARIAT

• IN THE FOREGROUND, THE POOL OF THE PALACE OF JUSTICE• THE ARTIFICIAL HILLS IN THE FRONT OF THE SECRETARIAT HAVE

NOT BEEN CREATED AND LAID OUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH COEBUSIER;S CONCEPTIONS

• ALTHOUGH THE SCENE IS HARMONIUS IN EFFECT, THERE ARE STILL MISSING THE BUILDINGS THAT BELONG HERE ,SUCH AS , FOR INSTANCE, THE TOWERS OF SHADOWS

The Capitol

Complex

The City Centre

• City Centre DLF is located at Rajeev Gandhi IT Park Chandigarh,close to Golf range and Sukhna lake. It is hardly 15 minutes drive from sector 17 and very close to the heritage residential areas of Chandigarh. It is built on 2 lakh square feet at the junction point of Panchkula, Manimajra & Chandigarh overlooking the beautiful Shivalik Range. The mall welcomes visitors of Tricity-Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali.

• The Mall caters to the taste of discerning shoppers across a broad age spectrum and offers a unique blend of international and indigenous brands, a mix of handcrafted Indian designer wear, Fashion Accessories and yet also the latest international Fashion trends for Men, Women & Kids. Some of the premium brands at City Centre Chandigarh is Harley Davidson , United Colors of Benetton, Puma, Nike, Alcott, Arrow, mothercare, Tommy Hiliger, U S Polo, Madame, Chemistry, Meena Bazaar and more.

• Shoppers can indulge in their favorite Sports brands, choose from a range of Fashion Eyewear, Fragrances and Accessories. It also offers various dining options like Rajdhani and the Tricity’s most Beautiful restobar Black Magic. Needless to say EAT FOOD LOUNGE, the Food Court is visited by more than 15,000 food lovers every Weekend. It offers the best of the international fastfood such as Subway, Baskin Robbins, Dominos, Sindhi’s Moti Mahal, Froyo.

SITE PLAN

SECRETARIAT

ASSEMBLY

HIGH COURT

GOVERNOR,S PALACE

OPEN HAND

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THE SECTOR

• TAKING CHANDIGARH AS AN EXAMPLE,WE MAY SEE AT ONCE THE DEMOCRATIC IDEA WHICH ALLOWS US TO DEVOTE AN EQUAL CARE TO HOUSING ALL CLASSES OF SOCIETY TO SEK NEW SOCIAL GROUPINGS, NEW PATTERNS OF EDUCATION AND PUBLIC WELFARE,AND MADE MORE POSSIBLE BY PRACTICAL APLICATOIN OF THE SCIENTIFIC IDEA WHICH THROUGH INDUSTRIALISM,GIVES US SUCH BENEFITS AS PIPED WATER,ELECRICITY AND CHEAP TRANSPORT.

• EACH SECTOR IS DESIGNATED BY NUMBER,THE CAPITAL COMPLEX BEING NUMBER 1,WITH THE REMAINING SECTORS NUMBERED CONSECUTIVELY BEGINNING AT THE NORTH CORNER OF THE CITY.

• AT PRESENT THERE ARE 30 SECTORS IN CHANDIGARH,OF WHICH 24 ARE RESIDENTIAL.• THE SECTORS AT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE CITY ARE OF ABBREVIATED SIZE.• IN ALL TYPE OF HOUSING ,PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE GLAZING EXPENSE,PARTLY TO KEEP OUT SUN.• AS THE MOST ECONOMICAL AND READILY AVAILABLE MATERIAL FOR BUILDING AT CHANDIGARH WAS

LOCALLY MADE BRICK.• THIS BECAME THE MATERIAL OF CONSTRUCTION.• THE FLAT ROOF WAS EMPLOYED THROUGH OUT IN CHANDIGARH HOUSING BECAUSE OF ITS

USEFULNESS AS A SLEEPING AREA • 70% OF THE BUILDING WOULD BE PRIVATE IN ALL THE SECTORS.• RESIDENTIAL PLOTS RANGING IN DIMENSIONS FROM 75 SQ. YARDS TO 5000 SQ YARDS.

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• THIS IS BECAUSE THE CAPITOL COMPLEX IS CONTAINED WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF SECTOR 3 EXTENTED TO ITS FULL DIMENSIONS.

• GOVERNMENT HOUSING• LE-CORBUISER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GENERAL OUTLINES OF THE MASTER PLAN AND THE

CREATION OF THE MONUMENTAL BUILDLINGS,WHILE PIERRE JEANNERET,MAXWELL FRY AND JANE DREW WERE CHARGED WITH THE TASK OF DEVELOPING THE NEIGHBOURHOOD SECTORS WITH THEIR SCHOOLS,SHOPPING BAZAARS,AND THE TRACTS OF GOVERNMENT HOUSING.

• IN THE PROGRAM PRESENTED TO THE ARCHITECTS,13 CATEGORIES OF HOUSES WERE SPECIFIED,EACH CORRESPONDING TO A LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT.

• SMALL WINDOWS OPENINGS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY EMPLOYED• CHANDIGARH UT IS SPREAD OVER AN AREA OF 114SQ KMS INCLUDING MANIMAJRA AND BURAIL • THE BIRTH OF CHANDIGARH HAS NOT INFLUENCED ONLY THE NORTH WEST REGION BUT THE

WHOLE COUNTRY IN THE MATTERS OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING• PROJECTS HE HANDLED WERE CAPITOL COMPLEX, HOUSING, MUSEUM, CITY PLAZA ETC

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HOUSING

• Lower category residential buildings are governed by a mechanism known as “frame control” to control their facades.

• This fixes the building line and height and the use of building materials.

PLAN OF THE CITY

OPEN SPACES

• Some 800 hectares of green open space are spread over the approximately 114 square kilometers of the Capital Project area.

• Majoropen areas include the Leisure Valley,

• Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden and many other special gardens.

• The sectors are vertically integrated by green space oriented in the direction of the mountains.

LANDSCAPING

• Three spaces were identified for special plantation: the roadsides, spaces around important buildings, parks and special features such as Sukhna Lake.

• Le Corbusier’s Le Corbusier’s contribution to landscaping was of categorising tree forms.

1. functional needs

2. aesthetic suitability for the various

3. areas, devoting special attention to specific roads.

• prominent flowering trees are gulmohar (Delonix regia), amaltas (Cassia fistula), kachnar (Bauhinea variegata), pink cassia (Cassia Javanica) and silver oak (Grevillea robusta).

• Among the conspicuous non-flowering trees one finds kusum (Schleicheta trijuga) and pilkhan (Ficus infectoria) along V3 roadsides.

• These trees, noted for their vast, thick spreading canopies form great vaulting shelters over many of the city’s roads.

• In all, more than 100 different tree species have been planted in (Fieus religosa) Chandigarh .

parks in every sector