COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE
Colonial architecture is an architectural style from a mother country that
has been incorporated into the buildings of settlements or colonies in distant
locations.
Colonists frequently built settlements that synthesized the architecture of
their countries of origin with the design characteristics of their new lands,
creating hybrid designs.
Colonial architectural styles evolve not only with the architectural beauties
of British, but also with the invasion of French, Portuguese and Armenians.
COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE
CLASSIFICATION
Colonial Architecture is not particularly a single type architecture,hence it is divided
many such categories which are as:-
[Link] colonial architecture
[Link] colonial architecture
[Link] colonial architecture
[Link] colonial architecture
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[Link] colonial architecture
BRITISH COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE
1615 to 1947
Leaving out the several European invasions upon India, men who had left their impact in
the country through lofty architectures, it was undoubtedly the British who left a lasting
impact on the India architecture.
The British viewed themselves as the successors to Mughals and used architectural style
as a symbol of power.
The colonialists had followed various architectural styles within India. Some of the rather
prestigious include:- Gothic, Imperial, Christian, English Renaissance and Victorian being
the essentials.
VICTORIA MEMORIAL[KOLKATA]
The Memorial Was Designed By
SIR WILLIAM EMERSON,Incorporating
Mughal Elements.
The foundation stone was laid down in
1906,and was intended to serve as a tribute to
the success of british empire in INDIA.
VICTORIA MEMORIAL[KOLKATA]
It measures 103 m by 69 m with a height of 56 m.
Scottish physician and botanist Sir David Prain and Lord Redesdale were
entrusted to design the vast garden areas covering 64 acres while garden
gates and the bridge of the north aspect were designed by Vincent J. Esch.
Messrs.
The garden is presently maintained by a group of 21 gardens.
There are 25 galleries inside the memorial including the royal gallery, the
sculpture gallery and the Calcutta gallery among others. Several portraits of
Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and
oil paintings portraying different moments of their lives are displayed in the
royal gallery.
VICTORIA MEMORIAL[KOLKATA]
The newer addition was the Calcutta gallery, concept of which was advocated in the mid
1970s by the then minister for education, Saiyid Nurul Hasan.
Gradual development through the visual displays of the gallery starting from the days of
Job Charnock during the 17th century to 1911 when New Delhi replaced Calcutta as
India’s capital.
Another addition, the National Leader's gallery displays relics and portraits associated
with Indian independence.
It is a house of remarkable collections of paintings, artefacts,weapons, textiles,coins
and stamps and maintains few possessions of the Queen like her writing desk and chair
and scrapbooks.
Rashtrapati Bhawan
The Rashtrapati Bhavan, “Presidential Residence” is the official home of the President of India,
located in New Delhi, India.
Rashtrapati Bhavan also known as Presidential palace is the second largest in the world after
the Quirinal Palace, Rome, Italy. In terms of area, it was the largest residence of a head of state in
the world
Rashtrapati Bhawan
Rashtrapati Bhavan was formerly used by the Viceroy of India, the former head of
the state of the country.
The structure includes 700 million bricks and 3.5 million cubic feet (85,000 m³) of
stone, with only minimal usage of steel. It has 355 decorated rooms and a floor area
of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m²) and consisting of four floors.
INDO-SARACENIC
ARCHITECTURE
What is Indo-Saracenic?
An architectural style movement by British architects in the late
19th century British India which drew elements from native Indo-
Islamic and Indian architecture, and combined it with the Gothic
revival and Neo-Classical styles favoured in Victorian Britain.
Development of the Style
BEFORE 1857- European classical style (incorporating Greek and
Roman Features such as columns, triangular pediments) employed
for the public buildings: image as the holders of power and status
and to distance themselves from the natives.
REVOLT OF 1857- India began to be ruled under the British
crown: essential to legitimatize their rule and connect to the natives
of the colonised land.
“In the public buildings put up by the Raj it was essential
always to make visible Britain’s imperial position as ruler, for
these structures were charged with the explicit purpose of
representing empire itself. Since they wanted to legitimatize
their rule, they decided to justify their presence by relating
themselves to the previous rulers, the Mughals. The British
deliberately kept Mughal princes in power so as to not to
provoke Indian contempt and to further establish their
connection to the Mughals. These princes were a vision of the
future, but the British also needed them to be a representation
of the past. And it worked.”
-Sir Thomas Metcalf
St. George's Cathedral, Chennai (1815) Chepauk Palace, Chennai (1864)
Principal Characteristics
Onion (Bulbous) Domes
Overhanging Eaves
Pointed Arches, Cusped Arches, or Scalloped Arches
Vaulted Roofs
Domed Kiosks
Many Miniature Domes, or Domed Chhatris
Towers or Minarets
Harem Windows
Open Pavilions
Pierced Open Arcading
Leading Architects
Robert Fellowes Chisholm
Charles Mant
Henry Irwin
William Emerson
George Wittet
Frederick W. Stevens
Prominent Buildings
Courts and other Civic Buildings
Clock Towers
Government Colleges and High School Buildings
Railway Stations
Art Galleries
Palaces of the Indian Maharajas
Map showing the locations of cities having Indo Saracenic style buildings in India
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The Princely States and the British
From the middle of the 19th century, the British Crown became the
guarantor of peace and commerce treaties.
The princely states were, watched over by British agents and their powers
were limited to internal matters.
