Secretariat Building

Secretariat Building

Herbert Baker (English architect and writer, 1862-1946)

New Delhi, Delhi, India

1912-1927

20th century

Neoclassical

Delhi order

Indian

municipal buildings

sandstone

148,000 sq ft

Architecture and City Planning

The Secretariat Building was designed by the prominent British architect Herbert Baker in Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture. Both the identical building have four levels, each with about 1,000 rooms, in the inner courtyards to make space for future expansions. In continuation with the Viceroy's House, these buildings also used cream and red Dholpur sandstone from Rajasthan, with the red sandstone forming the base. Together the buildings were designed to form two squares. They have broad corridors between different wings and wide stairways to the four floors and each building is topped by a giant dome, while each wings end with colonnaded balcony. Much of the building is in classical architectural style, yet it incorporated from Mughal and Rajasthani architecture style and motifs in its architecture. These are visible in the use of Jali, perforated screens, to protect from scorching sun and monsoon rains of India. Another feature of the building is a dome-like structure known as the Chatri, a design unique to India, used in ancient times to give relief to travelers by providing shade from the hot Indian sun.

© Saif Haq

Users must request permission from the copyright holder for all use in publications, including theses and dissertations.

Haq0255

Saif Haq