‘ ARCHITECTURE IS A THREE

LEGGED STOOL ; CLIMATE ,

TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE.’

CHARLES CORREA
GAYATHRI PANIKAR MELVIN PANICKER SRIMA SHETTY
173701022 173701162 173701190
 INTRODUCTION

• Born into a middle class Catholic family in Bombay on 1st

September,1930 in Secunderabad

• Became fascinated with principles of Design as a child. KEVIN LYNCH

• At Michigan, Walter Salders and Buckminister Fuller influenced him
the most.

• Kevin Lynch, in the process of developing themes for image of the

city triggered Correa’s interest in urban issues.

• Known for his adaptation of Modernist tenets to local climates and

building styles.
BUCKMINISTER
• Noted for his sensitivity to the needs of the urban poor and for his FULLER
use of traditional methods and materials.

• Correa rejected the cold glass-and-steel structural style in favor of a

more ‘human’ approach, designing buildings that have a unique and
deep-rooted understanding of India’s rich traditions in terms of both
society and vernacular WALTER
SALDERS

Sources:
 1975-1976: Consultant 1985 –
To Un Secretary General 1980 Chairman,
For Habitat Honorary Doctorate, Dharavi Planning
University Of Commission
1975- Board Of Michigan
Directors, Cidco 1985 Chairman ,
1964-1965: National
Proposed Twin 1975- Consulting 1981 Comission On
City Across Architect, Govt Of Visiting Critic , Mit Urbanisation,
Harbour In Karnataka Govt Of India
Bombay

1962 1976
1946-1948 : 1972 Visitng Critic, Jj School 1982 – 1983- 1985
Albert Bemis
Interscience, 1958: Private Padma Shri, By Of Architecture Consultant To Un Nehru Professor,
Professor, Dept.
Xavier’s college 1953-1955 : Practice Of Architecture President University , Tokyo, Cambridge University
M.Arch , MIT Japan

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985

1961 1969-1971: Invited 1978 1982 1985
First Prize For To Design Low Cost 1974 Board Of Architects, Visiting Critic, Member, The French
1949-1953: Low Income Council Of
Housing Prjoect In Singapore University Of Academy Of
B.Arch. , Housing In An Architecture, India
Lima Pennsylvania Architecture
University of All India 1979
Michigan Competition Honorary Fellow , Aia 1986
Chicago Architecture
1984, Award , Aia
1979 , Visting Critic ,
1974
Visitng Professor , Columbia
Bannite Fletcher
School Of Architecture, University
Professor , University
Tulane University , New
Of London
York
1984
1964 Sir Robert Mathew
Fellow , Indian Prize, International
Institute Of 1971-1974: Chief Union Of Architects
Architects Architect To Cidco ,
Source: Khan, Hasan-Uddin, ed. Charles
Correa. Singapore: Concept Media Ltd.,
1987
 KANCHANJUNG • In Bombay, a building has to be
oriented east- west to catch
A APARTMENTS the prevailing sea breeze and
to open up the best views in
the city, the Arabian sea on one
side and the harbor on the
other. But these are the
directions of hot sun and heavy
monsoon rains.
• These problems are solved by
wrapping a protective layer of
verandah around the living
areas thus providing defense
against elements

DERIVED FROM: CORREA,

CHARLES&FRAMPTON, KENNETH,
CHARLES CORREA, (LONDON 1996) p.127
 KANCHANJUNGA
APARTMENTS

• Kanchanjunga apartments is of 32
luxury apartments of 3-6 bedrooms
each. The building is 28 storeys,
85m high, 21m square plan. with
6.3m cantilevered open terraces

• The basic interlock is that of a tree

and four bedroom apartment with
larger flat formed by addition of
another half level

DERIVED FROM: CORREA,

CHARLES&FRAMPTON, KENNETH,
CHARLES CORREA, (LONDON 1996) p.127
 SABARMATI
ASHRAM

● One of the many

residences of Mahatma
Gandhi from where he
started the dandi march BOOKS MEETINGS

PHOTOS AND WATER

PAINTINGS COURT
● Form to be analogue to
Indian villages OFFICES
LETTERS

● Reflects Gandhi’s 6x6m

simplicity Rainwater modular
units units

Louvers

Stone floor References Charles Correa. London:

Brick Thames & Hudson, Charles Correa.
columns Singapore: Ahimar Book, 1984, Charles
MINIMALISTIC ARCHITECTURE Correa Associates. .
IDEOLOGIES & PHILOSPHY
 Le Corbusier's grid pattern of
How do you The thing is to see
chandigarh
design? the building against
INFERENCE the sky.

