URBAN DESIGN

NORTH BLOCK

SOUTH BLOCK
RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN

VIJAY CHOWK, RAJPATH

 In 1911, the British government

decided to build New Delhi, an

extension to the old city of Delhi, to
replace Calcutta as the capital of
British India.

Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens was

Lutyens Plan for New Delhi

appointed as chief architect of the

Delhi Planning Commission to
design this new capital city.

Due to his distain for pastiche, he

sought a European plan for New

Delhi, one that had similarities to
other imperial models for capital
cities such as Baron Haussmans
plan for Paris and Lenfants plan
for Washington.

Lenfants Plan for Washington

 The site of Raisina Hill was chosen for a capital complex as Lutyens planned the

new capital to the southwest of the walled city of Shahjahanabad.

The plan was centred on two intersecting axes- Kings Way and Queens Way;

which were later renamed Rajpath and Janpath respectively.

The Viceroys house (Rashtrapathi Bhawan) was placed atop Kings Way on

Raisina Hill and the Secretariat buildings on either side of it.

Directly opposite to Viceroy House is the War Memorial known as India Gate,

which is located along the perpendicular parade route that cuts across Kings
Way and Queens Way. Within the capital complex is the circular Parliament
building (previously council house).

Aerial View

 The requirements of delhi planning commission were for an area of

about 25 sq miles which would not be too costly to acquire or too

distant from the existing city, and which would be fertile irrigated
and healthy with room for future expansion. Another consideration
was to avoid building over any of the many sacred sites and tombs
which was scattered around the delhi area after weighing many
alternatives, the commission finally recommended a flat area of
fertile river plain south of Old Delhi between Indrapat in the east
and the ridge, an area of high ground to the west.

An elevated site on Raisina Hills in a commanding position over

looking delhi, an area to the north west of the site was finalized

 Reasons for the shifting of the capital:

Contoversial partitioning of Bengal in 1905 right to vote between

Bengali Hindus and Muslims.

Delhis geographical position at the centre of north India (roughly

equidistant from Bombay and Calcutta)

Delhis historic importance (important seat of the Mughal empire; for

Hindus-Mahabharata-era city of Indraprastha)

Perceived political need to rearticulate british power.

 On December 15, 1911, King George V and Queen Mary laid the foundation

stone for New Delhi, at a Darbar under a purposely built Shah Jahani dome.
The message was clear : the British were legitimate successors of the
Mughals and their new capital was intended to express the power of the Raj,
just as Shah Jahans capital had expressed the authority of the Mughals.

 Lutynes Delhi was planned on the most

spacious garden city lines with great avenues

decorated with classical buildings with lush
landscape.

The Layout of Lutyens Delhi was governed by

three major visual corridors, linking the

government complex with:

Jama Masjid
Indraprastha
Sajdarjung Tomb

 The plan reflects Lutyens transcendent fervor for geometric

symmetry, which is expressed through amazing sequences of triangles

and hexagons, through sightlines and axes.

Lutyens plan is also

remarkable for the generous

green spaces, lawns,
watercourses, flower and
fruit-bearing trees, and
their integration with parks
developed around
monuments.

The attempt was to include

all natural and historical

wonders in the new city.

 Besides the major

Pathway, there were

extremely wide
avenues. The original
design of the road
network was capable of
accommodating 6000
vehicles, however
these avenues, had the
potential of
increasing their
carriageway- the
reason why the road
layout has survived till
today.

In general the road

network consisted of
diagonals and
radials, at 30
degree/60 degree
angles to the main
axis, forming
triangles and
hexagons.

 Lutyens laid out the central administration area of the city. At the heart

of the city was the impressive Rashtrapati Bhawan, located on top

of Raisnia Hill. The Rajpath connects India Gate to Rashtrapati
Bhawan, while Janpath, which crosses it at a right angle,
connects South end with Connaught Place.

The Secretariat building, which houses various ministries of the

Government of India including Prime Ministers Office are beside the

Rashtrapati Bhawan, were designed by Herbert Baker.

Also designed by Baker was the Parliament House, located on

Sansad Marg, running parallel with Rajpath.

 Lutyens grandiose Government House (Rashtrapati Bhawan)

located on Raisina Hill, and one of New Delhis major thoroughfares,

Rajpath, connects it to the Purana Qila.

Lord Hardinge chose the Raisina Hill site for locating the viceroys palace

because:

It was a well drained site.

Constituted of slopes and plains

between the ridge and river.

