Budding architects visit Capitol Complex, Chandigarh

A team of students from Chitkara School of Planning and Architecture visited Capitol Complex Chandigarh to study UNESCO Heritage listed monumental Buildings. As part of Lighting Design Curriculum, they studied the various passive controls for uniform day lighting adopted in the High Court, Assembly and the Secretariat by Architect Le Corbusier.

The Capitol Complex comprises three buildings, Legislative Assembly, Secretariat and High Court.

Le Corbusier conceived the master plan of Chandigarh as parallel to the human body, with the Capitol Complex as a clearly defined head. The complex comprises three buildings, the ‘Secretariat’, the ‘High Court’ and the ‘Legislative Assembly’, separated by large open spaces. The High Court has a double roof, which looks like an inverted umbrella. A huge egg-crate screen covers the façade of the building. The Secretariat is the largest and tallest of the three structures. The structure resembles the shape of an eight-storied concrete slab. The Legislative Assembly completes the complex. Located in the centre is the Open Hand Monument.

They also visited the Tower of shade – an instrument of shading devices for buildings. CSPA Faculty Member – Architect Abhishek Sharma organized and accompanied the students.