The UT administration is planning two "iconic" buildings on Madhya Marg - one near the Taj Hotel and the other near the SBI building - in Sector 17. Originally proposed in the Chandigarh Master Plan (CMP-2031), volumetric plans of the proposed buildings have been finalised and will be submitted for approval of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee. Both the plot sites are of around 2.5 acre.
Commercial and Institutional spaces will be created in the buildings. These buildings are to be of international standards. One will have institutional spaces and facilities to hold international conferences, meetings and exhibitions. The other will have commercial and office spaces. There will be also spaces for promoting tourism-related activities.
A consultant has prepared the volumetric plans, that is, how the buildings will appear. "The plan gives how the building structure will appear from the outside and an outline of different elements of the facade, detailing its height and spread. It depicts the 3D geometry of the building and showcases the programmes to form a 2D layout on each floor," said the official.
The work on formation of the plans for the buildings started after the administration pushed for the implementation of different aspects of the CMP-2031. On the proposed buildings, the CMP-2031 states, "Two iconic buildings proposed on the two reserve pockets along Madhya Marg shall make a strong entry statement to the City Centre. However, these buildings should be sensitively designed in consonance with the special architecture expression of Sector 17 as conceived by Le Corbusier."
Financial strategy and detailed layout plans, and their implementation aspects for these sites will come later, but at present, the focus is on finalisation of volumetric plans. Once that is done, other aspects can follow as per availability of resources and need.
