Delhi cityscapes

[aks]

Originally Posted by ViMo

Somehow I cannot forsee real tall buildings in either central or new delhi. Gurgaon is good for that! I mean look at the buildings: the designs are more artistic than "modern". Besides, skyscrapers look good in clusters, and Delhi doesn't have the space for these clusters. Then again, most offices have actually moved to South Delhi - so it makes more sense to have commercial towers in these parts of the Delhi. Let Central Delhi remain a shopper's and tourist's paradise!

Delhi falls in a highly sesmic zone (earth quake prone region) and hence has a hight restriction on buildings. Also, Lutyen's Bunglow zone is prohibited for high rises. May be that's the reason why new delhi does not have many high-rise buildings. but then that sesmic zone theory should be true for Gurgaon as well.

[Suraj]

Central/South Delhi simply isn't a place where highrises would 'fit'. It has a character all of its own, with a preponderance of massive government buildings and bungalows. Besides land acquisition and other clearances would be a nightmare, as south/central Mumbai has demonstrated, including the case of Lata Mangshkar moaning about her throat. For now I'd say just let it be. New Delhi already looks like a 'capital city'. Why try to make it look like a techno/financial center ?

If you want highrises, the best option is to build it in a satellite/extension area from scratch. In Delhi's case, that means Gurgaon. NOIDA and a whole swath of territory in business-friendly Haryana near the upcoming 130km Kundli-Manesar-Palwal expressway that will connect NH1, NH10 and NH8. If UP gets its act together and helps develop NOIDA further (i.e. no redistricting antics and scandals over expressways) and also develops more satellite towns in its part of the ring around Delhi, it can also contribute to highrise areas.

Ideally I'd like to see New Delhi left as it is, except for a holistic efficient transportation network, including multiple ring road expressways and radiating trunk roads, with the glass & steel being in several clusters all around, outside of the 2nd (currently outer) ring road. And yeah, clean up Old Delhi as well, which means leaving the historic monuments alone but replacing the atrocious densely packed rundown buildings and choked streets with something more liveable.

Mumbai is a different case. The south/central area demands improvement, but there are too many vested interests. Developments cannot be battered through. But I still believe its possible. The way to do it is, in my opinion, make them turn around and want it. That means essentially leaving south/central Mumbai with minimal incremental improvements while drastically ramping up infrastructure development in Navi Mumbai and beyond, where they can build from scratch. Let the south/central Mumbaikars see the 'stepchild' suddenly looking a lot better than them, and then let reverse psychology take its course.

[Suncity]

The core area of New Delhi is okay. But they should improve the business districts like Nehru Place at least. How did the capital city of India which is loaded with city planners and top architects allow such depressing and drab buildings to come up in Nehru Place is a question. What were they thinking? I think it's the same in the other business districts too.

I haven't seen any pictures of Nehru Place with its several towers. There are few pics of the Intercontinental, IFCI and International tower but not of the whole place. It should look nice in photos at least.

[ViMo]

Originally Posted by Suncity

The core area of New Delhi is okay. But they should improve the business districts like Nehru Place at least. How did the capital city of India which is loaded with city planners and top architects allow such depressing and drab buildings to come up in Nehru Place is a question. What were they thinking? I think it's the same in the other business districts too.

I haven't seen any pictures of Nehru Place with its several towers. There are few pics of the Intercontinental, IFCI and International tower but not of the whole place. It should look nice in photos at least.

Actually Nehru Place became a commercial center by "accident-of-location". There are only 5 or 6 buildings, and 1 big open-air commercial arcade with offices on upper floors. Everything in Dhaulpuri stone. Anyways, Nehru Place architecture resembles much like Rajendra Place and other such community centers, spread allover Delhi. The real CBD with cluster of offices is only now coming up, in the form of Gurgaon...Nehru Place is history as far as it's CBD function is concerned!

[Suncity]

Originally Posted by ViMo

. The real CBD with cluster of offices is only now coming up, in the form of Gurgaon...Nehru Place is history as far as it's CBD function is concerned!

