My Picture

I wanted to show how open the building feels, and I did this by drawing my picture at such an angle that you could see how the walls of the building all have windows, and the surrounding landscape contains no other buildings.

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Person who has seen the building first hand

My dad lived in Chandigarh before he moved to America, and he has been to the Palace of the Assembly. He told me that everyone just calls it the assembly building. When he first visited the building he was in shock at how big it is, because this was the first time he had ever visited an architectural masterpiece. He had never seen shapes like the arch used in buildings, and wondered what their use was.

Le Corbusier(Architect Feature)

http://www.dwr.com/category/designers/h-l/le-corbusier.do [2]

1. Le Corbusier brought the face of urban architecture into the technological age, and this is somewhat shown in his construction of the Palace, because on the roof he has a structure that combines a cow's horn with a nuclear reactor.

2. He was influenced by many different architects, including Auguste Pierret, who is known for his use of concrete. This is likely where Le Corbusier got his inspiration to make the Palace entirely out of concrete.

3. Le Corbusier also had a passion for Greek architecture, and this is clearly evident in the Palace of the Assembly.

Flickr Photos

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nichitecture/5710079263/in/photostream/ [3]

One thing that caught my eye is that the building is all one color except for certain sections,such as at the entrance, where there is a large mixture of colors. Another thing I noticed is that the building feels very open, and this is probably in an effort to help circulation because there is no central heating or cooling.

Website featuring the building

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/mar/07/chandigarh-le-corbusier-heritage-site [4]

One important thing that I learned from reading this article is that the building may potentially be taken apart just to be sold for its parts. I don't agree with the idea of tearing down art in order to make money because if we start doing this, future generations will not be able to go and physically experience many beautiful structures, they will only be able to see pictures. 

Google Earth View

This palace is in an open field isn't really surrounded by much. There are really only tress and weeds surrounding the building since it isn't in use today. A little bit away, there are the secretariat and high court buildings. The combination of these three buildings forms the capitol complex, and they are supposed to complement each other in order to form a whole.

Video about the building

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Vq0nRt4-o [5]

I learned that the hyperboloid on the roof of the palace is based upon a cow's horn and the nuclear reactor of a thermal power plant. I believe this was Le corbusier's attempt at mixing something old with something new. I also observed that through a combination of the use of textures and vivid colors, certain sections of the building pop out much more than other sections.

Photographs of the Interior

A Grandiose Work space

This area was designed as a meeting room for the buildings users but was also used by delegates for informal meetings. 
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Print sources

Precedents in Architecture: Analytic Diagrams, Formative Ideas, and Partis [10]

This book contains many plans and sections of the Palace of Assembly, and even has some diagrams of the original plans for the massing.

Le Corbusier: Inside the Machine for Living [11]

This book shows how Corbusier used texturing and other architectural tools in order to provide natural lighting for the Palace.

Photographs of the Exterior

Beauty over Practicality

The building had no central heating or air condition, and even though Le Corbusier tried to design the building in a way that would create cross-ventilation, he failed. This building is made out of concrete.
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Architecture Within Architecture

This building is impressive by itself, but it also contains a pyramidal skylight and a lift tower on top of the roof.
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Plans of the Building

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Uses of the Building

This building is part of The Capitol Complex which is made up of three buildings — Legislative Assembly, Secretariat and High Court. Although it is currently in a state of neglect, this building was used as a legislative assembly for the prime minister of the time, Jawaharlal Nehru.


source: http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~kcoleman/Precedents/ALL%20PDFs/Corbusier_Chandigarh.pdf [6]

Basic Facts

Name: Palace of Assembly
Location: Chandigarh, India
Architect: Le Corbusier
Dates of Construction: 1953-1963

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