Photographs courtesy the architect

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insite iconWith a long and productive career spanningover five decades, Architect Hasmukh C. Patelhas been one of the driving forces ofcontemporary architecture in India.

After studying architecture at M SUniversity, Baroda, and Cornell University,New York, he started his practice, a three-man office, in 1960. Today, HCP Design andProject Management Pvt. Ltd. has gone fromstrength to strength, with a workforce of 150and a legacy of more than 800 built projectsacross India.

Hasmukh C. Patel, who’s known for his“common sense architecture” and was awardedthe IIA Baburao Mahatre Gold Medal forLifetime Achievement, propounds thephilosophy that design is basically a “problem-solving process”.

HCPDPM’s portfolio includes a myriad rangethat includes townships, hotels, hospitals,industrial units, housing, public buildings,commercial complexes, academic institutes,cinemas, theatres and sports facilities. Allprojects are characterised by thoroughplanning, meticulous detailing with an absenceof excess, high standards of construction andtimely delivery.

In this lucid narrative penned for Insite,Hasmukh C. Patel, the man who has shapedHCPDPM’s design philosophy and its attitudeto practice, gives an insight into his multihuedjourney – his introduction to architecture, hisphilosophy, his design influences, his earlystruggle and his favourite projects.

I was born in 1933 in Bhadran, a villagein Charotar region of Gujarat. My fatherwas a civil engineer and ran a smallconstruction company in Baroda. Hewas keen that I become an architectand would often ask me to accompanyhim to his construction sites.

During these site visits, I noticed hisfastidiousness with the quality ofworkmanship, and the meticulousnessand pride with which he executedeach project. This left an indelibleimpression on my mind.

After completing high school, Ienrolled in the four-year diplomaprogramme in architecture atMaharaja Sayajirao University inBaroda. Here, one of my teachers wasProf. M. B. Dave, who had also servedas the city architect of Baroda. Iadmired him as a designer andteacher. He helped me overcome myshortcomings and realise my strengths,encouraged me, and instilled in me therealisation that every line an architectdraws costs money. After completingthe programme in 1956, I worked withhim for a year.

By this time, the quest for knowledgeand international exposure had grown.So, in 1957, I enrolled in the Master ofArchitecture programme at CornellUniversity. Here, Prof. Kent was a positiveforce in my life. He was not only a goodteacher but also a great motivator.

At the university, I found the contactwith other professors and fellowstudents; the campus life; and themusic, art and architecture of the late1950s very stimulating. It was a periodwhen rational attitudes and outlooks

Bhakti Hasmukh House,Ahmedabad: My house inNaranpura was built in 1969for a family of four andremains one of my favouriteprojects. It provided me witha seed idea and gave me anopportunity to demonstrateand evolve my designphilosophy. It is a spartan,two-storeyed structure builtin exposed brick and exposedconcrete, and overlooks asumptuous garden. Thespatial organisation of itsinteriors determines thearticulation of its exteriors.All the surfaces and forms arewell-ordered and deliberatelycomposed and all elementsclearly retain their identityand integrity.

prevailed and architects sought thetruth in simple, clear and directresolution of complex issues. Thesearch for the truth through perfectionin design was seen as the highest goaland demanded total commitment tothe act of building.

After completing studies at Cornell in1959, I sought to broaden my visionfurther. So I travelled extensivelyacross the United States and Europeand visited the works of masters suchas Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Kahn,Louis Sullivan, Le Corbusier, Mies Vander Rohe, et al. I was particularlyimpressed by the simplicity, clarityand minimalism in the work of MiesVan der Rohe and the Austrianarchitect Harry Seidler.

Upon my return to India in 1960, Ibegan working with Atmaram Gajjarin Ahmedabad. Unfortunately, sixmonths later, he became terminally illand advised me to take over thepractice and complete the ongoingprojects. This event jump-started mycareer, and I set up an independentthree-man practice on August 27,1960. I also started teaching at thenew school of architecture founded byB V Doshi, Bernard Kohn and Dr R NVakil in 1962. Later, I served as thedirector of the school, from 1972 to1981, and as Dean, Centre forEnvironmental Planning andTechnology (CEPT), from 1978 to 1981.

