Analysis Kanchanjunga Apartments

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KANCHANJUNGA APARTMENTS C H A R L E S C O R R E A B

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AR1Ad030 - Architectural Studies Docent: Oliver Ebben Student: Eelko Kroon, 1303031 E-mail: L.K.Kroon@student.tudelft.nl

Cover: Kanchanjunga Apartments, fragment faรงade

ANALYSIS

KANCHANJUNGA APARTMENTS Bombay, India 1970 - 1983 Charles Correa

November 10, 2009

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I N T R O D U C T I O N

Preface

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A P P E A R A N C E & F A Ç A D E

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P R O G R A M & T Y P O L O G Y

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C O N S T R U C T I O N

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C O N T E X T

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D E S C R I P T I O N

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B I B L I O G R A P H Y

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Original concept of the loggias The shaping of the tower

Separated housing units & semi-public parts Apartment type A Apartment type A special Apartment type B Apartment type C Apartment type C special Apartment type D Apartment type E Overview of all apartment types Original concept of stacking houses on top of each other Overview interior apartment type B Overview interior apartment type C

Tube within tube

Two-dimensional side-views Three-dimensional overview Historical context Sun study: mean day, 08:30 Sun study: mean day, 13:00 Sun study: mean day, 17:30

Short text about the analyzed building

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Preface

In the first quarter of the Master Architecture, in the program Dwelling, at Delft University of Technology, the students have to analyse a residential building.

The choosable buildings were published in Het woongebouw - Klassieke en recente ontwerpen, by Jasper van Zwol. I chose the Kanchanjunga building, an 84 metres high residential tower in Bombay, India.

I chose this building, because in The Netherlands it is an unknown building by an unknown architect, Charles Correa. For me it is instructive to analyse something I do not know before, because it prevents prejudices.

On the next pages, the building is shown on minimalized drawings. They show different parts of the design, divided in different parameters. Each subject includes one or more short conclusions. After the drawings, there is an analytical description of the Kanchanjunga Apartments on page 41 of this booklet, whit references to the drawings.

Enjoy reading this, but remember: One image says more than thousand words!

Eelko Kroon

November 10, 2009

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APPEARANCE & FAÇADE

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A P P E A R A N C E & F A Ç A D E

Original concept of the loggias

C O N C L U S I O N The building is a square tower. Charles Correa created gaps in that tower. The two-floors-high-loggias are created to keep out the sun and take in the cool sea-breezes.

Derived from: Correa, Charles & Frampton, Kenneth, Charles Correa, (London, 1996), p. 127

The shaping of the tower

Massive tower

Creating big gaps (big loggias)

Creating small gaps (small loggias)

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PROGRAM & TYPOLOGY

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P R O G R A M & T Y P O L O G Y

Separated housing units & semi-public parts

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C O N C L U S I O N The opening up of the apartments in the tower happens with a central core for vertical transport.

The tower is placed on a heightened ground level with a parking beneath

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Entrance and central core with staircases and elevators

Apartment type A

Amount: Bedrooms: Details:

8 4 1 big loggia, open at 2 sides (SE- and NE- or SW-faรงade)

(see page 23 for a section through this apartment, combined with aparmtent type B)

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Apartment type A special

Amount: Bedrooms: Details:

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1 4 1 big loggia, open at 1 side (SE-faรงade) The apartment is located next to the entrance

Apartment type B

Amount: Bedrooms: Details:

8 3 1 big loggia, open at 2 sides (NW- and NE- or SWfaรงade)

(see page 23 for a section through this apartment, combined with aparmtent type A and page 24 for an open overview of this type)

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Apartment type C

Amount: Bedrooms: Details:

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6 5 1 big loggia, open at 1 side (SE-faรงade)

(see page 25 for an open overview of this type)

Apartment type C special

Amount: Bedrooms: Details:

2 5 1 big loggia, open at 2 sides (SE- and NE- or SW-faรงade)

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Apartment type D

Amount: Bedrooms: Details:

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2 4 2 big loggias, open at 1 side (SE) and open at 2 sides (NW- and NE- or SW-faรงade)

Apartment type E

Amount: Bedrooms: Details:

2 6 2 big loggias, open at 1 side (SE) and open at 2 sides (NW- and NE- or SW-faรงade) Penthouses at the top of the building

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Overview of all apartment types

Parking (below heightened ground level) Entrance and central core Type A Type A special Type B Type C Type C special Type D Type E

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C O N C L U S I O N There are 5 basic types of apartments. Some of them have an exception, a special version.

