AR. HARIPRIYA A

MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE

2008

L O U I S K H A NC H A R L E S C O R R E A

B V D O S H I

&I N D I A

L O U I S ISADORE K H A N (1901-1974)

AND I N D I A•U.S. architect, educator, and philosopher

•evolved an original theoretical and formal language that revitalized

modern architecture

•best known works, located in the United States, India, and Bangladesh

•They reveal an integration of structure, a reverence for materials and

light, a devotion to archetypal geometry, and a profound concern for

humanistic values.

•Influenced by ancient ruins, Kahn's style tends to the monumental and

monolithic, heavy buildings that neither hide their weight, their

materials, nor the way they are assembled.

•During the 1930s, Louis Kahn was devoted to the study of modern

architecture and housing in particular.

•Louis I. Kahn undertook housing studies for the Architectural Research

Group (1932-1933), a short-lived organization Louis Isadore Kahn helped

to establish, and for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.

•later 1930s - consultant to the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the

United States Housing Authority

•early 1940s - wartime housing projects

•1947 - independent practice and began a distinguished teaching career

PHILOSOPHY…

• Louis Kahn's work infused the International style with a

fastidious, highly personal taste, a poetry of light

• He was known for his ability to create monumental architecture

that responded to the human scale

• He was also concerned with creating strong formal distinctions

between served spaces and servant spaces

• His palette of materials tended toward heavily textured brick

and bare concrete, the textures often reinforced by

juxtaposition to highly refined surfaces such as travertine

marble.

Important works :

1. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut (1951–1953)

2. Richards Medical Research Laboratories, University of Pennsylvania (1957–1965)

3. Jonas Salk Institute, La Jolla, California, (1959–1965),

4. Phillips Exeter Academy Library, Exeter, New Hampshire, (1965–1972)

5. Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban (National Assembly Building) in Dhaka, Bangladesh (1962–

1974)

6. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, (1967–1972)

7. Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in India.

KEY POINTS

• Louis Isadore Kahn was steeped in classicism by his

Beux-Arts education and Rome American Academy education

• He came to India in 1962

• Major design Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

• Khan‟s influence was similar to Corbusier and had

influenced many Indian Architects.

• Doshi worked as site architect for IIM building

• Parallels could be drawn between Khan‟s work and Mughal

architecture.

• Together with B V Doshi incepted CEPT.

• A new period of architects emerged

INDIAN INSITUTE OF MANAGEMENT - AHMEDABAD – 1963

•Situated on 27 hectare site – western side of Ahmedabad

•Campus promotes interaction of students and teachers

•Institutional complex and housing quarters

•All services located on north western side of campus

•Heart of complex is the hub known as Louis Khan Plaza

•Movement from active space to private space

•Plans are simple and volumes gigantic

•Exposed brickwork and concrete- Brutalist

LUOIS KAHN

PLAZA

"The organization of the complex, as well as its architecture, reflects the conceptual

organization of learning which is focused on three inevitable components: the school, the

students, and the teachers, which constitute 'The Indian Institute of Management'...Thus,

man's philosophy about his environment is contained here through the otherwise rarely

achieved response between condition of program and plastic emphasis of the structures; the

latter extending from the sudden vibration of light on the lowered arches spanning the

concrete cord to the gesture of full arches, and them of the round openings with their

curved shades, all maintained within the strict discipline of construction, spatial

dimensioning, and plan organization."

