City to develop world-class research centre on Corbusier

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune news service

Chandigarh, January 16

The Chandigarh Administration has decided to develop Chandigarh as a world-class research centre for the works related to world famous architects Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret who designed Chandigarh in the 60s.

Sources said for the purpose, the Administration would convert the house of Jeanneret, the city’s first chief architect in Sector 5, into a research centre.

Jeanneret lived for 11 years from December 1954 to August 1965 in the house.

Home Secretary Anurag Agarwal who recently visited the house for reviewing the ongoing works said the plan was to convert his residence into a research centre for all those who wished to study about Le Corbusier and his other contributions.

This will serve researchers as one-point solution for their research purpose.

Besides Jeanneret’s house, Le Corbusier’s Centre at Sector19 will also be developed as the research centre focusing on the works of Le Corbusier.

Agarwal said the Administration was writing to various organisations all over the world informing them that such research centres were existing in Chandigarh.

The Administration will convert both the centres to their original look using the heritage furniture.

Restoration work is in full swing at Jeanneret’s home, with the ground floor of the home all set to be turned into a museum on Jeanneret, and the upper three rooms to be restored and furnished as close to the time when Jeanneret lived here. The rooms will be used as guest rooms.

Corbusier, during his visits to the city, also used to reside in this house.

Many students from architecture colleges of the world are visiting the city to see these.

An officer said at present they had no such place where they could get such informations and also research on the subjects. He said they expected more visitors after the Capitol Complex was declared by UNESCO as the world heritage.

Jeanneret’s designed the house with unique planning keeping in mind the nature.