E-015

Incremental Housing, Belapur, New Bombay . Charles Correa . 1983-86

'Based on observation of traditional Indian settlements, he has suggested that cities should be developed using a spatial hierarchy which ranges from the private world of the individual dwelling, through the ‘doorstep’, to the communal court (which traditionally contains the well or common tap), to the greater public space - the maidan – the public promenade of the community. The geometry of Belapur is a direct interpretation of this syntax. The basic element is the house. For Correa ‘the territorial privacy of families is of primary importance, and he believes that, in the Indian climate, ‘open-to-the-sky space’ is essential for family life. So each house has a private yard in which is a lavatory block. Lavatories are paired to reduce service runs and three or four pairs of houses are grouped round courts which, in turn, open on to larger public spaces where, given the boundless energy of Indian entrepreneuralism, shops and other enterprises will doubtless quickly spring up.'

https://www.architectural-review.com/rethink/belapur-housing-in-navi-mumbai-india-by-charles-correa/8684855.article