•The IIM Ahmedabad is

spread on a flat site of 66

acres

•Comprises of school

buildings, library, faculty

research offices,

administrative areas,

dormitories, faculty &

support staff housing with

sport facilities, dining

halls

•Form a neighborhood with

bank and post office

facilities

•The dormitories and school

building are grouped as one

forming a citadel with a

dug up lake in an L shape

separating the school and

dormitories and residences

creating a psychological

distance between the two

A loop road off the main street

gave access to the faculty

residences and the other

brought visitors traffic to the

school entry

The brise soleil became porches

in architectural terms

Porches are considered as rooms

the porches as screens became

exterior walls that protect the

building from sun and rain

Cross section through

classrooms, plaza, part of the

faculty research offices

looking towards the library

entrance

Longitudinal section through the library,

plaza and the earlier proposal for the

students dining hall

The architectural order is consistent

throughout – brick masonry bearing

walls and concrete as a restraining

member containing the thrust thrown by

the arches used over openings

The restraining member keeps the arch

from pushing out and brings into the

wall

There is no column and the arch – spans

openings

The porch acts as the interface between

the classroom and the living – a

transitional space where living and

learning meet

Each students room opens directly on to

the porch avoiding need for corridors

The dormitories and other residences

are turned toward the prevailing wind

direction assuring cross ventilation

The inner core of the building is a court inseparable from the various

spaces and has become a social meeting place

This court on a large scale is a central meeting place of the school

building

The court is called – “Louis Kahn Plaza” – an enormous room open to the

sky with ambulatories forming an edge to it all around encouraging social

and community participation in events throughout the year

Brick arches - spanning

buttress

Typical window detail

Plan of Dormitories

C H A R L E S C O R R E A (1930 - )

AND I N D I A (PS: http://www.charlescorrea.net/)

BACKGROUND:

• Born in Secundrabad, India

• 1953 – Completed undergraduate architecture studies from University at Michigan

• 1955 – Completed Post graduate from MIT, United States

• 1958 – to date : In private practice in Bombay

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

• India is a land of “abundant Sun” and “Plentiful Labor”

• “Open-to-sky” and “Tube dwelling”

• Combinatorial game of cellular housing patterns

• Stepped interlocking of spaces and details

• Highly climatic responsive buildings,

• Caters to the socio-economic needs

• Correa's work in India shows a careful development, understanding and adaptation of Modernism to a non-western culture. Correa's early works attempt to explore a local vernacular within a modern environment. Correa's land-use planning and community projects continually try to go beyond typical solutions to third world problems.

1. Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya,

Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad – 1958-63

• Memorial museum erected

in sabarmati ashram –

Dandi march

• Tiled roofs, brick

walls, stone floor and

wooden doors, RCC

Channels

• No glass, Lighting and

ventilation through

operable wooden louvers

• Typology analogous to

Gandhiji‟s thinking of

villages

• Water courts, Meandering

design

2. Kovalam Beach Resort, Kerala – 1969-74

• Cluster of detached

units – “Kudils”

• Stepped terrace that

leads visually to the

beach

• Subtle level changes

having a certain

oriental character

• Highly articulated

living zones

• Views to beach even

from kitchenettes

• Highly responsive

resort with regional

character

3. Kanchanjunga Apartments, Bombay - 1970-83

Tower 1:4 Proportion – 21m X 84m – hosts 32 three or four bedroom

luxury apartments.

Ingenious cellular planning – interlock of one and a half storey,

split-level units.

Smaller displacement of levels differentiates external earth

filled terrace to interior elevated living volumes

Effectively shields the effects of both Sun and Rain

Tower with deep garden verandahs (Unite d habitation)

Its minimal unbroken surfaces are

cut away to open up the double-

height terrace gardens at the

corners, thus revealing some hint

of the complex spatial

organization of living spaces that

lie within the tower.

4. JNIDB- Hyderabad 1986-91Simple pure geometry – humidified micro-climate – numerous

courtyards – skillful play of color

1. Rooms laid out around the

courtyard

2. Courtyard – Central Kund

with stone steps

3. Creates focus in the

center of complex

4. An ideal place for casual

conversations and also for

formal events like concerts

5. VIDHAN BHAVAN – PARLIAMENTARY BUILDING

BHOPAL - 1986-91

Vidhan Bhavan, the new state

assembly for the government of

Madhya Pradesh, is located on

a hill in the centre of Bhopal

The site in an irregular

pattern following the contours

of the hill, the plan of the

building and its interior

gardens and courtyards was

developed within an almost

continuous circular exterior

wall.

