Golconde is the first modernist reinforced-concrete structure in India and it is located on Dupuy Street in White town, Pondicherry. It was designed by American Architect Antonin Raymond and later completed by George Nakashima in 1945 as a dormitory for Ashramites.
Behind Golconde Name:
Golconde name was given as a tribute to the “donor” Golconda diamond mines. Prime minister of the prosperous state of Hyderabad – Sri Akbar Hydari, provided the funds for the Golconde construction. Golconde itself was seen as a unique architectural marvel compared to French and Tamil Vernacular architecture which were built on the boulevard. Golconde is a pure concrete building with climate-sensitive structures and lovely green landscapes.
History:
Golconde was built from 1937 to 1945 in Pondicherry. Mirra Alfassa (Mother) decided to make Golconde for the members of the Ashram Community. The Mother approached Antonin Raymond (Tokyo Based Czech Architect) to construct Golconde. Raymond and his wife stayed in Pondicherry for eight months for the initial design and construction.
Later it was handed over to George Nakashima (Japanese- American woodworker), who became Ashramite. The ashram devotees, who were both skilled and non-skilled workers, built Golconde. They worked under the supervision of George Nakashima. In one of the Nakashima notes, he mentioned that this project is kind of DIY.
Due to the political unrest in Europe and Asia during 1930s, construction materials were tough to be imported to Pondicherry. They have to look for plan B for the construction. So, the team constructed the foundry at the building site. Ashram devotees gave their utensils like metal plates, bowls etc. which were melted to make the door handles, bolts etc. Apart from this, steel rods were sourced from France and Combustion engines from Japan for building Golconde.
Architecture:
Golconde was built with hundreds of movable concrete louvres arranged in a grid pattern. This building was considered as a well-maintained, comfortable building without any mechanical cooling system and the architecture was given shape after considering the local climatic conditions.
The roof of Golconde was made up of large and thin precast curved cement concrete, which allowed the air to pass through it. North and south of these curved precast concrete have holes slabs with holes, which cools the top floor. Facades on both the north and south were fully openable with louvres with brass bars. If you see the architecture of Golconde, followed the fundamental principles of architecture – Simplicity, Economy, Beauty and Closeness to nature.
