Rohit Mullick
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Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier's creation Ca pitol Complex in Chandigarh secured the coveted Unesco world heritage tag on Sunday along with 16 other buildings in six countries. This puts the unique cluster of three buildings and two monuments on the world map, providing it the opportunity to attract more funding for conservation and increase tourism.Unesco's world heritage committee announced the decision in Istanbul, Turkey , to place the complex on its `modern heritage site' category , taking the total number of heritage sites built in the 19th and 20th centuries to 25. A first of its kind global nomination from seven countries -India, Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany , Japan and Switzerland -pitched Le Corbusier's architectural works for Unesco's prestigious heritage list.
Though all the important buildings designed by the Swiss-French architect figure in the list, Capitol Complex is called the crown of his creations. The group of buildings -the assembly , the secretariat, the tallest structure of the city, and the high court -re presents Le Corbusier's most significant creation and one of the best expressions of Purism and Brutalism in architecture.
The significance of the complex to the world heritage can be gauged from the fact that in 2011 when it was not part of a transnational dossier on Le Corbusier, the Unesco had rejected it for not including “one of the major urban works of Corbusier“.
Rajnish Wattas, a heritage expert, called it a historical day . “We lost Lahore in Partition, but today we have got a world heritage city . But with this status, there will also come a greater responsibility for protecting our heritage,“ said Wattas.
In another major recognition, Sikkim's Khangchendzonga National Park -home to the world's third highest peak -also made it to the list.The park represents a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and snow-capped mountains.
A world heritage site is a place (such as a building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, or mountain) that is listed by the Unesco as being of `special cultural or physical significance'.
source:
Though all the important buildings designed by the Swiss-French architect figure in the list, Capitol Complex is called the crown of his creations. The group of buildings -the assembly , the secretariat, the tallest structure of the city, and the high court -re presents Le Corbusier's most significant creation and one of the best expressions of Purism and Brutalism in architecture.
The significance of the complex to the world heritage can be gauged from the fact that in 2011 when it was not part of a transnational dossier on Le Corbusier, the Unesco had rejected it for not including “one of the major urban works of Corbusier“.
Rajnish Wattas, a heritage expert, called it a historical day . “We lost Lahore in Partition, but today we have got a world heritage city . But with this status, there will also come a greater responsibility for protecting our heritage,“ said Wattas.
In another major recognition, Sikkim's Khangchendzonga National Park -home to the world's third highest peak -also made it to the list.The park represents a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and snow-capped mountains.
A world heritage site is a place (such as a building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, or mountain) that is listed by the Unesco as being of `special cultural or physical significance'.
source:
Jul 18 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai) -
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/index.aspx?eid=31840&dt=20160718
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