This form established a visual

unity and presence regardless

of the direction from which

one approaches it.

The building's four main functions - a Lower

House, Upper House, Combined Hall, and Library -

require extensive administrative facilities,

meeting rooms, suites for the political leaders,

cafeterias, and common rooms.

All of these diverse elements are linked by a

series of gardens defined by two symmetrical

architectural axes that intersect at the centre of

the circle.

The axes extend to the edges of the site and open

into panoramic views of the surrounding city.

Vidhan Bhavan is conceived as a "city within a

city".

The use of local red stone, handmade ceramic

tiles, and painted surfaces refers to the

architectural traditions of Madhya Pradesh:

gateways, enclosures, courts, small domes, and

other architectural details that develop a new

imagery based on traditional forms.

Large contemporary murals, sculpture, and

paintings by local artists enliven the spaces.

The creation of an ensemble that provides a wide

range of spatial experiences as one moves through

the complex.

INFERENCE

Correa was influenced with

many masters –

Le Corbusier, Louis Khan,

Adolf Loos, Recardo

Legoretta

Correa has developed a

unique style in

reinterpreting and

reintegrating the past –

ETERNAL PRESENT

Inspired by mythic and

cosmology of Indian context

Other works:Jawahar Kala Kendra – Jaipur

Cidade de Goa - Hotel

Arts & Crafts Village –Pragati

Maidan, Delhi

Bharat Bhavan – Bhopal

British Council – New Delhi

Housing – New Bombay

Previ Housing – Peru

Cochin waterfront

Lakefront - Hyderabad

BALKRISHNA V DOSHI (1927 - )

Background

• BV Doshi studied at the Sir JJ School of Architecture

• 1951-4 – Worked for Le Corbusier in Paris

• 1954-7 – Returned back to India as Site architect for Chandigarh

• 1964-72 – Worked for Louis I Khan as site architect in IIM project

• 1965 – Founded the Center for Environmental Planning and

Technology (CEPT) in Ahmedabad

Philosophy:

BV Doshi had a substantial influence in Northern India as educator

and designer, not only as transmitter of Le Corbusier‟s and Louis

I Khan‟s philosophy but also in providing exemplar of work for

others to follow.

He was concerned with the Indian context to a greater extent,

providing a quality environment rather than modern buildings

• Courtyards

• Labyrinthine Academic complex

• Rich and Varied Architectural

texture

• Heavy building stone and delicate

concrete

• Traditional Built form in Modern

Language

• Semi-formal Landscape

• Exterior Grey Monotony

• Interior – soft and varied play of

light

• Underlying Geometric order Vs

surprise and apparent eccentricities

1. Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore: 1983

2. Sangath, Architect‟s Own OfficeAhmedabad: 1980

• Sangath means

„moving together‟

• Building + Garden

• Complete

environmental

design

• Structure – small

scale

• Long Barrel vault

• 3 level structure

• A porous post and

beam structure

holds the vaults

• Vaults are light

weight composite

material

• Cylindrical terracotta

tiles sandwiched

between Ferro-cement

shells.

• Exterior – a heat

reflecting waterproof

coat of china-mosaic.

• Rain water is

collected and channeled

to reflecting ponds.

Inspired by the earth-hugging

forms of the Indian vernacular,

it also draws upon the vault

suggestions of Le Corbusier.

A warren of interiors derived

from the traditional Indian city,

it is also influenced by sources

as diverse as Louis I. Kahn,

Alvar Aalto and Antonio Gaudi.

• Aranya, 6 kilometres from Indore, will eventually house a total population of 60,000 in 6500 dwellings, on a net planning area of 85 hectares

• Designed around a central spine comprising the business district

• Comprises of 6 sectors of population 7000 - 12000 east & west of spine bisected by linear parks

• Site and Services strategy

• Plots, services and communal infrastructure are provided by the development authority

• Efforts to optimize the economics

• Dense urban neighborhood

• Scheme is sophisticated, highly unconventional configuration of plot and spaces.

