Research Paper on Ar.Charles Correa

FIVE POINTS OF ARCHITECTURE: CHARLES CORREA

ABSTRACT India’s most iconic modern architect Charles Correa had a prolific career, having designed almost 100 buildings in India alone during his lifetime, but whether it was low-income housing or luxury condos, Correa maintained a universal approach that respected the local conditions, met the practical needs of its inhabitants and acknowledged the spiritual nature and beauty of his country.While he was undoubtedly influenced by the likes of Le Corbusier while studying architecture at MIT, he cleverly adapted the principles of modernism to suit a non-Western culture – something that set him apart from the rest and led him to play a vital role in shaping the urban landscape of post-war India In the following paper we discuss about Charles Correa's five design principles that he has used in the majority of his porjects.

Akash Tekwani, is currently a student of Architecture at MES Pillais College of Architecture, New Panvel.

It explains all of the above principles with respect to two of correa's iconic structures Gandhi Smarak Sangaharalay, Ahmedabad and National Craft Museum, Delhi.

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INTRODUCTION

Image 01- CHARLES CORREA Charles correa,widely known for his works in contemporary architecture ,played an important and vital role in the development of architecture in India after independence.

His principles of designing include prevailing resources, energy and climatic aspects to create and determine order of space.

He also received the very prestigious Aga Kha n Awa r d f o r Ar c h i t e c t ur e f or h i s astonishing work of Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Correa always insisted on creating spaces filled with natural air and light. He swore that he would never design a glass building, and believed in “open-to-sky” space.

His works include the Champalimaud Foundation Centre in Lisbon, also famous by the name “Project to the Unknown”, the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad and the Madhya Pradesh Legislative assembly in Bhopal. Craft museum, New Delhi, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur are some other examples of his intellectual knowledge. His hat is decorated with many gracious feathers like the RIBA Royal Gold Medal, the Padma Vibhushan (2006) and the Padma Shri (1972).

His ideas describe the different ways of attaining wonderful designs within the vernacular range and climatic conditions.

Correa worked in a wide range of areas throughout his life. Starting from Mumbai, he had been working on projects across India and overseas. He attained fame in the world of architecture for his low cost and state of the art designs. Water recycling, energy renewal, habitat friendly systems, topographical extents with some twist of light and air are the principles behind his eye.

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There are some elements and principles which are commonly seen in the structures made by Charles Correa: • Critical Regionalism • use of symbolism and visual metaphor

Correa has allocated the five distinctly functional programme such as letters, books, photographs and painting, meetings and offices by combining the same modular grid in asymmetrical manner.

• Courtyards • transition of space • materials

CRITICAL REGIONALISM Critical Regionalism is an approach to encounter the lack of placelessness and lack of identity of International style, but also rejects the ornamentation approach of Postmodernism. Critical Regionalism is not just to replicate vernacular architecture or traditional architecture but it seeks answer through traditional or vernacular architecture in modern context. Critical regionalism is not only regionalism but it is an progressive approach to seek answers from global and local language of architecture.

Charles Correa’s approach to critical regionalism can be defined in site planning principles, climatic consideration, cultural context, appropriate use of local building materials. He uses ancient architecture vernacular, or traditional architecture in its essence only and every time he define new type of vocabulary of built environment.

The Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya is an excellent example of combining the Hindu architectural/cosmological idea of isotropy and Modernist functional planning. The application of the concept of isotropy (similar to fractals) can be seen in Hindu temples on their façade by applying repeated small infinitely scalable structures.In the Smarak Sangrahalaya, the modular grid is adopted for planning which is easy to repeat and can be extended easily.

Image 02- plan of Gandhi smarak sanghralay The concept of national crafts museum is based on open to sky central path and the courtyard have been arranged around this central path. It seems that open to sky path concept has been inspired from the great Hindu and Buddhist temples of past in which the all structure used to be arranged around the ceremonial path. The courtyards act as node for cultural interaction as well the regulating the comfort conditions in urban scenario.

Image 03- plan of national craft museum.

