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Edwin Lutyens

Lutyens designed New Delhi following principles of straight axis and radial planning with the goal of displaying hierarchy and procession. Important buildings were placed at intersections of wide roads, with the Government House at the highest point. While intending an organized social unit, the monumental designs prioritized architecture over urban growth. Geometric symmetry was emphasized through equilateral triangles and hexagons. Major monuments like the Viceroy's House were isolated in plazas at the ends of avenues, creating a web-like layout. The new city featured both parliament and government offices built in a fusion of European and traditional Indian architectural styles.

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CHAITALI BABAR
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139 views14 pages

Edwin Lutyens

Lutyens designed New Delhi following principles of straight axis and radial planning with the goal of displaying hierarchy and procession. Important buildings were placed at intersections of wide roads, with the Government House at the highest point. While intending an organized social unit, the monumental designs prioritized architecture over urban growth. Geometric symmetry was emphasized through equilateral triangles and hexagons. Major monuments like the Viceroy's House were isolated in plazas at the ends of avenues, creating a web-like layout. The new city featured both parliament and government offices built in a fusion of European and traditional Indian architectural styles.

Uploaded by

CHAITALI BABAR
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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(29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944)

Straight axis and radial planning


• Placement of government house on the highest platform to show keystone of the rule over
The EMPIRE of INDIA
• ceremonial/processional route
• Hierarchy shown through width of roads
• Architecture was given more importance as compared to growth of the city as an organization
of social unit
• Simile – “big building massed together, a busy heart … smaller private residences screened by
parks which would serve as lungs.” His idea didn’t work out instead monumental axial
boulevards lined with one story bungalow
• Fervor geometric symmetry – led to distinctive pattern of equilateral triangles & hexagons
.(all roads made an L of 30 ̊/̊ 60 ̊̊ with lines between the three main foci. He was forced by TPC
to adhere to of 60 ̊̊ angle which led to several awkwardly aligned vistas on the principle
buildings etc.
• Centre of hexagon, one of its 6 angles, or in the middle of one of its sides- important
functions - cities principle monuments – e.g. Government house, cathedral, secretariats,
cultural plaza, commemorative column, railway plaza.
Railway plaza

secretariats

cultural plaza

RAJPATH – the axis of symmetry


• Reason for complex and creative tension in the entire plan- right angle crossings along
the two main ceremonial avenues plus the rectilinear clerk’s quarters on city's N-W
periphery. – i.e., Interlocked duality of contradictory grid and radial diagonals heightens
the visual impact of the each elements.
• Major historic monuments- used for
1. Terminate one axis
2. Provide strong visual accents
3. To emphasize his street patterns.
• Major monuments – isolated in plazas. – Which radiated multiple avenues connected
by circumferential creating a spider web polygon that lutyens was to employ in new
delhi layout
• Fusion of traditions - which both politics & climate dictated. – The hues and shadows
of mughal facades were married to sculptural massing and subtle proportions of
european architecture e.g. – Viceroy’s house – majestic, imposing , daunting like Shah
Jahan’s Taj Mahal or Hadrian’s Tivoli rather than Lutyens’s familiar cottages and country
houses.
government offices.
parliament
Invented own order of classical architecture ‘Delhi Order’
Inspired by features of local & traditional Indian architecture
Delhi Order Columns have bells carved into them
Wide tree lined avenues
Humaun’s tomb
North block

local red sandstone as used in traditional Mughal style


Buddhist dome
D shaped market
 Completed in 1929,
 officially inaugurated on 1931
 Invented own order of classical architecture ‘Delhi Order’
 Inspired by features of local & traditional Indian architecture
(great drum-mounted on Rashtrapati-Bhavan derived from
Buddhist dome)
 Delhi Order Columns have bells carved into them
 New city buildings contains both parliament and government
offices.
 Use of local red sandstone as used in traditional mughal style
 Wide tree lined avenues
 D shaped markets
 Straight axis and radial planning

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