3. Aranya Township: Indore - 1988

•10 houses, each with a courtyard at the back, form a cluster that opens

onto a street.

•Internal streets and squares are paved.

• Septic tanks are provided for each group of twenty houses, and

electricity and water are available throughout.

•The site plan accommodates and integrates a variety of income groups.

•The poorest are located in the middle of each of the six sectors, while

the better off obtain plots along the peripheries of each sector and the

central spine.

•Payment schemes, and a series of site and service options, reflect the

financial resources of this mixed community.

•80 demonstration houses, designed by architect Balkrishna V. Doshi,

display a wide variety of possibilities, ranging from one room shelters

to relatively spacious houses.

Exterior of two similar

houses with slightly

different detailing

Most of the income groups buy only

a house plot.

Available to the poorest, in

addition to the plot itself, are a

concrete plinth, a service core,

and a room.

The down payment is based on the

average income of the family, the

loan balance being paid in monthly

instalments.

Brick, stone, and concrete are

available locally, but owners are

free to use any material they

choose for house construction and

decoration.

An innovative sites-and-services

project that is particularly

noteworthy for its effort to

integrate families within a range

of poor-to-modest incomes.

• Housing is organized in

concentric rings to

avoid hierarchy.

• Large open areas are

avoided

• Public spaces are

evenly distributed in

small parcels

• Back to back

construction to share

services

• Reduced infrastructure

cost by 30%

• The site grows

according to the owner‟s

affordability.

4. IIM: Ahmedabad - New Campus

•New concrete-look campus have 25 dorms, each of

which can hold 25-44 students in single-person

rooms.

•Each dorm has its own distinctive culture and

traditions.

•The new campus, connected to the old campus via

a pedestrian tunnel (which also serves as a

photo gallery), opened in 2006.

•The new campus is just across the road from the

old campus and houses 7 of the 25 dorms and some

classrooms and seminar halls

5. Amdavad ni Gufa

an underground art

gallery housing the

collaborative effort of

artist M. F. Hussain &

the architect B. V.

Doshi. This marvel of

contemporary

architecture was

constructed using

computer aided design

and tribal initiative,

adding a new dimension

to viewing art.

The Gufa is a

configuration of cave-

like structures buried

under the ground. This

marvel of contemporary

architecture is a fusion

of the modern and

ancient ideas.

Inference

BV Doshi uses a mix of two

philosophies combined with his own

research and application of

contextual factors – like

economical viable policy

solutions, ferro-cement and china-

mosaic etc..

ANANT RAJE (1929 - )

BIOGRAPHY:

•A major Indian Modernist whose career began in 1950s-Indian architect

and intellectual born in Mumbai, India.

•Studied at the Sir J. J. School of Architecture and later worked with

Louis Kahn in Philadelphia, where he also taught at the University of

Pennsylvania

•For over thirty years he has taught at the School of Architecture in

Ahmedabad. He also taught at the University of New Mexico, in America,

and was a visiting professor at many universities in America and

Europe.

•Throughout his career he has had a close relationship with Le

Corbusier's student B. V. Doshi.

IMPORTANT WORKS:

•Bhopal Development Authority Headquarters

•Galbabhai Training Institute - Palanpur

•Executive Management Centre –

at IIM Ahmedabad

•The Forest Management Institute in Bhopal

•Institute of Statistics in New Delhi.

•MAFCO Wholesale Market

BACKGROUND:

• Raje was exposed to both Le Corbusier and Khan

• Maintained continued link with CEPT

• Had substantial influence in Northern India

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

• Greatly influenced by Khan.

• Brutalist approach in architecture – exposed brickwork and lintels

• Volume should have subtle yet prominent presence.

1.Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi- 1970-75

• Located on 6-hectare long and narrow site with Qutab Minar backdrop

• Class rooms are created by folding the walls continuously.

• Concept based on series of courts for students and staff to intermingle

• Rooms pushed in and pulled out to create shadow pockets

2. MAFCO Wholesale Market, Vashi, New Bombay - 1975

• Only first phase was built.

