Chandigarh admn inaugurates Sukhna interpretation centre

The sculptural pump house of the lake was recently repaired and restored

To mark the 52nd death anniversary of Swiss architect Pierre Jeanneret, the UT engineering department along with the tourism department inaugurated Sukhna Intrepretation Centre at Sukhna Lake in Sector 1 on Wednesday.

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The sculptural pump house of the lake was recently repaired and restored. Besides, an Interpretation Centre dedicated to Sukhna Lake has been established in the landmark structure.

The UT adviser to the administrator, Manoj Parida, inaugurated the centre in the presence of senior officers .

The proposal for setting up the centre was mooted by the director of Le Corbusier Centre, Deepika Gandhi, in May this year during a presentation, on various issues related to the lake and its precincts, to Parida.

Gandhi said, “The structure is another example of the innovation and creativity of Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret which transformed what could have been an eyesore to merely pump water to the golf course and greens of the city into a sensitively designed circular brick structure with the sculptural ramp to the roof adding lyricism against the backdrop of the Sukhna and Shivaliks beyond.”

During the restoration a skylight, which was closed some years back, was opened up to let in natural light in the room. The ventilators were very interestingly designed and were the starting point for conception of the display of exhibits.Gandhi curated the images and text for display in consultation with professor Rajnish Wattas.

The exhibits attempt to capture the essence of the lake in around 30 panels starting from the creators of the lake to its lesser-known components like the light fixtures and entrance gate.

The display is an interesting mix of vintage pictures, drawings, and sketches to highlight the thought that went behind each element. The display was a challenge due to the circular shape and small size of the room.