Charles Correa – Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya and
Jeevan Bharti
JANUARY 9, 20111 COMMENT
Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya:
Material used:
Tiled roof
Brick wall
Stone floor
Wooden floor
Light and ventilation by operable wooden louvers
These elements combine to form a pattern of tiled roofs which are grouped in casual
meandering pattern, creating a pathway along which the visitors progresses towards
the centrality of the water court
Philosophy:
Successfully shows the life of Gandhiji
Minimalist architecture
Material honesty
Contemporary architecture
Glow of spaces
JEEWAN BHARTI , DELHI
This office complex of LIC is situated on the outer road of Connaught circle and acts
as a pivot between the colonnades of CP and new generation of high rise towers that
now surround it . Thus the building is both a proscenium and a backdrop: a 12 storey
stage set whose faceted glass surface reflects the buildings and trees around CP.
Two lower levels of the complex consists of shopping decks and restaurants while
upper level are offices located in two separate wings . A pergola connects the two
buildings .
A city proposal for an elevated pedestrian walkways if constructed will pass through
the two blocks , allowing pedestrians to traverse the building as the great darwaza ie
gateway defined by a portico form.
Charles Correa:
Education
1946-1948 inter-science. St. Xavier’s college, university of Bombay
1949-1955 B.Arch., University of Michigan.
1953-1955 M.Arch., Massachusetts institute of technology.
Professional Experience
1955-1958 partner with G.M. BHUTA associates
1958- to date in private practice.
1964-1965 prepared master plan proposing twin city across the harbor from Bombay.
1969-1971 invited by the govt. of Peru
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 palnning commision
About him:
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 – Walter Salders and
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 days was a different place, it was a brand-new country, there was so
much hope; India stimulated me.’
Architect, planner, activist and theoretician, an international lecturer and traveler.
Correa’s work in India shows a careful development, understanding and adaptation
of Modernism to a non-western culture. Correa’s early works attempt to explore a
local vernacular within a modern environment. Correa’s land-use planning and
community projects continually try to go beyond typical solutions to third world
problems.
India’s first man of architecture has a very simple philosophy: “Unless you believe
in what you do, it becomes … boring,”
AWARDS:
1961 Prize for low-income housing early
1972 Correa was awarded the PadmaShri by the President of India
1980 Correa was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Michigan
1984 He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British
Architects
1985 Prize for the Improvement in the Quality of Human
Settlements from the International Union of Architects.
1986 Chicago Architecture Award.
1987 the Gold Medal of the Indian Institute of Architects
1990 the Gold Medal of the UIA (International Union of Architects)
1994 the Premium Imperial from Japan society of art.
1999 Aga khan award for vidhan sabha, bhopal
Diversity
In Bombay – Salvacao Church at Dadar ; Kanchanjunga Apartments
In Goa for the Cidade de Goa Hotel and the Kala Academy,
In Ahmedabad – Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya ; Ramkrishna House
Delhi – The LIC Centre; British Council Building
Kerala – Kovalam Beach Resort Hotel
Andamans – Bay Island Hotel in Port Blair
Architectural utility and grandeur spread over the subcontinent
Principles
Few cardinal principles in his vast body of work;
incrementality
pluralism
participation
income generation
equity
open-to-sky space
disaggregation.
Belapur housing being the one project where he has literally used these principals
Correa and Corbusier
Like most architects of his generation he has been influenced by Le Corbusier , but
by his response to the Mediterranean sun with his grand sculptural decisions he
believes that Corbusier’s influence in the colder climates has not been beneficial
because these heroic gestures had to withdraw into defensible space, into
mechanically heated (and cooled) interiors of the building.
On way back to Bombay in 1955 – saw the Jaoul House (le Corbusier) in Paris
under construction
‘I was absolutely knocked out . It was a whole new world way beyond anything being
taught in America at that time .then I saw Chandigarh and his buildings in
Ahmedabad . They seemed the only way to build.”