• Low-rise complex is urban in

concept and experience

• limits transit vehicular

movement and enhances

pedestrian circulation within

the commercial complex.

• Covered walkways and pedestrian

streets are provided.

• The different facilities are

arranged around three courts,

with the wholesale market at

the center and the trading

cells, banks and post office

buildings on the periphery.

•The buildings are based on the repetition of 4.5 m wide structural

bays roofed with a barrel vault concrete shell.

•This standardization allowed for a rapid and economical construction

process. The project also features an auction hall with raised

platform for loading and unloading produce.

3. Bhopal Development Authority Headquarters, Bhopal 1980

•demonstrates - even though the entire plot is

covered by the building to get the maximum land

utilization, it has enough open space for terraces

built and integrated in the composition of the

layout.

•ground level - movement of vehicles

•elevated terrace levels -keeps pedestrian movement

isolated from the vehicular traffic.

•It was intended that this model would become a

prototype for other office buildings which are being

undertaken by BDA and establish a route for elevated

walkways around the future office blocks in the same

business district.

• All openings are integrated with the structure in

such a way that they create a pocket of shadow

within which the windows fall offering a complete

freedom to the design and form of the windows.

•The building works with the climate shading the

internal spaces from the hot summer sun.

4. Galbabhai Training Institute, Palanpur, 1983

•two distinct clusters respectively housing

the school and residential units. The former

group of structures, accessed by a courtyard,

is designed as a house, with several courts

and rooms where people can gather, and a

verandah used as a dining space.

•Indoor and outdoor areas are clearly defined

so as to reflect the villagers' perception of

space and seclusion.

•The series of loggias making up the

dormitories do not open on the courtyard

placed in their center in order to achieve

maximum privacy.

•The compound is enclosed by stone walls, and

the buildings' openings are spanned by

concrete lintels and are deeply recessed to

provide additional shade.

•The exposed stone facades and arched lintels

used throughout convey a visual unity to the

overall design.

INFERENCE:

Even though greatly

influenced by Khan, Anant

Raje had developed a

unique sense contextual

buildings.

One common element in

international architects

performing in Indian

Context is a general lack

of concern for urban

design issues.

Buildings continue to be

seen as elements in space

rather than as urban space

defining elements

Model of INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREST MANAGEMENT, Bhopal- 1989

UTTAM C JAIN (1934 - )

BACKGROUND:

Influenced by Indian Modernist has associated with BV Doshi as

an educator in CEPT and completed projects predominantly in

Rajasthan and Gujarat.

For several years he was the editor of the Journal of the

Indian Institute of Architects.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

Pure Form – Regulated Geometry – Culture to be incorporated in

Buildings

Use of Local materials and construction techniques

WORKS:

Bandodkar's Memorial, Panaji, Goa

Oberoi Bogmalo Beach Resort in Goa

Habibganj Railway Station , Bhopal

Indira Gandhi Institute of Development, Mumbai

Habibganj Railway Station, Bhopal 1995

A long, narrow, three-storey

building which is inspired by the

forms of city gates.

The station is a series of open

vaulted concrete structures built at

each of the three levels through

which platforms and ramps pass.

The building contains ticket

offices, a waiting hall, a

restaurant, and arrival and

departure platforms.

University of Jodhpur Campus, Jodhpur 1969 - 99

• Stone serves as the primary

building material

• Loose community of structure

blended with golden colored

sandstone

• Contemporary yet contextual

building

• Sculptural expressiveness

• Double wall construction to

prevent heat and radiation

• Volumetric exploration with

double height courtyards,

colonnades

• Building gives a bold presence –

water tank

Rhythmic progression of stone piers and towers, arts

and social sciences block

Indira Gandhi Institute of Development,Mumbai 1987

A research complex along with staff and scholar housing, all

accommodated in various building blocks on a sloped site. The

blocks are arranged around an open patio and landscaped green

space.

