Presentation about Architect Charles, his Design Philosophy and some famous projects.

1. CHARLES CORREA
by Fouad Khan

2. Introduction
Charles Correa, in full Charles Mark Correa
Born in Hyderabad, India in 1930.
Education
1946-1948 inter-science. St. Xavier's college, university of Bombay
1949-1955 B.Arch; University of Michigan.
1953-1955 M.Arch; Massachusetts institute of technology..
Professional Experience
1955-1958 partner with G.M. BHUTA associates
1958- to date in private practice.
1964-1965 prepared master plan proposing twin city across the harbor from Bombay.
1969-1971 invited by the govt. of Peru
1971-1975 chief architect to CIDCO
1975-1976 consultant to UN secretory-general for HABITAT
1975-1983 Chairman Housing Urban Renewal & Ecology Board
1985 chairman dharavavi planning commission

3. Born into a middle-class Catholic family in Bombay
 Became fascinated with the principles of design as a child
At Michigan two professors who influenced him the most -
Walter Salders and Buckminister Fuller.
Kevin lynch , then in the process of developing his themes for
image of the city triggered Correa’s interest in urban issues
India of those days was a different place, it was a brand-new
country, there was so much hope; India stimulated me.

4. Architect, planner, activist and theoretician, an international
lecturer and traveler
Correa's work in India shows a careful development,
understanding and adaptation of Modernism to a non-western
culture. Correa's early works attempt to explore a local
vernacular within a modern environment. Correa's land-use
planning and community projects continually try to go beyond
typical solutions to third world problems.
India's first man of architecture has a very simple philosophy:
"Unless you believe in what you do, it becomes … boring,"

5. Diversity
In Bombay - Salvacao Church at
Dadar ; Kanchanjunga Apartments
In Goa for the Cidade de Goa Hotel
and the Kala Academy,
In Ahmedabad - Gandhi Smarak
Sangrahalaya ; Ramkrishna House
Delhi - The LIC Centre; British
Council Building
Kerala - Kovalam Beach Resort Hotel
Andamans - Bay Island Hotel in Port
Blair
Architectural utility and grandeur
spread over the subcontinent

6. Principles
Few cardinal principles in his vast body of work;
incrementality
pluralism
participation
income generation
equity
open-to-sky space
disaggregation.
Belapur housing being the one project where he has literally used
these principals

7. Correa and Corbusier
Like most architects of his generation he has been
influenced by Le Corbusier , but by his response to the
Mediterranean sun with his grand sculptural decisions
he believes that Corbusier’s influence in the colder
climates has not been beneficial because these heroic
gestures had to withdraw into defensible space, into
mechanically heated (and cooled) interiors of the
building.
On way back to Bombay in 1955 - saw the Jaoul House
(le Corbusier) in Paris under construction
‘I was absolutely knocked out . It was a whole new world
way beyond anything being taught in America at that
time .then I saw Chandigarh and his buildings in
Ahmedabad . They seemed the only way to build.”

8. Correa and Gandhi
Gandhi's goal for an independent India had been a village
model, non-industrial, its architecture simple and traditional
In these early works Correa demonstrates uncompromising
execution of an idea as a powerful statement of form

9. ACHEIVEMENTS
1961 Prize for low-income housing early
1972 Correa was awarded the PadmaShri by the President of India
1980 Correa was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of
Michigan
1984 He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal
Institute of British Architects
1985 Prize for the Improvement in the Quality of Human
Settlements from the International Union of Architects.
1986 Chicago Architecture Award.
1987 the Gold Medal of the Indian Institute of Architects
1990 the Gold Medal of the UIA (International Union of Architects)
1994 the Premium Imperial from Japan society of art.
1999 Aga khan award for vidhan sabha, bhopal

10.  Vidhan Sabha Bhopal
 Kanchanjunga Apartments
 Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya
 Jeewan Bharti , Delhi
 Belapur housing
Case studies

11. MP VIDHAN SABHA
‘Vidhan Bhavan is a public building which should say something
very powerful about democracy, It is a building which has got to
down with the idea of governing yourself. It has to express the
role it has to play and tell people that this is your city, this is your
state and you must participate in it, It must not be low-key. It
should have a presence.’
Charles Correa

12. deep understanding of the Vedic principles
Won prestigious AGA KHAN award for this
in 1999

21. The building is located in the centre of bhopal. Since the main access road is not
axial , but swings towards the site in a rather casual manner , the plan of the
building developed as a circle, so it could have an autonous unity and presence,
regardless of the direction from which it is approached. References of this
circular form are – parliament building in New Delhi, Buddhist stupa near
Sanchi.