BUT THE TWO

● Correa took into
consideration the particular
NEEDS OF SOCIETY AND
UNDERSTOOD AND
INTERPRETED THE
LOCAL VERNACULAR to
create something truly
appropriate.
● vernacular , organic and
modernism
● He gave PHYSICAL FORM
to something as intangible
as ‘CULTURE’ or ‘SOCIETY’
– and his work is therefore
critical: aesthetically;
sociologically; and culturally.
MEN TREATED
THIS CONCEPT
VERY
DIFFERENTLY
Correa was inspired by what
Neat organised efficient
Le Corbusier told him. ● but even after decades, the
design isn't organic to the city.
PLAN OF JAIPUR CITY based on
nine squares ● It invokes the
navagraha. One of
Eg : JAWAHAR KALA
the squares is
KENDRA
Square - partially pivoted to recall the
open to sky original city plan
Cladded with red ● 8m high wall -
Cut out designed in
sandstone - symbolic of the
such a way that the
locally available fortification wall
corridor will always
material along the Jaipur
remain in shade
old city
9
10
INFERENCE
It's one life's ironies that as a young architect, Correa was inspired by something Le
Corbusier told him. Correa asked Le Corbusier, "How do you design?" The pioneer of
modern architecture and the brain behind Chandigarh replied, "The thing is to see the
building against the sky." The two men treated this concept very differently. Le Corbusier's
grid-like design for Chandigarh may look neat, organised and efficient, but even after
decades, the design isn't organic to the city.

Every detail feels artificial -- because it is. Le Corbusier's design attempted to impose order,
as he envisioned it, upon Chandhigarh. As Hasan Suroor observed, "With its isolated,
self-contained neighbourhoods divided into distantly located sectors, Chandigarh was a
subversion of the traditional Indian city which encouraged greater social interaction among
its citizens."

Correa's designs are always a dialogue with the physical world that surrounds them. They use
materials available in a particular area and the structure responds to the climate and local
resources. 11
where the indoor & outdoor spaces merge into one another, an architecture of horizontal planes, of courtyards, of verandahs,
of platforms, all relating to the site and context

Instead of turning to devices like air conditioning that keep the natural elements out, Correa's open-to-sky
concept of design looks to reconnect with them. Kala Academy in Goa uses the cluster of casuarina trees
and the blue line of the sea in the distance as a literally natural extension to Correan's design. Shade,
breeze, absorbing heat, retaining cool, following the sunlight's path -- these are the nitty gritty of Correa's
designs

Correa maintained a universal approach that respected the local conditions, met the practical
needs of its inhabitants and acknowledged the spiritual nature and beauty of his
country.While he was undoubtedly influenced by the likes of Le Corbusier while studying architecture at MIT,
he cleverly adapted the principles of modernism to suit a non-Western culture – something that set him apart
from the rest and led him to play a vital role in shaping the urban landscape of post-war India.

in his essay ‘The Public, the Private, and the Sacred’, he questioned why a family living in a hot climate such
as India would contain its essential daily activities within the traditional ‘four walls’ when it could be better
served by a home with outside living spaces, such as terraces and courtyards, that could be used for cooking, 12
socialising and sleeping instead
BIOGRAPHY

13
INTRODUCTION - LIFE STORIES

14
IDEOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY
The world is struggling to deal with energy guzzling air conditioning and the environmental havoc it has
unleashed on Earth’s climate. Behind this problem are modern architects and their revolutionary glass and
concrete designs which make air conditioning a necessity.But Charles Correa stood out in the crowd. He
reminded us that buildings and architects need to work with the elements. Correa spent more than half a
century designing buildings that did not have to depend on air conditioning and heating. He once said “form
follows climate” and gave an environmental twist to the popular architectural dictum “form follows function”.

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 1. He worked on 6 basic principles:

Incremental housing: He believed in improving the present slums into urban districts gradually, rather than demolishing and rebuilding.

Identity: He focused on preserving the architectural identity; may it be through form or using elements of a particular architecture style.
Example: neoclassical, gothic etc.

Pluralism: He designed buildings that were used by a wide variety of public; people of different caste, religion, rich or poor. He wanted
all of them to live with harmony despite their differences.

Income generation: What can be better if you can get a home which also helps in income generation? One such example is the
Belapur housing where space was provided for keeping the buffaloes.

