CHANDIGARH ARCHITECTURE MUSEUM

Located adjoining the sylvan surroundings of the Leisure Valley in Sector 10, is the Chandigarh Architecture Museum. It is a unique museum ─ perhaps the first of this kind in the country ─ which exhibits the architectural history of the making of Chandigarh. It was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Inder Kumal Gujaral, on 17th September, 1997. The objectives of the museum are to document and display the sequential planning and architectural development of the Chandigarh --- from its inception to the present.

Adapted from a structure designed by Le Corbusier as an exhibition pavilion at Zurich in 1995, the City Museum building is built in concrete. Till now called the “Pavilion of Temporary Exhibitions”, it has been suitably modified to serve its present purpose.

The exhibits on the basement floor focus on the selection of the site and first team architects and planners that is, the American team consisting primarily of Albert Mayer and Matthew Nowicki. Original sketches, studies and drawings prepared by this team demonstrate their work. Of particular interest are the broad similarities between the city’s first master plan prepared by Albert Mayer and the final one modified by Le Corbusier.

The ground floor has all the material pertaining to Corbusier’s arrival on the scene and his work, subsequent to the death of Matthew Nowicki and termination of the American’s teams’ contract for the project.

Various models, photographs and original drawings give details of the monumental buildings designed by Corbusier personally for the city, such as the Capitol area, the Museum Complex and the colleges of art and architecture. A special section on Corbusier’s unbuilt masterpieces such as the Governors Palace, Museum of Knowledge and Sports Stadium are also included. Also conceptual sketches and work by Corbusier’s foreign associates --- Maxwell Fry, Jane B Drew and Pierre Jeanneret, in original are displayed.

The first floor houses the theme “Chandigarh today and tomorrow”. This section broadly displays the city’s growth after the first phase and departure of Corbusier and his foreign associates. The city’s evolution through its second phase and the beginnings of the third phase are highlighted.

The innovative display systems used are translites, models and drawings, documents or their reproductions on acrylic panels. Rare correspondence and other original documents and drawings pertaining to the building of the city have been displayed after proper chemical treatment and restoration work done by experts.

Visitors to the Chandigarh Architecture Museum, can, therefore have a first hand experience in urban planning of the 20th century.

CHANDIGARH ARCHITECTURE MUSEUM BUILDING

Adapted from a structure designed by Le Corbusier as an Exhibition pavilion at Zurich in 1965 - the CHANDIGARH ARCHITECTURE MUSEUM building has been built in concrete.Till now called the "Pavillion of Temporary Exhibitions" it is has been now suitably modified to serve the present purpose.

In fact in a way, the modified structure shall be fulfilling a function very close to the original one in Zurich, that was built as a private museum to display Le Corbusier's paintings, sculptures, graphic work and books. Conceptually, Corbusier desired that, "architecture and work of art should be shown in a modest and nomadic setting of a dwelling, where dimensions conform to the human scale and the feeling of the arbitrariness, commonly found in rooms designed for exhibition purposes only is avoided."

The austere building designed by architect S.D.Sharma, also consultant for the CHANDIGARH ARCHITECTURE MUSEUM project, is very sculptural and Corbusean in spirit. While the main cuboid block of the museum is a simple yet elegant structure derived from two squares placed at an off set in plan, it is the sculptural, in independent roof above this three storied block that provides the aesthetic play. This parasol double roof over the terrace of the main structure is in the form of two pyramids - one upright and the other inverted - over each square and the sunken courts.

DISPLAY CONCEPT AND THEME

One enters the CHANDIGARH ARCHITECTURE MUSEUM through a small tube-like stairway of the basement level. It unfolds the displays with the trauma of partition of the country and the necessity to build the new capital city of Chandigarh. The various panels tell the story of selection of the site - and the accompanying controversies - through rare documents, maps and drawings. The salient features of the site finally chosen such as its topography, exisiting features of villages, vegetation and archaeological history, provide a fascinating picture of the land - with a panoramic view of the Shivalik hills - to be transformed into the new city.

