PRE-LIBERALIZATION

PROCESS WORK

Year	Building	Description
Senior architect (1953-70), and then Chief Architect of CPWD(1970-4),Habib Rahman was responsible for many of the buildings that give central Delhi it’s present character. Habib Rahman, the architect of independent India was one of the visionaries who laid the foundation of the architectural vocabulary of independent India by playing a pivot role in shaping the modern architecture of Delhi.
1954	Post and telegraph building	Horizontal bands of large glass windows, freestanding staircases and cantilevered porches were the main features. Plinths became lower, living and dining rooms were combined and, in houses for the wealthy, bathrooms became attached to bedrooms. Windows in many houses began to be recessed and concrete fins began to appear on the facades. The massing became horizontal. Reinforced concrete became the material of the modern era not only for houses but even more for public buildings.
1962	Auditor and general controller office
1962	Indraprastha bhawan
1962	WHO building
1964	Multi storey flats at RK Puram
1972-73	Patel bhawan
Walter Sykes George (1881-1962) was an English architect active in India during the first half of the 20th century, most known for being part of the team of architects who designed New Delhi, the new capital of India, from 1911-1931.
1950-52	Tuberculosis association building	George's design for the Tuberculosis Association Building in New Delhi shows a modification of the prevalent International styles. The building’s adjustable lightweight horizontal louvers place it clearly in a contemporary Modernist context. George's use of materials in the building does, however, show continuity with much Anglo Indian Architecture of the 1930's.
1941	St. Stephens college	St. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi located in Delhi, India. Its campus is located in the North Campus of the University of Delhi and designed by the distinguished Welsh architect Walter Sykes George. The construction work was completed in 1941. The college had previously functioned from a campus in Kashmiri Gate, Delhi, housed in distinctive Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture.
1952	Vayu bhavan	The design efforts of the architects of the CPWD in New Delhi have made a major impression in the city. Some of the buildings are Vayu bhavan, Krishi bhavan, Udyog bhavan, Rail bhavan, Vigyan bhavan. Many of the buildings use chattris and chajja's, and are topped by domes to give an Indian character. The plain cubical mass of a government conference hall, the Vigyan Bhawan, which was designed by RI Geholote of the CPWD for large international conferences, uses elements from Buddhist, Hindu and Mughal architecture. The large entrance is of black marble and glass and is shaped in the form of a chaitya arch of the Ajanta style, symbolizing”the Indian heritage of peace and culture."The arch motif became an easily recognized and frequently employed symbol of Indian identity, applicable to a wide variety of structures.
	Krishi bhavan
	Udyog bhavan
	Rail bhavan
	Vigyan bhawan
1950	Supreme court	The Supreme Court was designed by Deolalikar in an Indo British architectural style as it is located in Lutyen's complex. It is regarded as rather heavy headed.For example the chattris have square 15 by 15inch columnar supports which stand in strong contrast to the elegance of those at Fatehpur Sikri or in Lutyens or Baker's work.
1961	Indian institute of technology campus	The Indian Institute of Technology campus (1961) designed by Jugal Kishore Choudhary and the JawaharlalNehruUniversity campus by the CPWD and Mr CP Kukreja show influence of Rationalist thinking.
1969	Jawaharlal Nehru university	Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU ) is a public central university in New Delhi, the capital of India.
1965	Akbar hotel	The Akbar hotel (1965) designed for the Delhi Municipal Committee owes a lot to the United' habitation by Le Corbusier. It is a thirteen storey, concrete slab building, which forms part of a larger commercial complex. A service floor separates the bedrooms above from the common areas on the lower floors. Like the Unite, the roof has "communal facilities “in this case, a restaurant, garden and small open air theatre. A two storey curvilinear block juts out at the base, echoing the form of the owners Building in Ahmedabad. It houses restaurants and lounges.
1959-62	India international centre	The sixties brought about the presence of Joseph Allen Stein onto the architectural scene of Delhi. His work comes more out of the American Empiricist tradition than the European Rationalist and its concern for orthogonal geometry particularly in the sitting of buildings.
1962-68	American international school
1969	Ford foundation building	Joseph Allen Stein, later works shows a continuous intellectual development.
1981	UNICEF
1966-9	Shri Ram centre	Shivnath Prasad's other work, which clearly picks up on Le Corbusier's thought processed is the Shri Ram centre of a private trust promoting dance, drama and music. Like much of Prasad's works of the period, it is built of reinforced concrete and expresses, through architectural form, the variety of functions the building is to house. For instance, the theatre is in a cylindrical form and the rehearsal spaces are in the form of a rectangular mass. Many of the spaces have to serve a multiplicity of purposes and hence are open ended in design; there has also been a major effort to have the interior and outdoor spaces linked together.
1968	Jawaharlal Nehru memorial library	The Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) is a museum and library in New Delhi, India, which aims to preserve and reconstruct the history of the Indian independence movement.
1970	Delhi cloth mill	Architecture in India has had a long engineering tradition and structural engineers such as Mahendra Raj and H.K. Sen are amongst those whose collaborative work with architects created many innovative buildings. Raj's works include The Delhi cloth Mill, Pragati Maidan and the National Cooperative Development Corporation building.
1972	Permanent exhibition complex, Pragati Maidan
1963	National co-operative development corporation building
1986	Life insurance corporation	LIC (Life insurance corporation) by Charles Correa in CP. It is a stone and mirror glass building under a steel framed parasol set on a podium and dwarfs. The building is substantially different from its surroundings as well as from standard commercial buildings.
1956	State trading corporation	The old unity of style, moreover, was supplanted by flamboyantly competing forms. Contributing to the dramatic new profile of the commercial center was the life Insurance corporation of India building by Charles Correa, together with the state trading corporation and the new town hall by Raj Rewal and Kuldip Singh. The large column free framework in vertical shafts creates large spans and allows for a variety of forms to be hung between them.
	Town hall

