Le Corbusier Center to open in Chandigarh

The Sector 19 office of Le Corbusier, the place where the architect sat and drew plans for the City Beautiful, will be converted into the Le Corbusier Centre this October. The centre will preserve, interpret, research and display Corbusier’s works and maintain his legacy.

The centre will have six sections displayed in the six rooms of the building, while three rooms will serve as reception and information centres, reference and digital library with Internet facilities. The open verandah will be used for temporary exhibitions to promote the ancient, medieval and contemporary art and architecture around the region.

Besides various government institutions, the Administration is also getting support from various international organisations, including the Foundation Le Corbusier, Paris, Centre Le Corbusier, Zurich, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and the Museum of Architecture and Design, Chicago.

According to the Administration’s plans, all sections will recreate the ambience of the original office of Le Corbusier. For the purpose, it will also seek help from those who had worked with him.

From decade-old maps and models, including that of the Secretariat, the open-hand monument, the High Court, the Governor’s Palace, to plans, sections, elevations, sketches and studies of Corbusier’s works, everything will be available at the centre.

V N Singh, consultant, Museum and Art Gallery, STEPS, said: “The centre is going to be the first museum and research centre of a well-known architect, planner and designer in the country. There will be display boards, showcases, digital boards, reference as well as digital library. These will also be available online. I have also visited local architects, artists and senior citizens of the city, asking them to provide us with anything they can that is related to the architect and can be displayed.”