Ever since the years of Vitruvius, the human body has been a primary reference in the field of architecture. According to Vitruvius, the proportions and placement of organs in the human body are ideal and flawless. Developing from those claims, Vitruvius suggested that the most significant structures should be designed off of the human body. He discovered that the ideal human body could be placed fitted into a circle and square. This was portrayed into a drawing: The Vitruvian Man, signifying the direct relation to creation, nature and geometry (Refer to Fig. 1). Several years later, by surveying the structure of the human form in comparison to urban planning, Le Corbusier was able to reincarnate Vitruvius’ ideals through the embodiment of modernization in the city of Chandigarh, as well as making it co-exist with nature’s preservation (Refer to Fig. 2).
Fig. 1: Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci – describing the relation of art and science; the relation of the human form and geometry.
Fig. 2: Map of Chandigarh (Left) and Human Form (Right) – Similarity in placement of programs and functions.
After the independence of India in August 1947, the Prime Minister of India at the time, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, established that a city be built over a 100 miles north of Delhi, unencumbered by convention and tradition in a country with great history and culture, struggling to be one of the up and coming modern countries in the world. The site over which this awe-inspiring city was to be built was chosen by P.L. Verma, the chief engineer for The Punjab and P.N. Thapar, a director of public works in Punjab. The two initially selected Albert Mayer to lead the design of the city of Chandigarh, with the aid of his partner, Matthew Nowicki. However, due to the tragic death of Nowicki, Mayer had to withdraw and thus gave Corbusier a red carpet entry to design the plan of Chandigarh.
On his arrival to Chandigarh, Corbusier was taken aback by the vast plains he had to cover placed flawlessly with a panoramic view of the hills nearby. This picturesque view, in the eyes of Corbusier, was only missing one thing, the element of man. The fundamental sketches of this city are depicted as “a square containing a cross axis” [1] with the capitol complex forming a primal northeastern axis towards the nearby mountains (Refer to Fig. 3). As the idea developed, this axis was brought further into light, forming, in Corbusier’s words, “a single monumental link connecting the body of the city to its symbolic head”. This monumental cross axis, almost similar in function to the Avenue de Champs-Elysees of Paris, constitutes various consequential banks, government offices and large hotels, and plays a role of a “spine” in the human body of Chandigarh, connecting the two principal public areas of Chandigarh – the Capitol complex and the Civic center. Another vital area of the city is “The Valley Of Leisure”, or the recreational park that emerged in an abraded riverbed that runs through the city of Chandigarh. Intended by Le Corbusier to be an area for relaxation and solitude, all forms of transportation were prohibited to go over and through the area. Furthermore, in an attempt to rekindle the lost relationship between man and nature, Le Corbusier designed special low lamps that bestowed residents of Chandigarh with the view of the stars, skies, waters and mountains, in absolute silence. This area, in the words of Corbusier, was built so that “the citizens of the new city may escape the humdrum of city life and enjoy the beauty of nature in peace and silence”[2]. It is in such areas in the city of Chandigarh that one can find a near comparision to the lungs of the Vitruvian Man – clean, safe from smoke, pollution and other disturbances. Another notable element in the planning of Chandigarh was the industrial area. Initially meant to be separated from the residential areas with a barrier of trees, as Mayer planned. However, according to Corbusier, the industrial area of Chandigarh were meant to be the “arms” of the human body of Chandigarh – constantly functioning and transporting goods and raw materials without having to go through the city.
Fig. 3: Primary sketch of Chandigarh with topography.
The concept of using Vitruvius’ ideas of the human form in planning the city of Chandigarh was displayed in the placement of the Capitol Complex, which functions as the “brain” of the city. The complex comprises of three major buildings – The Secretariat, The Legislative Assembly and The High Court (also known as The Palace of Assemblies). Positioned ideally in the upper edge of the city, the Capitol Complex functions as a point of intensity and a center for ritualistic processions. The Capitol Complex is multi-functional, serving as a center for urban-based activities and trade. The buildings of the complex are arranged meticulously to avoid the monotonous system of symmetry, A long walkway permeates through the plaza, as if extending the passage formed by the colossal boulevard through the civic center. Buildings such as the Assembly and High Court close the cross axis on either side of the plaza. An unusual aspect of the complex is that the high court is not positioned consistently across the axis, thereby enclosing the plaza space and builds a “directional thrust” away from it.[3] The assembly, on the other hand, is positioned perfectly on the axis, providing a relation to The Secretariat. As a result, these buildings define a closed space between them as well as create a free flow throughout the complex. Trees were planted to enhance the architecture, providing a gist of nature in the concrete jungle of the capitol complex.
Among the monumental structures in the Capitol Complex, one such structure that emphasizes Corbusier’s implementation of Vitruvius’ teachings is the Palace of Assemblies (Refer to Fig. 4). Built in 1962 to face the High Court and provide equilibrium to the monumental structures in the Capitol Complex, the Palace of Assemblies was designed such that it complemented the High Court’s simplicity with the application of more dynamic elements. Defying his typical designs, Le Corbusier incorporated curves in his buildings, which he previously claimed to be the source of chaos and uneasiness in architecture. This was displayed in several of the buildings in Chandigarh, including the Palace of Assemblies.
Fig. 4: View, Palace of Assemblies.
With a square plan and distinct portico facing the plaza and High Court, the Palace of Assemblies embodied the idea of curves, in an attempt to create a more “Indian” style. One of the most significant alterations in the design of the Palace of Assemblies was the enclosing of the assembly chamber and council chamber in a massive hyperbolic chamber and a smaller rectilinear chamber, respectively. Amazed by the industrial cooling towers on a trip to Ahmedabad, Le Corbusier resolved to implement that specific design into his Palace of Assemblies. The assembly chamber would be enclosed by the huge cooling tower shaped structure, and the smaller council chamber enclosed with a more orthogonal rectilinear structure[4]. According to the overview of the Palace of Assemblies, the assembly chamber appears to be a major point of interest. The floor plans of the Palace of Assemblies can be compared to that of a human cell, where the curvilinear tower structure can be compared to a nucleus (Refer to Fig. 5). The structure of the cell creates the basis of all living organisms. In the same manner the Palace of Assemblies, based off of this design of nature, is the foundation behind the operation in the city of Chandigarh. Without it, the city would be completely dysfunctional.
Fig. 5: Floor Plans, Palace of Assembly, Chandigarh (Left) and Human Cell (Right) – Similarity in structure.
Based off of Vitruvius’ concepts of the incorporation of the human form into architecture, Le Corbusier was able to rekindle those ideas on a much larger scale by designing the city of Chandigarh. From the human cell, to the functions of the brain and the proportions of the human form, Corbusier took all these levels into consideration. In this way, Corbusier executed Vitruvius’ ideas and paved the way for more modernistic approaches to urban planning in the twentieth century.
Bibliography:
1. Evenson, Norma. Chandigarh. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1966.
2. Evenson, Norma. The Indian metropolis: a view toward the West. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. Pages 157-159 and Pages 166-169.
3. Wreke, Stuart, and William Howard Adams. Denatured visions: landscape and culture in the twentieth century. New York: Museum of Modern Art ;, 1991.
4. Futagawa, Yukio, and Takamasa Yoshizaka. Chandigarh, the new capital of Punjab, India, 1951-. Tokyo: A.D.A. EDITA Tokyo, 1974.
Image Sources:
1. Futagawa, Yukio, and Takamasa Yoshizaka. Chandigarh, the new capital of Punjab, India, 1951-. Tokyo: A.D.A. EDITA Tokyo, 1974.
2. From Lectures
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