Gradually the exhibits through various panels, focus on to the first team of architects and planners i.e. the American team consisting primarily of Albert Mayer and Matthew Nowicki. Evocative original sketches, studies and drawings prepared by the American team demonstrate the enormous amount of the pioneering work they did in evolving the first Master Plan and a schematic architectural idiom for the new capital city. Of particular interest is the broad similarities between the city's first Master Plan prepared by Albert Mayer and the final one modified by Le Corbusier.

The studies made by Matthew Nowicki for developing an architectural style suited to the Indian context through his exquisite sketches, visualizing housing schemes, shopping areas and other components of neighbourhood unit, incorporating traditional Indian elements, are of special interest. All these rare sketches, studies and documents are on display in the original for the first time and also highlight the hitherto lesser known great contribution made by the American team in the building of Chandigarh.

An internal staircase leads to the ground and first floors - symbolising in a way, the gradual evolution of the city's growth. On the ground floor is displayed all the material pertaining to Corbusier's arrival on the scene and his work, subsequent to the tragic death of Matthew Nowicki and termination of the American teams contract for the project

Corbusier, who had already established himself as a great urban theorist and had definite ideas of his own regarding the Master Plan of Chandigarh set forth a clear cut agenda of concepts. All these are explained in detail at the ground floor level..

Corbusier based the city's Master Plan on four primary functions: LIVING, WORKING, CIRCULATION and CARE OF BODY & SPIRIT. The detailed philosophy and contents of each component is explained through studies, sketches and drawings prepared by Corbusier personally as well as by his team of foreign and Indian architects. Also, very interesting correspondence between Corbusier and Nehru - often expressing the frequent controversies which Corbusier faced - is displayed. All this material is on display for the time in the original, and should therefore keenly interest architectural historians the world over, and especially the citizens of this historic city.

Various models, photographs and drawings give details of the monumental building designed by Corbuiser personally for the city, such as the: Capitol Complex, the Museum complex and the colleges of art and architecture.

Another lesser known aspect of Chandigarh's planning is that besides, architecture and other urban components, it is one of the few cities of the world with planned landscaping. Various conceptual sketches made personally by Corbusier for the development of the Leisure Valley, the Sukhna Lake and plantation along various roads, parks and civic areas are displayed.

This section also houses the various projects done by Le Corbusier's foreign associates i.e. Maxwell Fry, Jane B. Drew and Pierre Jeanneret.

Climbing further up, one reaches the first floor which generally houses the theme of : Chandigarh today and tomorrow. This section broadly displays of the city's growth
after the first phase and the departure of Corbuiser and the foreign associates. The city's evolution through its second phase and the beginnings of the third phase are highlighted. Of special interest are the various housing schemes done by Chandigarh Housing Board -signifying a major change in the city's skyline from bunglow type houses to clusters of multistorey apartments.

Also the commercial centres and major public buildings built later, are displayed. But all the growth has been carried out as a continuum of the basic ideology, laid down by Corbusier i.e. the four functions of LIVING, WORKING, CIRCULATION and CARE OF BODY AND SPIRIT, and displayed with a continuity linking it to the first floor theme.

At present the urban population of Chandigarh has already exceeded 7.5 lakhs and is projected to reach a million quite shortly. This phenomenal growth in population, the geo-political changes and the development of satellite towns of Panchkula .and Mohali has imposed enormous strains on Chandigarh's infrastructure and its erstwhile "Garden City" Character. The mushroom growth of slums, informal sector, gross violations of the Periphery Control Act 1952' and a manifold increase in vehicular traffic pose serious challenges for the future well being of Chandigarh. This section attempts to highlight all these problems through the display items.

It is also envisaged to have a special research cell where rare documents and archives pertaining to the city's development would be preserved for the benefit of researchers. The uppermost level of the structure i.e. the terrace is intended to eventually have a display of Corbusier's sculpture, murals and other art work - depicting the multi-faceted genius of the man, which are at present being collected. A small snack bar offers light refreshments, savoured at the breeze swept terrace providing a panoramic view of the Museum Complex and the adjoining Leisure Valley. There is a direct exit from the terrace through an existing ramp.

The innovative display system used for the CHANDIGARH ARCHITECTURE MUSEUM are translites, models and drawings, documents, or their reproductions, on acrylic panels. Even rare correspondence and other documents pertaining to the building of the City have been displayed.