The Le Corbusier Centre,located in what was once Corbusiers office,was inaugurated by Administrator General SF Rodrigues on October 6,2008,to commemorate his 121st birth anniversary. The opening of the sixth such centre in the world and the second in India (after Ahmedabad) also marked the beginning of the Chandigarh Heritage Festival. The building was renovated and now houses Corbusiers works and other creations. The centre,which was an initiative of the Chandigarh Administration was set up with an aim to honour the citys creator and was a step towards conservation and adaptive use of heritage buildings. A team of bureaucrats,architects,engineers and artists were instrumental in its establishment. A core group,comprising architects,planners and artists,which was proposed earlier by Administrator S F Rodrigues,should be formed for the centres development. The research section of the centre should also be upgraded and research activities,should be promoted. This can be done by introducing visiting research scholars programme,cultural exchange programme,providing grants and scholarships on the pattern of the Foundation Le Corbusier in Paris and the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal. The success of Le Corbusier in planning the city would not have been possible without contributions from Pierre Jeanneret,Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry along with their Indian counterparts,administrators and politicians. Albert Mayer and Mathew Nowicki were also instrumental in the initial planning of the city. Though some of the works of Pierre Jeanneret have been exhibited at the centre,the works of other architects should also be placed at the centre as a mark of respect. Also,the Old Architects Office,the first building where they started their work should be made part of the centre. The proposal to build an Open Air Theatre in the centre had also been mooted by the Administration. But,considering the fate of such theatres in the city,which are either not fully-utilised or remain under-utilised,it would be better to have a small auditorium constructed for organising seminars and workshops.
