After India’s independence in 1947, Chandigarh was planned as a new administrative capital for Punjab, intended to represent modernization and progress. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s directive was to create a functional and forward-looking city. Le Corbusier was commissioned to design the master plan, including the Capitol Complex, which houses the Secretariat, the High Court, and the Legislative Assembly.
Secretariat Building Technical Information
- Architects1-6: Le Corbusier
- Location: Chandigarh, India
- Client: Government of India
- Area: 220,000 m2 | 2.4 million Sq. Ft.
- Project Year: 1953 – 1959
- Photographs: See Caption Details
Chandigarh is free from the routine of the past. It is a city of today and of tomorrow.
– Le Corbusier
Secretariat in Chandigarh Photographs
Secretariat Building in Chandigarh Architectural Language
The Secretariat is the largest building in the Capitol Complex, designed as the main administrative office for the government. The project follows modernist urban planning principles, emphasizing order, functionality, and efficiency. It reflects Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation concept, adapted for an office building with a linear, rectilinear form and modular façade.
Constructed primarily of reinforced concrete, the building follows Brutalist aesthetics, with an exposed raw materiality that aligns with Le Corbusier’s philosophy of honest structural expression. Its modular grid system, with alternating solid and open sections, responds to both functional and environmental considerations, following his Modulor system for human-scaled proportioning.
A key feature of the Secretariat is its brise-soleil (sun-shading system)—deep concrete louvers designed to reduce direct sunlight and heat gain, improving thermal comfort while maintaining natural ventilation. This strategy helps adapt the building to Chandigarh’s extreme climate, characterized by hot summers and cold winters.
The structure is elevated on pilotis, a common feature in Le Corbusier’s architecture, allowing for open circulation at the ground level and improving ventilation and temperature regulation. The roofscape is used as a functional space, featuring large-scale brise-vent (windbreak) structures to regulate air movement.
Internally, the Secretariat consists of large, open office spaces connected by long corridors that facilitate movement. The structural grid ensures flexibility, allowing for modifications in office layouts based on administrative needs.
Scale, Functionality, and Material Performance
The Secretariat’s scale dominates its surroundings. While designed for efficiency, its size creates challenges for navigation. Long corridors and uniform spaces contribute to an environment that can feel monotonous. The building’s monumentality, while architecturally significant, does not always support ease of use for those working inside.
The Secretariat influenced later government buildings in India, particularly those adopting modernist and Brutalist principles. It reflects a shift in architectural priorities toward efficiency and large-scale planning. The work of Indian architects such as B.V. Doshi shows an evolution of these ideas, incorporating a greater sensitivity to climate and culture.
The building’s strengths lie in its structural clarity and climate-adaptive design elements. However, its limitations raise questions about the human experience of large-scale government architecture. The rigid modernist approach to planning does not always align with contemporary concerns about adaptability and social interaction. The Secretariat remains an important case study in how architectural ideals are translated into built form and the practical consequences of those decisions.
Secretariat in Chandigarh Plans
Secretariat in Chandigarh Image Gallery
About Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier, born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris in Switzerland, was one of the most influential architects of the 20th century and a key figure in the development of modernist architecture and urban planning. His architectural philosophy, encapsulated in the Five Points of Architecture, emphasized functionality, open plans, and modern materials like concrete and steel. He championed urban planning principles based on rational design and efficiency, as seen in his Ville Radieuse (Radiant City) concept. Le Corbusier’s work ranged from private villas to large-scale housing projects and government buildings, with Chandigarh, India, standing as one of his most ambitious urban planning projects.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Chief Architect: Le Corbusier
- Associate Architects: Pierre Jeanneret, Jane Drew, Maxwell Fry
- Indian Collaborators: M.N. Sharma, Aditya Prakash, and others
Building Height: Approx. 55 meters (180 feet)
Structural System: Reinforced Concrete Frame
