The Victoria & Albert Museum is set to present an expansive exhibition focused on Tropical Modernism, an architectural movement that emerged in the late 1940s. British architects Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry were instrumental in developing this approach, combining modernism’s functional goals with local climate adaptations in warm and humid weather. This movement, which embodies Britain's unique contribution to international modernism, evolved against a backdrop of anti-colonial resistance, blending colonial architectural principles with local needs.
Chandigarh: The Latest Architecture and News
Victoria and Albert Museum Investigates Tropical Modernism Movements in West Africa, Modern India, and Ghana
Vegan Metrix Restaurant / RENESA Architecture Design Interiors Studio
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Architects: RENESA Architecture Design Interiors Studio
- Area: 1200 ft²
- Year: 2023
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Professionals: White Lighting Solutions
BEIGE Café & Bakery / Arch.Lab
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Architects: Arch.Lab
- Area: 3800 ft²
- Year: 2023
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Manufacturers: Gem Furnishings, Kriglow, Raybright Technologies, Viero
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Professionals: Alpine Interiors
The Legacy of Jane Drew: A Trailblazer for Women in Architecture
In 1950, the famous Le Corbusier was asked to design the new state capital of Chandigarh for Punjab following its separation and recent independence. The opportunity to create a new utopia was unparalleled- and is now seen as one of the greatest urban experiments in the history of planning and architecture. The city employed grid street patterns, European-style thoroughfares, and raw concrete buildings- the zenith of Corbusier’s ideals throughout his career. But what is lesser known about the ideation and realization of Chandigarh, was the woman who brought her experience of designing social housing across Africa to the project. For three years, working alongside Corbusier, and helping him design some of the best-known buildings in Chandigarh, was Jane Drew.
Prairie House / Arch.Lab
Tin Tin Restaurant / RENESA Architecture Design Interiors Studio
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Architects: RENESA Architecture Design Interiors Studio
- Area: 1500 ft²
- Year: 2022
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Professionals: RENESA Architecture Design Interiors Studio, White Lighting Solutions
Baba’s Restaurant / Loop Design Studio
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Interior Designers: Loop Design Studio
- Area: 3700 m²
- Year: 2018
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Professionals: Karve Infra Pvt. Ltd.
CGC Student Hostel Landran / Charged Voids
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Architects: Charged Voids
- Area: 135000 ft²
- Year: 2019
Architectural Photographer Edmund Sumner Takes Part in the Artist Support Pledge Initiative with Chandigarh Images
During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the lack of exhibitions and commissions, artists around the world started to struggle. The Artist Support Pledge, an initiative born in March of 2020 in response to this global crisis, seeks to support creative individuals, including architectural photographers. Founded by artist Matthew Burrows, the global movement connects communities in order to ensure “an equitable and sustainable economy for artists and makers of all countries, media, and ethnicities”.
Residence 1065 / Charged Voids
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Architects: Charged Voids
- Year: 2019
SHOP NO. 851 / Studio Ardete
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Architects: Studio Ardete
- Area: 134 m²
- Year: 2019
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Professionals: The Luminars
House 1559/36 D / Studio Ardete
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Architects: Studio Ardete
- Area: 796 m²
- Year: 2018
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Professionals: The Luminars, Behera & Associates, Brain wave, Continental Foundations, CWG Pools India
Modernist Chandigarh Through the Lens of Roberto Conte
Through its urban planning and civic buildings, Chandigarh represents an iconic fragment of Modernist architecture. This economic and administrative centre was meant to showcase the progressiveness of the 1950s' newly independent India.
Nureca Inc Offices / NOOR Architects Consultants
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Architects: NOOR Architects Consultants
- Area: 2900 ft²
- Year: 2019
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Manufacturers: Schneider Electric, Aggarwal Bath Concepts, Ankit Dhawan, Duco, Dulux, +2
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Professionals: Dalip, Dev Narian Tewari
AD Classics: Master Plan for Chandigarh / Le Corbusier
On August 15, 1947, on the eve of India’s independence from the United Kingdom, came a directive which would transform the subcontinent for the next six decades. In order to safeguard the country’s Muslim population from the Hindu majority, the departing colonial leaders set aside the northwestern and eastern portions of the territory for their use. Many of the approximately 100 million Muslims living scattered throughout India were given little more than 73 days to relocate to these territories, the modern-day nations of Pakistan and Bangladesh. As the borders for the new countries were drawn by Sir Cyril Radcliffe (an Englishman whose ignorance of Indian history and culture was perceived, by the colonial government, as an assurance of his impartiality), the state of Punjab was bisected between India and Pakistan, the latter of which retained ownership of the state capital of Lahore.[1] It was in the wake of this loss that Punjab would found a new state capital: one which would not only serve the logistical requirements of the state, but make an unequivocal statement to the entire world that a new India—modernized, prosperous, and independent—had arrived.
A Visual Portrait of Neelam Cinema, a Modernist Icon in Le Corbusier's Chandigarh
Neelam Cinema is one of three theaters built in Chandigarh, a modernist city master-planned by Le Corbusier. Built shortly after India gained independence in the early 1950s, the cinema is located in the bustling industrial area of Sector 17. Designed by architect Aditya Prakash under the guidance of Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret, the modernist structure stands to this day in its original form and continues to screen Bollywood films. However, without UNESCO World Heritage protection, the future of the cinema remains uncertain. Below, British photographer Edmund Sumner discusses his experience of shooting the 960-seat cinema, the heart of the city, and an icon of Chandigarh.