India, to some extent, found its new image in modernist architecture, in the 1950s to 1980s. Architects like Le Corbusier, L.I. Kahn, Charles Eames etc., had deep and lasting influences on Indian architects and architecture. Their presence was both direct, in the form of their works, as well as indirect, through their influences in architectural pedagogy.

It was through Le Corbusier’s works that contemporary rationalist architecture could set foot in a new and independent India. His most immediate impact could be seen in site planning. His philosophy of using buildings as elements in space rather than space makers and using buildings to wall and define open areas is visible in many building complexes of that time, like the Punjab University complex (1955), designed by Jugal Kishore Chowdhury. The IIT Delhi campus (1961-84), designed by C.P. Kukreja and CPWD, shows clear influences from Le Corbusier too. It has smooth concrete main blocks standing in contrast with its rough stone aggregate finished lecture theatres. The use of building blocks and covered walk-ways to line the courtyards, with muti-storeyed exposed staircases penetrating through the courtyard have a distinct Corbusian sculptural touch. (Lang, 2002)

This was also a period of structural dexterity in Indian architecture. The collaboration of engineers and architects gave way to many design innovations and structural explorations. One of the pioneers of this new frontier was structural engineer Mahendra Raj (b. 1924). His substantial collaborations with renowned include the Hall of Nations and the Hall of Industry (Pragati Maidan,1970-4) and NCDC building (1980) with Ar. Raj Rewal in New Delhi and Salvacao Church (1974-7) in Mumbai. (Lang, 2002)

The stream of ideology which ran parallel with Corbusier’s rationalism was one of empiricism, led by international figures like Frank Lloyd Wright and L.I. Kahn. Their influences on great Indian architects like Doshi, Raje and Kanvinde are very transparent and clear. The load bearing walls, arches and circular openings of Kahn’s IIM Ahmedabad building were picked up by Sachdev, Eggleston and Associates for their design of the Modern School (1974-8) in New Delhi. Raje’s design for the Indian Statistical Institute (1970-6) in New Delhi, is another example of an architect drawing from Kahn’s intellect and ideology of design as a whole, rather than just his geometric philosophy. (Lang, 2002)

Nehru’s death in 1964 started more pragmatic political period .Modernist ideology was challenged as their limitation was becoming clearer in pragmatic ways of professional practice .

Modernist architecture

1.The National Cooperative Development Corporation building and Delhi Civic Centre by Kuldip Singh in 1965-1983

                                 

THE DELHI CIVIC CENTRE form echoes those of nearby Jantar Mantar with 64 mitre at its base and 28 metre wide at top , it has structural central core with four shear walls . The bouldness in handling of the shuttering concrete can be seen. Three storey high glazed entrance creates a strong emphasis on the façade facing the street , with 4 large bell it make a monumental entrance hall. Lawn in front of the building makes the structure seen , a modernist style, an object in the space.

Architectural shifts-  Became more visually lively, but the work was carried on in the same intellectual vien as in past 2 decades.

2.STC (State Trading Coporation) building by Raj Rewal in  1989

Reason for emergence; The State Trading Corporation (STC) was set up by an Act of Parliament of October 1982 (amended in 1988), to be the trading arm of the Government of Mauritius.

Architectural Shift : Influence of japanese metabolist architecture , can be seen his design of stc building .  Vertical structural cores accommodating lifts and service support virendeel girders on alternate floors of the façade surface. The girders provide support to column free floor plates that have a 15 meters span.

3. Nehru – Place in 1980s

Reason for emergence ;The Master Plan of 1962 for the city of Delhi proposed for seven district centers at- Nehru Place, Rajendra Place, Bhikaji cama Place, Janakpuri, Lakshmi Nagar, Shivaji Place, Jhandewalan.

It is a super – block island in which vehicular and pedestrian paths are segregated, enabling the creation od a raised internal plaza around which shops are located. concrete column, beams and slabs with infill panel structure the building.

Architectural shift ; Modernist to Utilitarian Modernist, which represents public work.it share consistency in style across building.These buildings have rcc structure and flat concrete roofs, facades with shading devices , simple projecting concrete slabs , interior spatial qualities were seldom of concern, it achieved a neutral space of minimum celing height that can be sub-divided in many , many ways, generally it consists of central core of lift that services two wings. Is is simplified version of international modernist architecture which is adapted to t\indian constructional conditions.

