Le corbusier’s Chandigarh the anatomy of a city
- Vol.86(10), Oct
- Mumbai Indian Institute of Architects 2021
- 39-47p.
The year is 2016. We receive a forward on social media that Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex along with other architectural works of Architect Le Corbusier have been inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Given the times, receiving social media forwards like UNESCO adjudging the Indian national anthem as the World’s Best National Anthem or NASA releasing satellite images of India on the night of Diwali, was a pretty common thing. So, I wouldn’t be surprised that many (non-architectural) people might have considered it a fake forward and yet went on forwarding it anyways along with their ‘Good mornings’ and ‘Have a nice day’ forwards. But the news indeed was true. The entire city of Chandigarh was elated when it was announced that Swiss-French Architect, Le Corbusier, and his oeuvre of seventeen buildings spread across seven countries, would be inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s World Heritage List. This almost elevated Le Corbusier’s status from a Modern Master to a Saint. No other architect had been so completely enshrined on UNESCO’s list (with the possible exception of Antonio Gaudi and FLW later in 2019). The discussions and debates centred on this landmark decision provide evidence regarding how and why Le Corbusier’s figuration persists and is sustained. The Corbusian figure remains foundational in modern architectural history, architectural planning and design pedagogy and in the folklore formed in aspiring students of architecture all around the world.