roberto conte explores the modernist architecture of chandigarh

the indian city of chandigarh stands as one of the world’s most treasured architectural projects, and now photographer roberto conte has made it the focus of his latest body of work. planned by french architect le corbusier under the vision of india‘s first prime minister, jawaharlal nehru, chandigarh was built from scratch in 1952. for this photography series, conte travelled to the ‘the city beautiful’ to capture the fragments that have been left behind of this modernist utopia.

tower of shadows – le corbusier (1957)

all images © roberto conte

considered as le corbusier’s crowning achievement, he was enlisted by the indian authorities following the premature death of polish architect maciej nowicki, who was initially working together with american planner albert mayer to design chandigarh. to create the masterplan, le corbusier led a team that included his cousin, pierre jeanneret, and british architects edwin maxwell fry and jane drew, who worked on the project for three years.

tower of shadows – le corbusier (1957)

after the partitioning of punjab in 1947, chandigarh was designed to provide an urban and administrative center for the area. moreover, it was envisioned as a new, modern capital for both the indian states of punjab and haryana. with the country’s future in mind, the development of chandigarh was also considered as an extraordinary training ground for a new generation of local architects, who joined the group of western team.

high court – le corbusier (1951-1957)

chandigarh is characterized by a hierarchical division of urban functions, established on a grid made up of fast-traffic roads that separate different sectors of similar dimensions. within these, the individual architectural components still represent distinctive characteristics that identify the function of that area (residential, recreational, commercial, institutional or academic). therefore, next to the famous and outstanding capitol complex by le corbusier, chandigarh unveils a staggering number of modernist structures, which have been often forgotten.

sukhna boating tower – pierre jeanneret (1960)

next to recurring details throughout the city, such as reinforced concrete balustrades with empty spaces between the pillars, it’s possible to find unique architectural objects, such as the tower of the student center university of panjab, the ramp of a suburban stadium, or the gandhi bhawan by pierre jeanneret. decades after its construction, chandigarh continues to stimulate interest, both architecturally and visually, and still offers a unique charm, which roberto conte has appropriately captured in his photography.

chandigarh college of architecture (CCA) – le corbusier and aditya prakash (1961)

bandstand – le corbusier and pierre jeanneret (1960)

panjab university student center – bhanu p. mathur (1975)

stadium – jeet malhotra (1960)

chandigarh architecture museum – by shivdatt sharma (1997), influenced by le corbusier’s zurich pavillion

museum auditorium – le corbusier (1968)

neelam theatre and cinema – aditya prakash (1961)

gandhi bhawan – pierre jeanneret (1962)

project info:

photography: roberto conte

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edited by: lynne myers | designboom