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USE OF SYMBOLISM AND VISUAL METAPHORS C o r r e a ’s b u i l d i n g s a r e f r e q u e n t l y conceptually driven. The Gandhi Smarak, a memorial museum that houses the curated writings of Gandhi, consists of a series of self-contained modular units and pathways, that together represent the idealized version of the Indian village, so central to the Gandhian imagination. The structures surround a water court. The geometric lines, unobstructed spaces in between and the reflections on water, contribute to a certain ‘visual quiet’ which aids contemplation and study.

COURTYARD Courtyards were always important features in Indian architecture since Indus Valley civilization. The concept of courtyard has been significantly changed in present context due to changes in various aspects such as functional, social, cultural, aesthetic and environmental. After independence, many architects have used courtyards designs as representation of indigenous courtyard system and establish courtyards as means to represent identity of Indian Architecture in present context.

Charles Correa has always been fond of using open to sky courtyards as one of the main design elements as courtyards provide the natural light and ventilation.

Image 04- Relationship between open and closed spaces in Gandhi smarak sanghralay The National Crafts Museum in New Delhi is also arranged as a series of interconnected spaces linked via courtyards. Navigating the space feels much like exploring an Indian village.

For example:In Gandhi smarak sanghralay the courtyards are the main feature of project. The scales of courtyards are very human and the height of courtyard is very less representing the Gandhi’s Philosophy “down to earth concept”. There are four courtyards, the water court is slight bigger having four grid and the rest three courts are of the same size having two grids.

Gandhi’s was very much interested in rural development, so the courtyards are placed in slight organic way to create feeling of village.

Image 06-courtyard of national craft museum Image 05-Relationship between open and closed spaces in National craft museum

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Whereas, in national craft museum,there is a play of open to sky courtyards and the closed built up space as there are a multiple courtyards giving a necessary break to the built up form and creating some interesting open and semi open spaces.The courtyards also provide very necessary natural light and ventilation to the structure and by placing them in a very well planned manner helps in making the most of such natural factors.

In gandhi smarak sangharalay the planning of open and semi open spaces provide the maximum day light and wind to enter the structure.

Image 08- section showing transition of space in gandhi smarak sanghralay In contradiction,national craft museum has series of courtyards lined up which forms a lane around which all the other amenities are provided which where required so that the close spaces should not require air conditioning and artificial lighting as much as possible.

Image 07- courtyard of national craft museum

TRANSITION OF SPACES By providing courtyards and the different open spaces into the designs he always wanted to create the transition of space from open space to semi open and the closed spaces.This transition helps the natural light and ventilation reach the maximum it can get into the structure and create very interesting and interactive places which usually are the most common live spaces in his structures.in gandhi smarak sangharalay the planning of open and semi open spaces provide the maximum day light and wind to enter the structure.

Image 09-section showing transition of space in natioinal craft museum.

MATERIALS Charles correa often used materials in its true form and liked to keep the materials exposed.He has more often than not kept the materials bare instead of hiding it with some ornamentation.

In Gandhi smarak sanghralay Correa has bricks,roof tiles,concrete,wood etc and all the materials are in the exposed form .As he wanted to use Gandhi’s philosophy of truth by using materials in its true form.

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Image 03https://www.architecturalreview.com/essays/crafts-museum-indelhi-india-by-charlescorrea/8684896.article Image 04https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorcasin o/5458104823

Image 10- materials shown in their bare form Whereas,in National craft musuem he has alternatively placed materials in the exposed form and in the slightly ornamented form.

For example wood has been exposed and the walls are plastered and are colored.

Image 05https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienman/1 5728591130 Image 06https://ebuild.in/gandhi-smaraksangrahalaya-ahmedabad Image 07https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorcasin o/7833393608 Image 08Charles Correa by hasan udin khan image 09Charles Correa by hasan udin khan Image 10https://heritage.ahmedabadcity.gov.in/pla ceDeteil.php?id_place=3 Image 11https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorcas1i no/7833403656

REFERENCE Image 11- wood shown in its bare form

IMAGE COURTESY

Image 01https://www.archdaily.com/643198

HASAN UDIN KHAN (1987),CHARLES CORREA,APERTURE,NEW YORK CHARLES CORREA (2010),A PLACE IN THE SHADE

Image 02https://www.archdaily.com/789384/archite cture-as-agent-of-change-rememberingcharles-correa-india

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