I guess so. But they should spruce up NP.

[ViMo]

Originally Posted by Suncity

I guess so. But they should spruce up NP.

You won't believe, but I have seen it with my own eyes: The tallest building in NP has tonnes of garbage around it, sprayed like a necklace. And not to mention, paan spits and cow-dung and what not. NP is so cramped, and yet the dirt and garbage around it, reminds you some long forgotten ghost town. Gosh, how can people live like that...one literally steps into garbage. And, then what's the point of sprucing up these community centers, if they'll become what they already are: garbage dumps!

By that yardstick, Gurgaon buildings are still holding on. I guess it all depends: If you make things beautiful, they remain beautiful. Maybe, we shouldn't be so hard on people; maybe public architecture got what it deserved.

[Suncity]

Eros Corporate Towers



Intercontinental Park Royal



International Trade Tower & American Plaza



Modi Tower (terrible)



IFCI

[ViMo]

Yeah, Modi Tower is the one I was referring to in my previous post.

[Suncity]

Hopefully this works out...

The fall of the Lutyens
VINEETA PANDEY

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2004 11:42:21 PM ]
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...how/929483.cms

NEW DELHI: Lutyens' Delhi's last vacant lush spot will soon make way for a brand new concrete structure. The 7.7 acres in Central Vista — next to Nirman Bhawan, belonging to the ministry of external affairs — will now house the Rs 147-crore state-of-the-art Jawaharlal Nehru Videsh Bhawan.

CPWD, which has bagged the project after beating some of the country's top architects to the job, will begin work as soon as it gets the green signal from DDA, DUAC, NDMC, CFO and the Central Vista Committee. The plot had been lying vacant for the last 12 years for want of an 'agreeable' design.

The building, expected to be completed in 30 months, will be a modern replica of Lutyens' architecture in the Central Vista. "It's the contemporary translation of Lutyens' work," said a CPWD official.

cAs all the other buildings in Central Vista were made earlier, we could only renovate them in an attempt to modernise. But there is no doubt that Jawaharlal Nehru Videsh Bhawan will be one of the best in the Capital," said the official.

The building will have plush wooden flooring, terrace gardens, structural glazings, conferencing facilities, video walls, fire fighting-access control systems that work through sensors.

The landscaping has been planned to match the Central Vista greenery.

The building's exterior will be a combination of red sandstone and Ashlar work with Dholpur stone.

[drwho]

Suncity..cool! and renderings of the project?

[Suncity]

Originally Posted by drwho

Suncity..cool! and renderings of the project?

No..I doubt we will see one before the completion of the project..

:-(

[drwho]

Originally Posted by Suncity

No..I doubt we will see one before the completion of the project..

:-(

yeah..thats my fear to
..and the project has to get clearance from all the departments...lets hope for the best.

[aks]

Some not so good Nehru Place pictures:





Some other buildings:

[Suncity]

Originally Posted by drwho

yeap.. aks posted this picture from CP-metro u/c but it is from sept 2003,..trying to find a picture that is from summer-2004 and to see how far the project has come

I am not sure but these are probably more recent pics of CP area..

[Suncity]

And here's a view of Nehru place from Intercontinental..

[Suncity]

The Imperial Hotel...one of the classic heritage hotels of New Delhi..

[Suncity]

Mughal Gardens, Rashtrapati Bhavan



Gardens



Rashtrapati Bhavan



The Sachivalaya Buildings

[Hindustani]

Is it just me or Rashtrapati Bhavan is better than White House. I think so. Great looking Mughal Garden & night view. Folks in Washington D.C. can learn something here.

[Sridhar]

RB is way way bigger and better than the WH. But interesting that you mention Dc in the context of Delhi since when Lutyens was designing the layout of New Delhi, he drew inspiration from DC. I remember seeing early sketches made by him that would have made New Delhi look even more than DC than it does. Specifically, the hexagonal layout of ND is inspired by DC.

[RajKhalsa]

WOW! Awesome pictures guys!