Inference:

1. Material significance plays a

major role in UC Jain‟s buildings.

2. Cultural significance could be

seen in the use of decorative

detailing in the interiors of

BALOTRA MUNICIPAL COUNCIL building

3. The context requires Banal

construction and Jain was very

successful in breaking this

Banality by creating unfolding

drama of spaces.

Padmashree Achyut Kanvinde, (1916 – 2003)

BACKGROUND

• 1947 – completed architecture studies in Harvard, MA

• Worked with Walter Gropius

• president of the Indian Institute of Architects in 1976

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

• Radical thinker in Indian Architecture scenario

• Projects reflected of BAUHAUS style of modernism

• Kanvinde sought to create buildings that reflected modern

technology

• Purity in Form

• Pioneered in using flexible column and beam grid in India

• Introduced newer technique that emerged with technology – Waffle

Slab

• International style with Indian tradition

WORKS:

1. Dudhsagar Dairy Complex, Mehsana – 1971-74

2. National Dairy Development Board, New Delhi – 1983

3. IIT Kanpur, 1959 - 66

4. National Science Centre New Delhi-1991

5. Harivallavhdas House, Ahmedabad, 1964

Dudhsagar Dairy Complex, Mehsana - 1974

• Anthropomorphic interpretation

of building volumes

• Layout and hierarchy following

function

• Walls and structure are

theatrical than technical

• Large shafts in exterior for

ventilation

• Height difference is

exaggerated to a soaring mass

and profile

• Graphic banding articulate the

muscular physiognomy of the

building

• Articulation of the structural,

mechanical and ventilation

systems transform the

iconography of a plant and

laboratory

Harivallavhdas House, Ahmedabad,- 1964

IIT, Kanpur,- 1966

An elegant synthesis of urban design,

architecture and gardens, it is the

first example of a comprehensive modern

campus built in India.

Distinct living modules are arranged under a

sweeping parasol and sensitively sited in a

garden setting.

National Science Center, Delhi,- 1991

•six-storey structure situated on

a site that forms part of the

Trade Fair complex.

•The building comprises an

auditorium, conference rooms,

lecture hall, library, training

centre, exhibition areas, and a

cafeteria, totaling 14,000 square

m of built up area.

•An entrance concourse on the

first floor leads to the multi-

level display; and terraces

provide additional outdoor

exhibition areas.

• The building is finished with

aggregate plaster using local

Delhi blue quartzite stone chips

with bands in Dhopur stone chips,

and polished Kota stone with

Jaisalmer stone (ochre) bands are

used for the flooring.

National Dairy Development Board, New Delhi - 1983

• Irregular terracing and hanging

roof gardens

• Modest almost domestic character

reflects Delhi Neighborhood and

garden city character

• Alternative to conventional

office planning

• High emphasis on office-worker‟s

amenities and environmentally

sensitive space

• Services are concentrated on the

rear

• Exterior rough finish – plaster,

floors are polished grey-green

sandstone

His projects include :

Ahmedabad Textile Industry‟s Research Association,

Hospital for Gujarat State Housing Board,

Darpana Dance Academy,

NDDB Campus at Anand,

Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad,

Administration building at Delhi for CSIR,

CBRI Roorkee,

CEERI Campus at Pilani,

Housing for Rajasthan Atomic Power Project,

Mahatame Phule Agricultural University at Rahuri,

University of Agricultural Science at Bangalore,

Nehru Science Centre at Mumbai,

National Science Centre at New Delhi,

Milk Dairy and Powder Plant at Mehsana,

NIBM at Pune,

National Insurance Academy at Pune,

Shere Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences at Soura,

Vedic Institute and Temple Complex for ISKCON at New Delhi

Inference:Kanvinde was much focused on technology and architecture that reflects

purity of form and almost monumental

Details that enhance the above statement

Significantly influenced by the modernist thinkers of west like Gropius,

Wright – BAUHAUS

Have influenced a series of Indian architects thereafter

INDIAN MODERNIST

Authored the book – “Campus design in India”