Design Heritage: How Chandigarh’s Palace of Assembly, a never-seen-before building, became the face of democratic India

Palace of Assembly, Chandigarh. (Photo: ©Roberto Conte)

The city of Chandigarh, a mecca of modernist architecture, reflects a deep foundation laid by the iconic legacy of Le Corbusier. Among the prominent structures Corbusier designed, claiming its pride of place is the Palace of Assembly, which is the legislative assembly building in Chandigarh and is part of the Capitol Complex. It represents something the country had not seen before and was made the face of the new, democratic India. Its construction lasted from 1951-62, and it was inaugurated on April 15, 1964.

The building’s design leverages the plasticity of concrete, a truly ‘un-Indian’ material lending it a sculptural quality. “It has an enigmatic form, employing classical proportions to create a modern piece of architecture. Punctures in the building are cleverly used to allow penetration of natural light in a way that transforms the spatial experience, seemingly suspending time. As a result, one can observe light moving through the precincts of the space, almost like the structure itself is a sundial,” says Chandigarh-based Aman Aggarwal, principal architect at Charged Voids, an architecture and design practice that works on fusing knowledge of the elements and response to climate.

Palace of Assembly, Chandigarh. (Photo: ©Aleksandr Zykov)

Aggarwal’s design philosophy and thinking have been shaped by Corbusier’s core principles of modernism, and from his training under the late Pritzker Prize-winning architect BV Doshi.

Corbusier’s ideology involved a complete rejection of the past. He brought modern Western ideas of architecture and materiality into the country. Though most of his contemporaries, such as the equally legendary Doshi and Charles Correa, studied similar aesthetics and models of planning, their roots led them to differently adapt these learnings to the Indian context, values, and principles through planning and material choice.

“Good architecture holds the power to evoke strong emotional responses in us. Post-Independence, one of the first ideas of building ‘good’ architecture in India was manifested in the city of Chandigarh by Le Corbusier, using his five points of architecture: open floor plans, long windows, free facades, roof gardens, and pilotis. However, the urban form of the ‘City Beautiful’ (Chandigarh is locally called that) itself has stood the test of time, currently accommodating three times the population it was designed for. The Assembly Building was at the helm of this change of perspective that the newly independent India sought,” says Aggarwal.

The design of the Palace of Assembly building also holds valuable lessons on sustainability, through various lenses. Seventy years ago, the Assembly Building was designed without mechanical ventilation. “Today, it has been restored and retrofitted with HVAC and security systems to keep up with the needs of the time. The primary construction material is exposed concrete, which does not have a lifespan of more than a hundred years. Moreover, the absence of protective layers over it is a cause of concern for the engineering department of Chandigarh, making it challenging to conserve easily. The iconic concrete hyperboloid and vertical louvres are also known to radiate heat inside the building during summer. In this light, thus, the Assembly building cannot be defined as sustainable or energy efficient,” says Aggarwal.

Aman Aggarwal, principal architect, Charged Voids, Chandigarh.

Despite the shortcomings, the Assembly building imparts valuable lessons in designing a democratic space. Large, shaded volumes and skylights control the inlet of light, contributing to natural cooling as well as a quiet ambience. The building that turned 60 years old last year is a testament to the vision of Le Corbusier who believed that ‘architecture is circulation’ and designed a space that could encourage movement of people and ideas as well. For his design and thought, this building has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016 and continues to inspire new-age architects.