4. Baha’I House Of Worship by Fariburz Sahba in  1980-6

 It illustrates the simplicity of the Baha’I faith. Building sits on a podium and takes the form of the three ranks of nine petals of an opening lotus , a scared flower. The petals are made up of reinforced concrete and is covered in white marble . The concrete cement , silica and dolomite aggregate use in the building. The structure provides a series od skylights that light inot the central hall, the building is surrounded by nine swimming pools which draws cool air into the hall from where a venturi effect draws warmed out air out through a vent.

Architechural shift; Arbitrary external forms with pragmatic interior which cateers to the requirement of the users. The desire of the architect was to exploit the technological capacities of material , traditional and new and the freedom of expression it has to offer.

5.The Belgian Embassy by Satish Gujral in 1980-3

It is an expressionist statement in exposed brickwork . it gives qan impression of curvilinear forms, domes and arches, moulded together into a free flowing sculpture.

Architechural shift; Architecture as sculpture – the shell of a building does not necessarily reflect the activities that it shelters but in itself is an expressive statement

6. The SCOPE ( Standing Confrence ofPublicEnterprises) by Raj Rewal in 1980

Scale; It is almost 100,000 square meters; ten story building, housing seven thousand employees. It is a city within a city.

Explored the integration of bold mssing and structural ingenuity, its square modular system and corner towers make it look like a citadel.Modernist in a way its structure is expressed and the manner in which its services and air- conditioning ducts extend above the roofline like chimneys, these elements are clearly visible.

Architectural  shift ; Neo- Modernist . The ideas and the thought behind modernist architecture persisted but the forms began to be adapted to local conditions. , some critic call it “ second modernism” because it represents an effort to create a regional architecture within the modernist fold, so then what emerged was truly indian modernist architecture.

This era's commonly used matrials such as concrete and brick- their architects searched for a simplicity of form and structural efficiency while striving to achieve thire own aesthic goals.

7. IGNCA (Indra Gandhi National Center For Arts) in  1986 by Ralph Lerner

 Reason for emergence; To gain an international recognination as a symbol of modern India.

Scale ; The 10.2 hectare site or the IGNCA lies on the northern side o the mall in Delhi where it intersects Janpath and opposite the National Archives building by Luytens

The competition brief listed facilities for the study and display of india’s fine and performing art heritage.  The jurors included architectural luminars as Doshi, Kanvinde, Fumihiko Maki and James Stirling . The site is located within the bold imperical scheme of Lutyens and Baker, so the desire to celebrate the life of indra Gandi and to boost the image of Indian culture evoked questions about what should be the direction in which Indian architecture go ? Ralph Lerner ,an educator at Princeton university with a practice in that city  won the first entry . A scheme by Gautam Bhatia was placed second. The winning entry , gave importance to the existing context and sought a monumentality in design, through a neo- classical , courtyard composition that integrate its part into one. Sutradhara, the administrative building stands out as figures against the ground of other buildings. Visually it reflects , the elements of indian building types, such as the temple shikhara and parts of Fatehpuri Sikri, but questions about its capturing an Indian spirit have been widely raised. Lerner continued as project director for IGNCA construction, while much of interior and supervision continued under Jasbir Sawhney an experienced Delhi based architect. One significant change in the overall design is that the east west passages that link the spaces are now to be enclosed and air-conditioned, one indian tradition gives ways, perhaps unnecessarily , to the desire for greater comfort

SHIFT ; By the mid-1980s, indian architects were having to come to grips with a wide variety of past histories and aspiration for the future . Certainly the quest of indian identity was upper- most in many Indian minds.

A REFLECTION

What unifyies the diverse building of post- nehru era is the purity of their central ideas  and the scarcity of added decotation.This era showed no desire to follow contemporary post - modern work  neighter do they follow the more superficial post- modernism of flyamboyant form of architecture displayed both in India and abroad. They show little inclination to use vernacular elements literally. Now what was happening was the adaptation of narrow Modernist ideas to the necessities of India.

The criticism of Modernist architectural philosophies was slowly effecting the profesional world. The modernist architecture of Post - Nehru  had attemped to build on earlier work. One started to see a visually richer set of building pattern than the Bauhaus desire for purity would allow. Also a recognition that architect should really design for climatic and cultural condition.Building which came up in Post Nehru era , not only buildings pattern but also siting pattern remained Modernist. Less attention was given to how building should be designed with respect to its context., buildings continued to be thought of as object in space and not as envirnoment - making elements. At heart much Modernist Architecture was anti- urban.At the same time , Modernist architectural thinking ws being challenged more radically by post- modern ideology.

GROUP MEMBERS

SHIKHA KAUL     |     RAHUL ARORA     |     SHRIYAK SINGH     |     SABYASACHI BISWAS

PRITHVI ARAVIND     |     SHARDA BHAGAT     |     RENU      |     SNEH PRAKASH