Its eastern and southern

margins were studded with

monuments of vanished
empires. A broad crescent from
Shahajanabad and Kotla Firoz
Shah, south to Tughlaqabad and
the Qutub with tombs of
Safdarjung and Lodhis as well
as Jantar Mantar in the
foreground could be viewed
from the site.

 The Secretariat building was designed by

architect Herbert Baker in Indo-Saracenic

Revival architecture.

Much of the building is in classical architectural

style, yet it incorporated Mughal and

Rajasthani architecture style with motifs in
its architecture.

These are visible in the use of Jaali.

Another feature of the building is a dome-like

structure known as the Chattri.

The style of

architecture used in
Secretariat building is
unique to Raisina Hill.
In front of the main
gates on buildings are
the four dominion
columns, given by
Canada, Australia,
New Zealand and
South Africa.

 The Parliament House was designed by

Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.

It was built with indigenous materials

and by Indian labour and the

architecture of the building bears a close
imprint of the Indian tradition.

The layout of fountains both inside

and outside the building, the use of

Indian symbols, the Chajjas and the
varied forms of Jaali in the marble are
reminders of the story of the
craftsmanship displayed in ancient
monuments and memorials.

 Starting from India Gate at

the lowest and eastern

end of Rajpath, nearby
land was allocated to
numerous princely states,
each of which built small
palaces, such as the
Bikaner House (now the
Rajasthan tourism office)
and Jaipur House (now
the National Gallery of
Modern Art).

It might be said that this

placement mirrored the

British settlements toward
the Princes, who lost much
of their former power and
status during the British
Raj. Here , too are the
state Bhawans (houses),
where you can taste the
cuisine of each state.

 The largest of all palaces in New Delhi-a building that suited the status of the Nizam

of Hyderabad. Designed by Edwin Lutyens. The majestic mansion has 36 rooms.

Lutyens designed Hyderabad house in the shape of a butterfly a plan that he had

first used for Papillon Hall in Leicestershire in 1903.

The main architectural feature of Hyderabad House is a dome with an entrance

hall beneath which symmetrical wings radiate at an angle of fifty five

degrees. Its round arches flanked by rectangular openings to the height of
the impost was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, a city where Lutyens chose
a combination of rectangular and round arches that were inspired by the Uffizi to
the Amo in Florence.

The majestic building that boasts of courtyards, archways, obelisks, large

flower containers, grand stairways, marble fireplaces, fountains, had a predominantly European character with some Mughal motifs.

 Situated next to Hyderabad House, is another magnificent building designed

b Edwin Lutyens. He designed the Baroda House on a train from Bombay in

1921, and it took 15 years to build it. The Prince of Baroda, who was
educated in England, wanted his palace in New Delhi to be Anglo-Saxon in
style.

The grand Baroda House is known for its terraces, grand corridors,

cooling arcades, beautiful gardens and well-ventilated salons and

richly done up living rooms.

The Gaekwads led a very westernised lifestyle.

 Patiala House was foremerly the palacial residence of the Maharaja of Patiala,

part of th central vista, this building built in the 1930s, has a central dome
with a butterfly layout, similar to other buildings of the Lutyens zone.
Today it houses the district Courts complex for New Delhi District. A double
storeyed building, the cental portion is emphasized with a domed
pavilion on the terrace and projection porch over the upper storey,
there is a projecting chajja running the entire length of the building.
It has seen interesting occupants ever since the Maharaja vacated it.

 Jaipur House (now National Gallery of Modern Art) is located diametrically

opposite Hyderabad House. Like other princes resedences, the building was also
designed in the shape of a butterfly with a cental dome. But very few
people know that it was British architect Charles Blomfield, who designed the
building. It was designed in a mix of Neo-Classical and Art Deco style. The
butterfly shaped building has two symmetrical wings radiating from
the cental court.

Two similar wings radiate towards the back facing gardens. The faade

of this comparatively austere palace is marked by two levels of small,

vertical, slit-like windows. A continuous sunshade or chajja in redstone
caps the entire faade. The building has arched openings framed by
Rajput columns.

 In this whole process alost no

attention was paid to the

problems of Old Delhi. Due to
the creation of New Delhi, the old
city experienced a 28% surge in
population from 1916-1926
resulting in the spilling over of the
population from inside the walled
city to the Paharganj area, whose
restructuring was later abandoned
by Lutyens due to resource
constraints.

Also, no provision of housing was

premeditated for the large no. of

skilled and unskilled workers
which immigrated for the
construction work of New Delhi.

This negligence of the planners

towards Old Delhi resulted in its

transformation to a large slum
area through deterioration and
dilapidation.