1 Model showing the stepped form of the Assembly, Council Hall, and High Court fronting onto a public plaza with a water body;
2 Cutaway model of the Assembly.
The legislative assembly complex is designed with four three-storey, L-shaped office modules placed in a diagonal fashion around the central structure. Entries for the chief minister and speaker are kept separate from the members’ entry as also that of visitors and the press. The concourse accessing the assembly is located at the first floor level and is negotiated by a flight of steps. The complex’s main functions include chambers for the chief minister as well as for the ruling and opposition parties, ministers’ rooms with supporting offices, and a library. Each module is flanked by a pair of service cores.
The roof of the assembly was originally planned as a folded-plate system by the structural engineer, utilising a complex geometry of triangular segments, resolved into ridges and valleys, capped by a central skylight. The project progressed slowly till 1989, when work stopped completely due to militancy in the Valley. Work could only resume a decade later but at a slow pace due to the paucity of funds and a limited working season. This has meant serious compromises with respect to design, specifications, and finishes proposed by the architect.
The intricate concrete folded-roof was finally executed as a simple geometric steel structure. The external facade was also changed from stone cladding to a plaster finish.
B.K., Tanuja, and Sanjay Kanvinde. Achyut Kanvinde – Ākār. New Delhi: Kanvinde Rai & Chowdhury and Niyogi Books, 2016.