Capitol Complex, Chandigarh.. .

Le Corbusier
The three buildings of the Capitol Complex sit at the head of the town plan of Chandigarh overlooking an open plaza that extends across their precincts, in a regal setting, each one of the institutions boasting off their brutal facades in bare concrete. This administrative complex reminds on of the citadels that have been at the core of ancient civilizations holding a position of superiority in the entire masterplan.

In the water which the pool seems to dramatically receive from the huge aqueduct-like formation, the Vidhan Bhavan building reflects its austerity. The concrete screen which helps permeate light inside the building also lets one in to a lobby which seems to gently receive thick circular columns from the black ceiling as high as the building itself. A gentle ramp is what carries one gradually to the upper level where one can see the conical mass of the assembly hall dramatically touching down, the lobby areas flowing freely around it on all sides. On the side of the plaza, a colossal door painted by Corbusier himself, stands shut, obstructing the plaza to almost enter the lobby directly. Divided only by some partitions, the entire space inside the Bhavan seems to be united by the hollowness that flows on top. As the eye wanders through this hollowness, small engravings or motifs cast within the concrete members seem to act as moments of pleasure for one who stands gazing at the marvel. Within the Assembly hall, one can simply just not avoid ones eyes roll up to gaze at the ceiling, which allows that perfect light to enter through the sculpted barriers diffusing it to fall down to illuminate the seats. The tiled surface helps reflect the light downwards, and the large acoustical patches try to take care of the noise. Spaces flow between the columns, up and down the ramps as freely as one would expect form any of Corbusiers work. The grandeur is expressed not merely by the scale of the built form, but also the hollowness held within inside, which either gives or takes away importance from elements within the built.

THE SECRETARIAT
The Secretariat stands as a protective wall to the Complex, a tall structure so wide that it is difficult to capture it in a glance. It is the faade that looks like a collection uniform but innumerable voids, which gives the building its splendid vastness of form. A tall ramp way goes straight up till the terrace level, displaying a pattern of the slanting windows on the external faade, which from within, give and illusion of the building itself being tilted as one walks the ramp. Lined with corridors loaded with offices on both sides, the internal spaces for transition seem to be quite tight but the office blocks enjoy wide openings towards the plaza thus being well lit and less claustrophobic.

THE HIGH COURT

The High Court stands distinctly away from both these buildings, maintaining an aura of independence that comes with the freedom of the judiciary. A thick concrete wall wraps the building from two smaller sides and the top, leaving the longer facades open to the elements. The main entrance lobby facing the plaza, flaunts three humungous concrete columns each painted differently, thus automatically giving the entrance an importance in the faade, which presents itself as a welcoming gesture. The office areas being very similar to the Secretariat building, they sit on the upper floors, above the courtrooms at the ground floor. The concrete cover in a way separates itself from the actual building, creating again, the hollowness that is majorly responsible for the expression of grandeur.

Stripped off of any king of vegetation, the plaza originally meant for public usage, because of its vastness is what give the buildings their monumentality, and a position of independent superiority. At one edge of the plaza an open hand casts its shadow over the sunken court, meant to hold public meetings. The scale of the complex and the bareness of the concrete surfaces is what renders the whole complex with stark magnificence. In the architecture of Le Corbusier, form certainly does follow its function, but all of it jst doesnt end there. It is because of certain very important decisions taken at all scales, be it the organization of the Capitol complex, or the patterns in formworks he chooses, the form attains something more that just functionality, something which expresses the personality of the place, in the most confident and stark manner.