museum of knowledge
chandigarh
MUSEUM OF KNOWLEDGE | CHANDIGARH
Chandigarh, a well-planned utopian city, best known for urban planning and modern architecture inherits the qualities of LIVE, WORK and PLAY – a sustainable urban model. The master plan and the monumental buildings of the city were envisioned and created by Le Corbusier, a pioneer in urban design. Le Corbusier conceived the master plan of Chandigarh as analogous to the human body, with a clearly defined head (the Capitol Complex), heart (the City Centre), lungs (the open spaces), the intellect (the cultural and educational institutions), the circulatory system (the network of roads) and the viscera (the Industrial Area).
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MOK, according to Corbusier was to function as a decision-making or briefing center for the government officials, highlighting the importance and applied use of technology and electronics in the processing, synthesizing and presenting large bodies of information related to state matters.
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The proposal contemplates the existing city, needs of the current period and intends to create an extended design by cohesively incorporating the principles of Corbusier. This proposal is an extension to the morphology of the existing sustainable urban model. The Design takes advantage of the surrounding monuments, large open spaces and the Shivalik hills as its backdrop. The created adjacency intricately weaves them all together and rejuvenates the space within the Capitol Complex. The Martyr’s memorial is utilized as the transcending space and connects the user at different levels. The site is planned to incorporate resemblance to the urban streetscape by infusing the open space with the built space. The open green spaces act as interactive breakout points at various nodes. The spaces are shaped to instigate an active environment and let the user identify with the setting.
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The building is conceived as 4 segments- The Museum, Administrative office, Knowledge center and Leisure/social areas. The building incorporates a minimalistic approach and is planned out effectively with relation to the climate, orientation and material usage. The various layers of the building- Services, structure, circulation and userspace have been intrinsically planned to function in a correlated manner. The space planning and architectural proportions of the building are derived by using the principles of the Golden Section Ratio. The form and threedimensional aspect of the building is intended to be sympathetic to the surrounding buildings and yet be able to transcend beyond time. The proposed building conjoins the society and the government into a unified space and will be the culmination point of Chandigarh.