Original concept of stacking houses on top of each other

Apartment type A

Apartment type B

Kanchanjunga Apartments - Principal section Derived from: Correa, Charles & Frampton, Kenneth, Charles Correa, (London, 1996), p. 126 (Revised by Eelko Kroon)

Unité d’Habitation, Le Corbusier (1945-1952) - Principal section Derived from: http://www.archinect.com/

C O N C L U S I O N Charles Correa designed a storing concept which refers to the Unité d’Habitation of Le Corbusier. The difference between both buildings is the opening up. Le Corbusier used horizontal corridors. Correa created a tower with only 2 apartments on each floor. Therefore he used a central vertical core for the opening up. (See page 14).

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Overview interior apartment type B

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Overview interior apartment type C

C O N C L U S I O N The apartments have a central inner staircase to bridge the differences in levels.

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CONSTRUCTION

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C O N C L U S I O N First of all the central core whas created of reinforced concrete, by using the slip form method. It is the main structural element for resisting lateral loads.

The faรงade was built after the core and is also made of reinforced concrete. This was necessary because of the cantilevered terraces. The faรงade is connected to the core by the floors.

Tube within tube

Central core (reinforced concrete, main structure) Faรงade (reinforced concrete, cantilevered terraces)

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CONTEXT

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Two-dimensional side-views

Southwestern faรงade

Southeastern faรงade

Northeastern faรงade

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C O N C L U S I O N Kanchanjunga is one of the highest buildings in this area of Bombay.

Northwestern faรงade

Three-dimensional overview

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C O N C L U S I O N The Kanchanjunga-tower is located near to a road and a big crossing in Bombay.

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Historical context

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C O N C L U S I O N The Kanchanjunga-tower is one of the first high-rise buildings in (this area of) Bombay. Almost all current skyscrapers are built after Kanchanjunga.

Historical buildings

(before 1900)

20 century buildings

(before 1970)

Kanchanjunga

(1970 - 1983)

Recent buildings

(after 1970)

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Sun study: mean day, 08:30

March 21 and September 21 are the mean days of the year.

A sun study on that days is representative for the mean daily situation.

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Area(s) on the faรงade(s) with direct sunlight

C O N C L U S I O N In the morning, the eastern skyscrapers project big shadows on Kanchanjunga. During the morning sunbathing is only possible for the residents of the highest apartments

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Sun study: mean day, 13:00

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C O N C L U S I O N Halfway the day, all loggias in the southwestern and southeastern faรงades get sun. That is possible, because there are no near skyscrapers in the south.

Area(s) on the faรงade(s) with direct sunlight

Sun study: mean day, 17:30

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Area(s) on the faรงade(s) with direct sunlight

C O N C L U S I O N In the end of the afternoon, the northwestern and southwestern faรงades get sun. In the evening, the western skyscraper throws shadows on Kanchanjunga. The loggias in the southwestern faรงade get almost always sun.

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DESCRIPTION

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Short text about the analyzed building

In 1970 Charles Correa started his design for the Kanchanjunga Apartments. This 84 metres high tower is located on the hilly western edge of Bombay, India. The building attracts attention because of its loggias.

In Bombay a building has to be oriented east-west to catch the prevailing sea-breezes1. The best views that can be seen from a skyscraper are also located in the east (the Arabian Sea) and the west (the harbour). For that reason Charles Correa designed his two-floorshigh loggias, because they make it possible to have a view from inside the apartments to the harbour and the Arabian see, but they also function as a protection against direct sunlight2.

The Kanchanjunga-tower has a proportion of 1:4 (being 21 metres square and 84 metres high)3. The loggias look like gaps in this straight tower4. The façade is performed in smooth concrete, which give the building an abstract appearance5.

The pale yellow colour of the façade is different from the buildings in the context, which are mostly performed in white6. Also significant is that the Kanchanjunga-tower was one of the first high-rise buildings in this area of Bombay7. Photos from the early eighties do not show other skyscrapers, while recent pictures show lots of them.

About the program, we can conclude the apartments are arranged in a way that clearly refers to Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation8. A difference between this building and Correa’s creation is the opening up.

Le Corbusier used horizontal corridors. Kanchanjunga is a tower with only two apartments on each floor, so he used only a core for vertical transport9. Another difference: Charles Correa created split level dwell-

ings, while Le Corbusier did not use this in the Unité d’Habitation. Correa’s split levels created a spacial sphere in the living rooms of his apartments10.

