The Central Vista was designed as the capital of British India and envisioned to be the ‘living centre of administration’. It was inaugurated in 1931, with only five important buildings, the avenue and a monument completed: the Viceroy’s House, now Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Secretariats – North and South Blocks, the Council House, now Parliament House, the Record Office, now the National Archives and the All India War Memorial, now India Gate.
Additional buildings were built post-independence, to meet the demands of time without an overarching architectural vision for the Vista. Some military barracks, originally built as temporary structures during World War II, continue to be used as offices spread across approximately 90 acres of precious land in the Central Vista. Today, the Central Vista houses only 22 out of the 51 Ministries of the Government of India, due to lack of adequate office spaces. The public space and landscape of the Vista were not designed for heavy public use and are quite stressed. A comprehensive upgrade of facilities and infrastructure is needed to improve public space and to assist the administrative and legislative functions of the Government of India.
The proposed master plan will strengthen the Central Vista as an icon for governance, a grand public space and a treasured part of India’s heritage. The plan will provide modern, sustainable and upgradeable facilities for administration, cultural institutions and public space. It will also restore the Vista’s architectural character, protect its heritage buildings, expand and improve public space, and extend the Central Vista axis. The proposal will revive the formal order, grandeur and symmetry of the place, while creating space to consolidate all the essential functions of the Government of India.
New Delhi
Start Year: 2019
The Central Vista was designed as the capital of British India and envisioned to be the ‘living centre of administration’. It was inaugurated in 1931, with only five important buildings, the avenue and a monument completed: the Viceroy’s House, now Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Secretariats – North and South Blocks, the Council House, now Parliament House, the Record Office, now the National Archives and the All India War Memorial, now India Gate.
Additional buildings were built post-independence, to meet the demands of time without an overarching architectural vision for the Vista. Some military barracks, originally built as temporary structures during World War II, continue to be used as offices spread across approximately 90 acres of precious land in the Central Vista. Today, the Central Vista houses only 22 out of the 51 Ministries of the Government of India, due to lack of adequate office spaces. The public space and landscape of the Vista were not designed for heavy public use and are quite stressed. A comprehensive upgrade of facilities and infrastructure is needed to improve public space and to assist the administrative and legislative functions of the Government of India.
The proposed master plan will strengthen the Central Vista as an icon for governance, a grand public space and a treasured part of India’s heritage. The plan will provide modern, sustainable and upgradeable facilities for administration, cultural institutions and public space. It will also restore the Vista’s architectural character, protect its heritage buildings, expand and improve public space, and extend the Central Vista axis. The proposal will revive the formal order, grandeur and symmetry of the place, while creating space to consolidate all the essential functions of the Government of India.