Local vernacular: Buildings which are responsive to the climate of place and needs of people.

Open to sky: He believed that the sky is a blessing and it makes you closer to gods and heaven, which is reflected in his designs with
open-to-sky concept. Also, it can be used to store goat, buffaloes etc. which has been the culture of India since long.

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17
While he was undoubtedly influenced by the likes of Le Corbusier while studying architecture at MIT, he
cleverly adapted the principles of modernism to suit a non-Western culture – something that set him
apart from the rest and led him to play a vital role in shaping the urban landscape of post-war India.
Unlike some of his contemporaries, Correa didn’t see tradition and modernity as mutually exclusive – he
honoured the ‘sacred gestures’ and ‘mythic beliefs’ that have informed Indian architecture for thousands
of years and wanted to ‘reinvent them in terms of new aspirations’. For example, in his essay ‘The
Public, the Private, and the Sacred’, he questioned why a family living in a hot climate such as India
would contain its essential daily activities within the traditional ‘four walls’ when it could be better served
by a home with outside living spaces, such as terraces and courtyards, that could be used for cooking,
socialising and sleeping instead

18
In 1960s, Correa started paying attention to urban planning as well and
formed “New Mumbai” (locally known as Navi Mumbai), which is an urban
center catering to two million people across the harbor from the existing
outskirts of Mumbai. Unlike many other urban planners, Correa did not go
for high rise buildings to solve the housing problems, instead he adopted
low-rise solutions and emphasized on human scale. He created spaces in
combination with all necessary facilities and generated a sense of
community among all his urban projects.

HOUSING

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PROJECT 1 - GANDHI

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To reflect the simplicity of Gandhi’s life and the incremental nature of a living institution the architect used modular units 6 meters
x 6 meters of reinforced cement concrete connecting spaces, both open and covered, allowing for eventual expansion. Correa’s
subtle changes in the enclosure allow for variety in the module’s lighting, temperature, and visual permeability.

Isotropy is uniformity in all orientations

References Charles Correa. London: Thames & Hudson, 1996

Charles Correa. Singapore: Ahimar Book, 1984.

21
Charles Correa Associates. .
PROJECT 2 APARTMENT

22
 INFERENCES & LEARNING
. Dating back to the Fifties, his body of work spans close to five decades with projects ranging from low-income housing and
luxury condos to commercial centres and cultural institutions. The multi-award-winning architect’s modernist sensibilities may
have been influenced by Le Corbusier, but were defined by his culturally sensitive building approach.

In many ways, Correa brought India’s vernacular architecture, with its inherent principles of sustainability, into the
mainstream building practices of post-independence India. Along with his contemporaries, he pursued a situated architecture
where comfort and wellbeing were achieved via passive design elements, like courtyards and pergolas, that capitalised on
natural light and ventilation. Similarly, it involved using less-processed, local materials. “This approach when developed
rationally and rigorously can lead to mitigation and even perhaps adaptation

In a 1983 Thomas Cubitt lecture, Correa said, “We are only as big as the questions we ask.” The big question today is one
that “includes issues of justice inherent to its [sustainability] practice that architecture needs to take seriously. The
deteriorating social fabric and the rise of privatised consumer culture is something that design needs to address urgently,”
says Burte.

He observes that ideas around sustainable design are more representative of Western trends, than responses to our cities’
particular needs.

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 He respected the Indian vernacular architecture by using local materials that were best suited to the social
needs and environmental conditions. Using resources that were readily available also meant there was no
need to import goods, which helped reduce the expense of each project, but also provided much-needed work
for local craftsmen.

Taking into consideration the particular needs of society and understanding and interpreting the local
vernacular to create something truly appropriate.’

He also understood the importance of being connected to the great outdoors – the sky has a profound sacred
meaning in the Hindu religion – and Correa didn’t want external space to be a luxury only reserved for those
who could afford it.

To the poor in their cramped dwellings, the roof terrace and the courtyard represent an additional room, used
in many different ways during the course of a day: for cooking, for talking to friends, for sleeping at night, and
so forth. And for the rich, at the other end of the income spectrum, the lawn is as precious as the bungalow
itself. Thus in traditional villages and towns all over India, such open-to-sky spaces are an essential element
in the lives of the people.

He is someone who has that rare capacity to give physical form to something as intangible as ‘culture’ or
‘society’ – and his work is therefore critical: aesthetically; sociologically; and culturally.’
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