Faridkot House, 1939
Location : Copernicus Marg
Architect : Karl Molt Von Heinz
Contractor : Sir Sobha Singh
Patron : Maharaja Harinder Singh Brar
Faridkot House is located at Copernicus Marg, New Delhi and has witnessed occupancies of various kinds. From being the residence (palace) of Maharaja Harinder Singh Brar, who was the last king of Faridkot, it was later on used as an office by the Canadian High Commission and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Currently, it functions as the headquarters for the National Green Tribunal.
Sumanta Bhowmick in his book ‘Princely Palaces of New Delhi', suggests that the Austro - Hungarian architect Karl Molt Von Heinz (1904 - 1971) who was a close friend of the Raja possibly designed Faridkot House with Sir Sobha Singh as the contractor. The architectural design of the residence displays the characteristics of pure Art Deco style with symmetrical side wings to a central rising tower with stepped recessed massing, the extended entrance porch - blending the Art Deco style with Classical. Horizontal bands on the central tower, adorned with ship deck like metal railings, shallow eyebrow cantilevers running along the length of its wings and ornamental details in the window vents further accentuate Deco’s presence in its exterior elevation.
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Image Copyrights : Google Map Images - Shubham Kumar (May, 2022) References : Sumanta Bhowmick, 'Princely Palaces in New Delhi'
Main Entrance
Central or Faceted axis : shown with either the entrance porch extending out, or accentuated with ornamental features, a use of different material or colour
Recessed Tower Profile
Recess in the surface of the facade to create a stepping pattern in the mass, like setbacks. Ornamentation like bandings, flutes, reeds and motifs would often highlight the profile, in addition to the recesses
Speedlines
Bandings to accentuate the horizontality of surfaces. A distinct feature in buildings inspired from the Streamline Moderne version of Deco
Window Grills
Often seen casted in cement / metal are window grills with motifs and symbols, such as sun burst, swan or name initials of owners, adding to the ornamentation of the buildings