22. The new Vidhan Sabha houses the many diverse functions crucial to a
functioning democracy . The plan is a pattern of gardens within gardens,
divided into 9 squares . The five central ones are halls and courtyards ,
while the 4 corner positions are occupied by specialized functions. The
Vidhan Sabha , the Vidhan Parishad, central library, and combined hall.
It also contains a host of other facilities : offices, cabinet rooms, cafeterias,
common rooms for security staff etc..
According to the requirements there are 3 main entrances- for public,
VP’s, MLA’s . These 3 main streams separated from each other experience
the complex internal space of the building while moving along verandah
and overlooking courtyards and gardens – as in traditional architecture of
India.

23. The whole buildig presents as extremely pleasing vision of powerful curves
and sraight vertical and horizontal lines. Whereas the building could have
fallen into the trap of being merely monumental, its pristinely simple lines
raise it to an altogether different plane. This is the genius of Charles Correa

26. Correa has used open to sky courtyards and a labyrinthine pattern of
pathways to organise the complex requirements of adminstrative and
legislative functions.

28. The whole composition is enclosed by a wall that defines its exterior form
like a circular inner city- a model of the city of Baghdad. This approach has
generated an interesting roofs cape and skylines, too often missing in
contemporary architecture, the use of gateways and domes and a tower to
develop the imagery of this landmark complex is very much in the tradition
of the harmonic order found in the traditional architecture of islam

29. KANCHENJUNGA
APARTMENTS
The building had to be oriented east – west to capture prevailing sea breeze and
views to the city.

30.  But also the orientation for hot sun and heavy rains
 Solution in old bungalows – wrapping a protective layer of verandahs around the
main living areas
 Kanchanjunga an attempt to apply these principles to a high-rise building
 This building has 32 different apartments with 4 types of flats varying from 3 to 6
bedrooms.
 Interlocking of these variations expressed externally by shear end walls that hold
up the cantilevers
 Minimalist surfaces cut away to open up double-height terrace gardens at the
corners
 Complex spatial organization of living spaces

32. Superficially, this 28-story tower, with its
concrete construction and large areas of
white panels, bears a strong resemblance
to modern apartment buildings in the West
Tower’s proportion 1:4
(21 sqm and 84 m high)

33. Garden terraces actually a modern
interpretation of a feature of the traditional
Indian bungalow: the verandah
Each apartment provided with a deep, two-
story-high garden terrace that is oriented away
from the sun so as to afford protection from
the elements

38. Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya
Material used:
Tiled roof
Brick wall
Stone floor
Wooden floor
Light and ventilation by operable wooden
louvers
These elements combine to form a pattern
of tiled roofs which are grouped in casual
meandering pattern, creating a pathway
along which the visitors progresses towards
the centrality of the water court

39. Philosophy:
Successfully shows the life of Gandhiji
Minimalist architecture
Material honesty
Contemporary architecture
Glow of spaces
Water court at centerWater court at center
Gandhi ashramGandhi ashram

46. JEEWAN BHARTI , DELHI
This office complex of LIC is situated on the outer road of Connaught circle and
acts as a pivot between the colonnades of CP and new generation of high rise
towers that now surround it . Thus the building is both a proscenium and a
backdrop: a 12 storey stage set whose faceted glass surface reflects the
buildings and trees around CP.
Two lower levels of the complex consists of shopping decks and restaurants
while upper level are offices located in two separate wings . A pergola connects
the two buildings .
A city proposal for an elevated pedestrian walkways if constructed will pass
through the two blocks , allowing pedestrians to traverse the building as the
great darwaza ie gateway defined by a portico form.

51. BELAPUR HOUSING

52. Project demonstrates how high density housing (500 people per hectare)
can be achieved in a low-rise typology, while including open to sky spaces
and services, like schools, that the community requires
Overriding principle - to give each unit its own site to allow for expansion
(Incrementality)
 Consequently, families do not share walls with their neighbors , allowing
each to expand his own house (Participation)
Houses constructed simply and can be built by traditional masons and
craftsmen - generating employment for local workers (Income generation)
several plans exist that cover the social spectrum, from squatters to upper
income families (Pluralism)
Yet, the footprint of each plan varies little in size (from 45 sqm to 70 sqm),
maintaining equity (fairness) in the community

54. Scheme caters wide range from the
lowest budgets of Rs 20000
Middle income groups Rs 30000-50000
Upper income Rs 180000
Though ratio of costs is 1:5 the variation of plot is
much smaller , from 45 to 75 square metres.
Seven units are grouped of 8x8 meters
3 cluster combine to form a larger module of 21
houses surrounding space of 12x12 metres
3 such modules interlock to define the next scale
of community space approximately 20x20
metres
The houses are structurally simple , can be built
and altered by local mistries

62. THE END