Correa and Gandhi
Gandhi’s goal for an independent India had been a village model, non-industrial, its
architecture simple and traditional
In these early works Correa demonstrates uncompromising execution of an idea as a
powerful statement of form
Charles Correa – Kanchenjunga apartments
JANUARY 9, 20113 COMMENTS
KANCHENJUNGA APARTMENTS:
The building had to be oriented east – west to capture prevailing sea breeze and
views to the city.
But also the orientation for hot sun and heavy rains
Solution in old bungalows – wrapping a protective layer of verandahs around the
main living areas
Kanchanjunga an attempt to apply these principles to a high-rise building
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
Minimalist surfaces cut away to open up double-height terrace gardens at the corners
Complex spatial organization of living spaces
Superficially, this 28-story tower, with its concrete construction and large areas of
white panels, bears a strong resemblance to modern apartment buildings in the West
Tower’s proportion 1:4
(21 sqm and 84 m high)
Garden terraces actually a modern interpretation of a feature of the traditional Indian
bungalow: the verandah
Each apartment provided with a deep, two-story-high garden terrace that is oriented
away from the sun so as to afford protection from the elements
Charles Correa:
Education
1946-1948 inter-science. St. Xavier’s college, university of Bombay
1949-1955 B.Arch., University of Michigan.
1953-1955 M.Arch., Massachusetts institute of technology.
Professional Experience
1955-1958 partner with G.M. BHUTA associates
1958- to date in private practice.
1964-1965 prepared master plan proposing twin city across the harbor from Bombay.
1969-1971 invited by the govt. of Peru
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 palnning commision
About him:
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 – Walter Salders and
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 days was a different place, it was a brand-new country, there was so
much hope; India stimulated me.’
Architect, planner, activist and theoretician, an international lecturer and traveler.
Correa’s work in India shows a careful development, understanding and adaptation
of Modernism to a non-western culture. Correa’s early works attempt to explore a
local vernacular within a modern environment. Correa’s land-use planning and
community projects continually try to go beyond typical solutions to third world
problems.
India’s first man of architecture has a very simple philosophy: “Unless you believe
in what you do, it becomes … boring,”
AWARDS:
1961 Prize for low-income housing early
1972 Correa was awarded the PadmaShri by the President of India
1980 Correa was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Michigan
1984 He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British
Architects
1985 Prize for the Improvement in the Quality of Human
Settlements from the International Union of Architects.
1986 Chicago Architecture Award.
1987 the Gold Medal of the Indian Institute of Architects
1990 the Gold Medal of the UIA (International Union of Architects)
1994 the Premium Imperial from Japan society of art.
1999 Aga khan award for vidhan sabha, bhopal
Diversity
In Bombay – Salvacao Church at Dadar ; Kanchanjunga Apartments
In Goa for the Cidade de Goa Hotel and the Kala Academy,
In Ahmedabad – Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya ; Ramkrishna House
Delhi – The LIC Centre; British Council Building
Kerala – Kovalam Beach Resort Hotel
Andamans – Bay Island Hotel in Port Blair
Architectural utility and grandeur spread over the subcontinent
Principles
Few cardinal principles in his vast body of work;
incrementality
pluralism
participation
income generation
equity
open-to-sky space
disaggregation.
Belapur housing being the one project where he has literally used these principals
Correa and Corbusier
Like most architects of his generation he has been influenced by Le Corbusier , but by his
response to the Mediterranean sun with his grand sculptural decisions he believes that
Corbusier’s influence in the colder climates has not been beneficial because these heroic
gestures had to withdraw into defensible space, into mechanically heated (and cooled)
interiors of the building.
On way back to Bombay in 1955 – saw the Jaoul House (le Corbusier) in Paris under
construction
‘I was absolutely knocked out . It was a whole new world way beyond anything being taught
in America at that time .then I saw Chandigarh and his buildings in Ahmedabad . They
seemed the only way to build.”
Correa and Gandhi
Gandhi’s goal for an independent India had been a village model, non-industrial, its
architecture simple and traditional
In these early works Correa demonstrates uncompromising execution of an idea as a
powerful statement of form
