Adapted from a structure designed by Le Corbusier as an Exhibition Pavilion at Zurich, in 1965 - the CITY MUSEUM building has been built in concrete. Till now called the, "Pavilion of Temporary Exhibitions" it is has been now suitably modified to serve the present purpose.

In fact, in a way, the modified structure shall be fulfilling a function very close to the original one in Zurich, that was built as a private museum to display Le Corbusier's paintings, sculptures graphic work and books. Conceptually, Corbusier desired that, "architecture and works of art should be shown in a modest and nomadic setting of a dwelling, where dimensions conform to the human scale and the feeling of arbitrariness, commonly found in rooms designed for exhibition purposes only is avoided."

The austure building designed by architect S.D. Sharma, also the consultant for the CITY MUSEUM project, is very sculptural and Corbusean in spirit. While the main cuboid block of the museum is a simple yet elegant structure derived from two squares placed at an off set in plan, it is the sculptural, independent roof above this three storied block that provides the aesthetic play. This parasol double roof over the terrace of the main structure is in the form of two pyramids - one upright and the other inverted - over each square and the sunken courts.

One enters the CITY MUSEUM through a small tube-like stairway at the basement level. It unfolds the displays with the trauma of partition of the country and the necessity to build the new capital city of Chandigarh. The various panels tell the story of selection of the site - and the accompanying controversies - through rare documents, maps and drawings. The salient features of the site finally chosen such as its topography, existing features of villages, vegetation and archaeological history, provide a fascinating picture of the land - with a panoramic view of the Shivalik hills - to be transformed into the new city.

Gradually, exhibits through various panels, focus on to the selection of the first team of architects and planners i.e. the American team consisting primarily of Albert Mayer and Matthew Nowicki. Evocative original sketches, studies and drawings prepared by the American team demonstrate the enormous amount of pioneering work they did in evolving the first Master Plan and a schematic architectural idiom for the new capital city. Of particular interest is the broad similarities between the city's first Master Plan prepared by Albert Mayer and the final one modified by Le Corbusier.

The studies made by Matthew Nowicki for developing an architectural style suited to the Indian context through his exquisite sketches, visualising housing schemes, shopping areas and other components of a neighbourhood unit, incorporating traditional Indian elements, are of special interest. All these rare sketches, studies and documents are on display in the original for the first time and also highlight the hitherto lesser known great contribution made by the American team in the building of Chandigarh. An internal staircase leads to the ground and first floors - symbolising in a way, the gradual evolution of the city's growth. On the ground floor is displayed all the material pertaining to Corbusier's arrival on the scene and his work, subsequent to the tragic death of Matthew Nowicki and termination of the American teams' contract for the project.

Corbusier, who had already established himself as a great urban theorist and had definite ideas of his own regarding the Master Plan of Chandigarh set forth a clear cut agenda of concepts. All these are explained in detail at the ground floor level.