Yamuna Apartments (1980)

The Yamuna Apartments are a low-rise medium-density housing scheme located in the
Alaknanda neighbourhood of south-east Delhi (Figure 1). This cooperative group housing
scheme was one of the first to be commissioned by the Delhi Development Authority
(DDA). Although DDA had been one of the largest builders of housing in Delhi since 1961, it
relied on byelaws and building codes that gave little importance to architectural innovation
[17]. Due to limitations arising from the building codes, the architects of Yamuna Apartments
had to accommodate two hundred dwelling units in a small area of 3.75 acres with building
height restricted to four-storey. Despite these limitations, the architects Ranjit Sabikhi and
Ajoy Choudhury of the Design Group have been able to create an integrated
community settlement by drawing upon principles from traditional built-forms.
Sabikhi’s education at the University of Liverpool and Choudhary’s work experience in
Milan brought a Western rigour to their design in form of clean lines and a minimalist
appearance, while their years of upbringing and practice in the Delhi region has rooted
their work in the tangible realities of the locale.

Figure 1. Yamuna Apartments, New Delhi (1980) by the Design Group (Photo: Author).
3.1.1. Contextual Response
The challenge faced by the architects in responding to the urban context of the site came
from the fact that the Yamuna Apartments were the first housing scheme to be built in the
Alaknanda neighbourhood of south-east Delhi. There was nothing existing around the site
at the time to which the architects could respond to. Nonetheless, considering the
allocation of neighbouring plots for future housing schemes (Figure 2), the design of
Yamuna Apartments responds to the generalised modernist architectural vocabulary
prevalent in urban India at the time. As a consequence, the Yamuna Apartments have
been able to visually blend in with the housing developments in the neighbourhood that
came up in the following years. However, the security concerns of the residents led to
creation of a gated community that has compromised the linkages of the housing scheme with
the surrounding neighbourhood [18].
Figure 2. Satellite image of the Yamuna Apartments complex located in the Alaknanda
neighbourhood of south-east Delhi (Image courtesy of Google Earth).
3.1.2. Historical Knowledge
The housing units of Yamuna Apartments have been grouped into eight building blocks.
These blocks have been organised around a network of narrow pedestrian streets while the
vehicular traffic is limited to the periphery of the site (Figure 3). The design concept draws
upon the layout of traditional residential quarters of north Indian cities having a lively
network of short streets where the residents can spend time sitting and mingling with
their neighbours [19].
Figure 3. (a) Site Plan of Yamuna Apartments with housing blocks placed along four
radially-converging streets [19]; (b) housing units overlooking the narrow pedestrian
streets in Yamuna Apartments (Photo: Author).
In addition, these narrow pedestrian streets converge onto a central square in a
manner similar to a traditional Indian village. In a typical village setting, the streets
converge onto the central square that houses a market or a village well, thus acting as a
place for communal interaction. A similar concept has been adopted in Yamuna
Apartments as the central square containing recreational facilities, shops, a community
club and a canteen forms the focus of the housing scheme.
Other elements assimilated from the region’s traditional architecture include use of
balconies for shading external walls from the harsh sun and provision of terraces for
outdoor sleeping on hot summer nights.
3.1.3. Climate Responsiveness
As use of air-conditioning in households was quite uncommon in India in the 1970s, the
architects of Yamuna Apartments prioritised cross-ventilation in unit designs to provide
thermal comfort. Well-distributed openings on two sides of each unit have been
supplemented by internal ventilation shafts to ensure adequate cross-ventilation (Figure 4).
Space for installing desert coolers has also been provided in the internal ventilation shafts
[20].

Figure 4. Floor plans of the three unit types with arrows depicting cross-ventilation [19].
Other measures in response to the local climate include projection of deep
balconies for protecting the external walls from incident sunrays. Square and
rectangular-shaped balconies alternate between floors to break the monotony in façades
and also to ensure sufficient daylighting in adjoining rooms.
3.1.4. Ecological Sensitiveness
The site located in south-east Delhi is flat and even, gently rising about one metre
from the eastern edge to the western. Thus, the site did not pose a significant ecological
concern for the architect. As mandated by the planning regulations applicable to the site,
the architects had to leave an area of 0.5 acres in the north-eastern corner of the site as
a green space (Figure 3). The remaining 3.75 acres of the site had to accommodate two
hundred dwelling units with building height restricted to four-storey. Therefore, not
much room was afforded by the building codes to preserve any existing vegetation on
the site. Nonetheless, the architects have managed to provide sufficient vegetation cover
along the internal streets in the site plan (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Vegetation cover along the pedestrian streets in Yamuna Apartments (Photo:
Author).
3.1.5. Local Materials and Construction
The choice of materials for the Yamuna Apartments has been influenced by the
exigencies of local economics. For the purpose of finishing the external walls, exposed
stone aggregate plaster has been applied in situ. Aggregate plaster is an economical and
maintenance-free material composed of simple ingredients: Cement and crushed local
stone. Despite being an inexpensive material, stone aggregate plaster lends a rich
granular texture to the building.
The structural components are fabricated in reinforced cement concrete, and cast
in situ. Being labour-intensive, the in situ construction resulted in an increased involvement
of local workforce in the construction process.
3.1.6. Technological Sustainability
Being a low-rise medium-density housing scheme, the Yamuna Apartments did not
require considerable technological advancements for its construction. Nonetheless, wherever
necessary, the architects have adopted the latest technologies of the time. Waffle slab has
been employed to span the community club to furnish a column-free space. Besides, the
housing scheme makes aggressive use of cantilevered balconies and staircases. This bold
expression of structure, however, lends significant Brutalist overtones to the housing
scheme, thus subduing its regional qualities.
3.1.7. Cultural Appropriateness
The design of Yamuna Apartments benefited from the fact that the architects knew
beforehand the group of residents for whom they were designing for. The residents
comprised a close-knit group of civil servants of South Indian origin who shared similar
living requirements. Keeping this in mind, the architects have designed an integrated
community settlement that takes its inspiration from traditional residential quarters of
Indian cities. The housing blocks are compactly clustered around narrow pedestrian
streets with the semi-private areas of housing units overlooking these streets. As the
concept of privacy in Indian neighbourhoods is not as strong as it is in the West, each
unit has been designed to open towards the pedestrian spine. This has resulted in
creation of a convivial public space between the housing blocks for the residents to
interact with and the children to play, undisturbed by the vehicular traffic.
The access staircase to each housing unit forms an extension of the street [21] (p. 153).
The entrance to each house is through balconies that help in transitioning from the
shared public space to the private areas of each unit. The internal layouts of units
adhere to the traditional relationship between different rooms [22]. Each house is
divided into a semi-private zone consisting of a living room, kitchen and dining room,
and a private zone consisting of bedrooms and terraces (Figure 6). As all the residents
share an orthodox Hindu lifestyle, due care has been taken in preserving the sanctity of
the kitchen—considered a holy place—by keeping it away from the toilets. The semi-
open terraces to the rear side are accessible from the bedrooms to facilitate the practice
of outdoor sleeping during hot summer nights.

Figure 6. Floor plans showing the internal layouts of the three unit types [19].