Question

The two architects who designed New Delhi and Shahjahanabad were _____________________ and _____________________.

A)Zaha Hadid and Le Corbusier
B)Edward Lutyens and Herbert Baker
C)Norman Foster and Le Corbusier
D)Edward Lutyens and Zaha Hadid

Answer 1

Hint: 1)The names of these two architects are indelibly linked to the construction of the New Delhi crown jewels – the Viceroy's House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan) and the twin secretariat buildings (now the North and South Blocks).
2)They were very united in their assertion that classical architecture was far superior to Indian architecture.
3)The two architects met at the office of Ernest George and Peto in London for the first time.

Complete answer:
King George V announced in 1911 that the capital of India would be transferred from Calcutta to Delhi under the British rule. Edwin Lutyens was awarded the contract to design the imperial city of New Delhi to house government buildings and residences. Lutyens and his friend Herbert Barker are responsible for the design of the crown jewels. Lutyens was the one who was considered responsible for the layout of the city and the Viceroy's House. Baker was responsible for the buildings of the twin secretariat and jointly designed the Parliament Building.
The two architects had to pay an amount of 5% of the total cost of the project. Also, a body called the Imperial Delhi Committee was set up to work with them. The two architects, based in different locations, Lutyens in London and Baker in South Africa, were required to visit Delhi at least once a year for the period considered necessary by the Committee. In 1931, the capital was inaugurated after the contract was signed by the two architects in 1913.
Following are the given alternatives:

1)Zaha Hadid was a British Iraqi architect, artist and designer. She is also recognised as a major architect in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She is believed to be the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004. Its buildings included the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, and the MAXXI Museum of Contemporary Art and Architecture in Rome. Le Corbusier was a Swiss-French architect, painter, urban writer, and one of the important pioneers of modern architecture.Villa Savoye, Paris Unité d'habitation, Marseille Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp Buildings in Chandigarh are some of his important works. Thus, Option A is incorrect.

2)New Delhi was built as a 10-mile city on Raisina Hill, south of the existing city. Edward Lutyens and Herbert Baker were the two architects who were called upon to design New Delhi and its buildings. The features of these government buildings were borrowed from different periods of Indian imperial history, but the overall look was Classical Greece.Thus, Option B is correct.

3)Norman Robert Foster is an English architect and designer. He is highly linked to the development of high-tech architecture as well as the early adoption of energy-efficient construction techniques. Foster is a key figure in British modernist architecture. He and Le Corbusier were not the architects of Delhi and of Shahjahanabad. Thus, Option C is also incorrect.

4)Edward Lutyens constructed the cities of Delhi and Shahjahanabad, but not with Zaha Hadid, it was along Herbert Bakers. Thus, Option D is incorrect.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B)

Note: 1)Hyderabad House was designed by Lutyens in 1926. It is known as the Nizam Palace of Hyderabad which was one of the princely residences in New Delhi.

2)India Gate, designed by Lutyens and unveiled in 1931, was originally known as the All India War Memorial. It is located on the eastern edge of the New Delhi Ceremonial Axis, formerly known as Kingsway. It is a memorial to the 82,000 Indian Army soldiers who died in the First World War between 1914 and 1921.

3)Lutyens 'Bakerloo' is not only a reminder of the friendship that arose during the design of India's Power Corridor, but also a reflection of how great empire designs play out.