There are five basic and two secondary apartment types11. They are all very big and vary in size from 180 to 420 square metres12. The amount of bedrooms is also varying from 3 to 6. All the apartments have a little room for a servant, which is directly connected to the kitchen13.

The earlier mentioned central vertical core, which houses elevators and staircases, has also a structural function: it resists against lateral loads. The core is constructed in reinforced concrete, ahead of the main structure, by slip form method of construction. This technique was used for the first time in India for this building14. The façade is also performed in reinforced concrete. This was necessary because of the cantilevered terraces15. The two concrete constructions form a tube-in-tube system, which gives stability to the total tower16.

All in all, we can conclude Charles Correa used new techniques and an extraordinary concept of creating loggias and split level dwellings. His tower attracts and deserves attention. Living there is pleasant for its inhabitants, because they have lot of space, and their own terrace gardens with nice views. The Kanchanjunga-tower is a prominent building of a prominent Indian architect!

Eelko Kroon

Notes: 1. Correa, Charles & Frampton, Kenneth, Charles Correa, (London, 1996), p. 126 2. See Correa’s diagram on page 10 3. Correa, Charles & Frampton, Kenneth, equally 4. See page 11 5. See the photo on page 40 6. See the photo on page 7 7. See page 34 8. Mehrotra, Rahul, World Architecture, A Critical Mosaic: 1900-2000, Vol. 8, (Wien / New York, 2000), p. 173 9. See page 14 and 23 10. See page 24 and 25 11. See page 15-22 12. Bhatt, Vikram & Scriver, Peter, After the Masters, (Ahmedabad, 1990), p. 64 13. Zwol, Jasper van, Het woongebouw - Klassieke en recente ontwerpen, (Amsterdam, 2009), p. 92 14. http://spacpl.com/sftp/projpage.php?catID=21&pageID=37 15. See page 29 16. Knaack, Prof. Dr. Ing. Ulrich, Design of Construction, (Delft, 2005), p. 11

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Journals Armanda, D. & Dibar, C., ´Espacos para a India´, in: Arqitectura Urbanisma, Buenos Aires - December 1991, pp. 44-51 Liu, Amy, ´Cultural Motifs - Charles Correa´, in: Space, Hong Kong - November 1999, pp. 104-105 & 109-117 Murphy, Jim, ´Open the Box´, in: Progressive Architecture, New York - October 1982, pp. 100-104 Pierdominici, C.M., ´Edificio residenziale a torre a Bombay´, in: Cemento, Rome - October 1985, pp. 642-651 Smith, H., ´Report from India: Current work of Correa´, in: Architectural Record, New York - July 1980, pp. 88-89 Unknown author, ´Apartments´, in: Architecture Plus, New York - March 1974, p. 26 Unknown author, ´Charles Correa: Inspirations Indiennes´, in: Techniques & Architecture, Paris - August 1985, pp. 106-117 Unknown author, ´Contemporary Asian Architecture´, in: Process Architecture (20), Tokyo - November 1980, pp. 94-118 Unknown author, ´Kanchanjunga Apartments´, in: Architect, Melbourne - December 1983, pp. 12-13

Books Bhatt, Vikram & Scriver, Peter, After the Masters, Mapin, Ahmedabad, 1990, pp. 64-67 Binder, Georges (editor), Sky High Living, Contemporary High Rise Apartment and Mixed Use Building, Images Publishing, 2002, p. 25 Correa, Charles & Frampton, Kenneth, Charles Correa, Thames and Hudson, London, 1996, pp. 126-131 Knaack, Prof. Dr. Ing. Ulrich, Design of Construction, Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 2005, p. 11 Mehrotra, Rahul (editor), World Architecture, A Critical Mosaic 1900-2000, Vol. 8, Wien / New York, Springer, 2000, pp. 172-175 Meng, Tan Kok (editor), Asian Architects 2, Select Publishing Pte Ltd, Singapore, 2000, pp. 110-111 Zevon, Susan, Outside Architecture, Rockport Publishers, Massachusetts, 1999, pp. 27-29 Zwol, Jasper van, Het woongebouw - Klassieke en recente ontwerpen, SUN, Amsterdam, 2009, pp. 92-93

Websites Charles Correa - official website: http://www.charlescorrea.net/ 42

Shirish Patel & Associates Consultants Private Limited - page about the construction of Kanchanjunga: http://spacpl.com/sftp/projpage.php?catID=21&pageID=37