Description

This group of dwellings for the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Development Banking is immediately adjacent to the actual research building. In such open countryside it was possible to plan without particular external conditions being imposed, so Charles Correa decided to adopt the theme of the courtyard as central access space and mid-point of each group of buildings. The occupants are housed according to status in linked residential units of different sizes.

Correa applies the principle of a walled unit in each case, with a garden courtyard left open adjacent to the neighbouring unit. This produces distancing zones, which provide privacy and also enough light, but above all a sheltered open space. In India’s predominantly hot climate, this serves as a shady place, and thus becomes the main living space. Living here means above all experiencing outdoor space intensively, with all the factors influencing it, like climate, nature, noises and communication. So the connection between indoor and outdoor space remains fluid and is usually completely open during the day. The garden courtyard also mediates between private and public space, an area full of interaction, indispensable for life in this region.

In the houses for middle-level employees with a ground area of 74 m²., the living room is accessed directly via a loggia adjacent to the courtyard. Kitchen and dining area are directly attached, but the bedrooms are separate. Two courtyards in all ensure natural light and ventilation for each room. On the upstairs terrace, a pergola provides shade for this meeting-point with the neighbourhood. In the smaller houses for lower-level employees with a ground area of only 50 m², three rooms are arranged in an L-shape around the very important garden courtyard. Even more than in the other units this is the main living area most of the year round.

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Originally published in: Klaus-Peter Gast, Living Plans: New Concepts for Advanced Housing, Birkhäuser, 2005.