Wikipedia
India International Centre
- Design firm
- Stein, Joseph Allen
- Typology
- Other
- Years
- 1959–1962
- Status
- Complete
Facade facts
- Facade summary
- A highly articulated, regional modernist envelope balancing rugged local blue-grey quartzite stone with delicate precast concrete jaali screens.
- Documented intention
- Stein's primary intention was to create a 'building in a garden' that harmonized with adjacent Mughal monuments. The use of precast concrete jaalis modernizes the traditional Indian stone screen, reducing solar heat and glare while keeping a visual connection with nature.
- Street relationship
- The facade maintains a low,horizontal profile facing the street, softened by trees and landscaped boundary walls,creating an inviting public presence.
- Climate relationship
- The deep structural shading,verandas, and double-skin jaali facade are specifically tailored to mitigate Delhi's extreme heat, reducing solar gain while encouraging cross-ventilation.
- Window pattern
- Deeply recessed behind the main facade plane or shielded by jaali screens in residential areas; expansive floor-to-ceiling bays in public lounges.
- Glazing
- Single plate glass
- Depth
- Highly layered, utilizing a depth of up to 1 meter between the outer jaali screens and the glazed window lines behind them.
- Rhythm
- A clear, repetitive structural grid of concrete bays filled alternately with solid stone or patterned screens.
- Delhi Quartzite
- Delhi Quartzite — Primary load-bearing and cladding walls of the wings — Rough, random rubble masonry with deep raked joints
- Precast Concrete
- Precast Concrete — Screens (jaalis) in front of guest room corridors and window openings — Smooth,custom cast
- Exposed Reinforced Concrete
- Exposed Reinforced Concrete — Beams,columns,lintels,and chajjas (overhangs) — Board-marked,smooth-finished cast-in-place concrete
- Steel
- Steel — Window and door framing — Painted matte
- Hybrid Concrete Frame and Rubble Masonry
- A structural system combining reinforced concrete post-and-beam elements with local load-bearing rubble stone masonry.
- Precast Modular Screen Wall
- Hexagonal precast concrete tile units assembled in a structural framework to create a continuous,self-supporting screen facade.
Tags
- 1961–1970
- A clear
- A highly articulated
- Auditorium
- Conference Facility
- Cwa (Humid subtropical with hot
- Delhi
- Delhi Quartzite
- Exposed Concrete
- Exposed Reinforced Concrete
- Exposed Reinforced Concrete — Beams
- Glass
- Highly layered
- India
- Joseph Allen
- Joseph Allen Stein
- Mid-20th Century Modern
- New Delhi
- Other
- Precast Concrete
- Regional Modernism
- Single plate glass
- Stein
- Stone masonry
- The deep structural shading
- The facade maintains a low
- and chajjas (overhangs) — Board-marked
- columns
- concrete frame
- creating an inviting public presence.
- custom cast
- dining facilities
- dry summers and mild winters)
- horizontal profile facing the street
- hybrid frame
- lintels
- modular assembly
- precast concrete jaali
- residential rooms
- self-supporting screen facade.
- smooth-finished cast-in-place concrete
- steel
- verandas
Description
The building envelope is defined by a rhythmic alternating composition of heavy load-bearing local Delhi quartzite walls, smooth concrete columns, and intricate precast hexagonal jaali screens that shade the windows. Deep vertical and horizontal concrete projections provide structural shading. Large steel-framed glass windows are used on the garden-facing facades of the dining hall and lounge, while private guest wings are shielded behind the concrete screen modules.
Visual analysis
The facade appears light and porous despite its massive stone elements. The hexagonal jaalis cast delicate, constantly shifting geometric shadows on the interior corridors, transforming the wall surfaces into dynamic, light-filtering canvases.
Sources
- Building in a Garden: The Architecture of Joseph Allen Stein in India · Stephen White
- India International Centre website · India International Centre Trust