Change in lifestyle began to be reflected in their architecture as well -
durbar halls, rooms for European guests were built, introduction of the
dining and drawing rooms, fireplaces, marble fountains and statues.
New princely towns of Jaipur, Bikaner and Mysore most successful in
negotiating this divide.
Amba Vilas Palace (1900-1910),
Mysore
Henry Irwin
fluted pillars from the Red
Fort in Delhi, onion domes
from the Taj Mahal, Mughal
tracery and European halls.
Durbargadh Waghaji Palace
(1882), Morvi
Indo-Venetian Gothic building
Saracenic domes and Rajput
arches.
Such palaces were a sophisticated political symbol of the imperial
presence- outwardly Indian and built by Indian hands, the overall
control stayed with the British.
SENATE HOUSE- MADRAS UNIVERSITY
Constructed by Robert Chisholm between 1874 and 1879
Inspired by the Byzantine and built in the Indo-Saracenic
style.
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Turrets
Stone columns with sculptured capital
Hindu iconography on the capital
Large clerestory circular openings decorated with
coloured glass
SECRETARIAT BUILDING, NEW DELHI
Secretariat Complex, North Block. Delhi. 1930s
Plan of the Secretariat along the Rajpath
Two blocks of symmetrical buildings (North Block and South
Block) on opposite sides of the great axis of Rajpath, and
flanking the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's House).
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•Designed to form two squares; broad corridors between different
wings and wide stairways to the four floors.
•Each building is topped by a giant dome, while each wing’s end
with colonnaded balcony.
Columns and colonnaded verandahs Chattris & Chajjas in red sandstone
Photograph by Medha Malik Kudaisya
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RENAISSANCE
ARCHITECTURE
RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE
Renaissance Architecture is the
architecture of the period between the early
14th and early 17th centuries in different
regions of Europe, demonstrating a
conscious revival and development of certain
elements of ancient Greek and Roman
thought and material culture.
TIMELINE
1) QUATTROCENTO HIGN RENAISSANCE MANNERISM
(ca.1400-1500) (ca. 1500-1525) (ca.1520-1600)
In the Quattrocento, concepts During the HIGH renaissance During the Mannerist period,
of architectural order were period advance development of architects experimented with
explored and rules were ornamentation and emphasize using architectural forms to
formulated. on symmetry were employed. emphasize solid and spatial
relationships. The Renaissance
The study of classical antiquity ideal of harmony gave way to
led in particular to the freer and more imaginative
adoption of Classical detail and Rhythms.
Ornamentation.
MAJOR ARCHITECTS
DONATO
BRAMANTE RAPHAEL PIRRO LIGORIO
Donato Bramante (1444 – 11 Raphael, (1483–1520), Urbino. (c. 1510 – 30 October 1583)
March 1514) was an Italian
architect, who introduced Raffaello da Urbino, better Was an Italian architect, painter, antiquarian
Renaissance architecture to known simple as Raphael, was and garden designer.
an Italian painter and architect
Milan and the High of the high Renaissance. Ligorio’s most important creation was
Renaissance style to Rome. “The Bomarzo Gardens: the monsters park”
PLAN
The plans of
Renaissance
buildings have a
square, symmetrical
appearance in which
proportions are
usually based on a
module within a
church the module is
often the width of an
aisle.
PLAN
The need to integrate the design of
the plan with the façade was
introduced as an issue in the work of
Filippo Brunelleschi, but he was never
able to carry this aspect of his work
into fruition. The first building to
demonstrate this was St. Andrea in
Mantua by Alberti.
The development of the plan in
secular architecture was to take
place in the 16th century and
culminated with the work of Palladio
ELEMENTS & STYLE
ARCHES VAULTS
Arches are semi-circular or (in the Vaults do not have ribs.
Mannerist style) segmental. Arches are They are semi-circular or segmental and on
often used in arcades, supported on
a square plan, unlike the Gothic vault which
piers or columns with capitals.
is frequently rectangular.
• Arches and domes were popular. This The barrel vault, is returned to
was again taken from Roman and Greek
architecture. architectural vocabulary.
FACADE
Façades are symmetrical
around their vertical axis.
Church facades are generally
surmounted by a pediment
and organized by a system of
pilasters, arches and
entablatures. The columns
and windows show a
progression towards the
centre.
COLUMNS AND PILASTERS
The Roman orders of columns
are used:- Tuscan, Doric, Ionic,
Corinthian and Composite. The
orders can either be structural,
supporting an arcade or
architrave, or purely decorative,
set against a wall in the form of
pilasters. During the
Renaissance architects aimed to
use columns, pilasters as an
integrated system.
DOORS WINDOWS
Windows may be paired and set within a
Door usually have square semi-circular arch. They may have square
lintels.
lintels and triangular or segmental
They may be set within an arch pediments, which are often used
or surmounted by a triangular alternately.
or segmental pediment. Windows are used to bring light into the
Openings that do not have building and in domestic architecture, to
doors are usually arched and give views.
frequently have a large or Stained
decorative keystone.. glass, although sometimes present,
is not a feature.
DETAILINGS
Courses, mouldings and all decorative details are
carved with great precision.
Studying and mastering the details of the
ancient Romans was one of the important
aspects of Renaissance theory. The different
orders each required different sets of details.
Mouldings stand out around doors and windows
rather than being recessed, as in Gothic
Architecture.
Sculptured figures may be set in niches or
placed on plinths. They are not integral to the
building as in Medieval architecture
EXAMPLES IN INDIA