When I started my practice, A PKanvinde’s ATIRA offices inAhmedabad, designed in thecontemporary style, had already beenbuilt. Simultaneously, the influence ofCorbusier’s Brutalist style was

gradually spreading amongst the youngarchitects of the country. However, Iwas reluctant to subscribe to anystyle. I preferred that my designs bethe architectural interpretations ofthe clients’ needs and emerge from arigorous problem-solving approach. Iwas also keen that they be simple andhonest, yet elegant, contextual,climate responsive and timeless.

The early years of my practice were astruggle. However, the first break camein 1965 when the trustees of St. Xavier’sapproached me to design a hostel fortheir priests, which was later christenedNewman Hall. In the following years, mypractice grew rapidly and providedopportunities to design a wide range ofprojects, some of which have becomelandmarks of Ahmedabad.

In 1990, my children Bimal and Cannajoined the practice and broughtexpertise in urban and regionalplanning and interior design. Thepractice became more multi-disciplinary and today has a staffstrength of 150+. During the last twodecades, five independentprofessional companies have also beenadded to the HCP group viz.Environmental Planning Collaborative(EPC), EPC Development Planning andManagement Pvt. Ltd. (EPCDPM),Geographis (India) Pvt. Ltd., HCPInterior Architecture Pvt. Ltd. (HCPIA)and TDW Furniture Pvt. Ltd. (TDW).

Although all my projects are dear tome, a few of my favourite projects areBhakti Hasmukh House, Dena Bank,Newman Hall, Chinubhai Centre, EdenGardens, Birla Cellulosic Township andShyamal Row Housing.

Bhakti Hasmukh House

Dena Bank, Ahmedabad: Dena Bank, builtin 1982, is located on a prominent linearsite along the Ashram Road and houses thelocal, regional and zonal offices of the bank.Spread over a built-up area of 6,800 sq. m.,it is designed to project the corporate imageof the bank. It is conceived as a compositionof a multi-storeyed office tower resting ona two-storeyed podium. The tower islocated towards the rear of the podium tocreate a large two-level forecourt towelcome the visitor and lend a sense ofdignity and grandeur to the scheme. A grandstaircase provides access to the podium andthe narrow deep-set fenestrations in thefacades of the office tower evoke a senseof security. Besides, the planning moduleof 1.5 m X 5 m generates unobstructed andflexible floor plates, which enable deeperand even penetration on daylight andminimise the dependence on artificiallighting.

Newman Hall, Ahmedabad:Newman Hall is a hostel forpriests of St. Xaviers Mission.It was built in 1965 and is spreadover a built-up area of 3,740 sq.m. The three-storeyed structureis organised in an H-shaped plan.Two blocks of individual cellsopen onto common verandahsand overlook an innerquadrangle. A three-tiered bridgelinks the two blocks to a verticalcirculation core and a separatecommon room. The chapel isdesigned as a small free-standingcircular structure and is locatedbetween the wings, at the headof the ensemble. It completes theenclosure of the quadranglewhich is a pleasant space withcasually planted shady trees andbougainvillea.

Chinubhai Centre andPatang Hotel, Ahmedabad:Chinubhai Centre is locatedon a prominent corner plotat the junction of AshramRoad and Nehru Bridge. Ithas a built-up area of 8,220sq. m. and was completedin 1984. It is amultifunctional commercialcomplex and houses largeshowrooms, shops, officeswith terrace gardens, andPatang Hotel, the firstrevolving restaurant of itskind in South Asia.

Patang Hote l i s alandmark of the city andprov ides breathtak ingviews across it.

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Chinubhai Centre and Patang Hotel

Newman Hall

Dena Bank

Today, at 77, I am a contented man. Ihave had a rewarding career andenjoyed every moment of my life. But,I still consider myself a student. The

mechanics of a product and designproblems still intrigue me. But, I havetaken a back seat now and entrustedthe practice to my son Bimal. These

days, I devote my time to sketching,painting, listening to music andexploring the potential of mycomputer as a creative medium.

Eden Gardens, Kolkata: In 1986, I was commissionedto renovate the Eden Gardens to increase its seatingcapacity from 40,000 to over 100,000 and tomodernise its facilities for the World Cup finals whichwere scheduled to be held there in February 1987.Transforming Eden Gardens was a massiveundertaking and involved delivery within a restrictedtime frame and under extremely trying conditions.

The project also posed two major challenges. Thefirst was the provision of a roof over the stands withmaximum coverage and minimal supports to providean unobstructed view of the field. The second wasthe erection of the geometrically precise roof overan irregular stadium and supporting it on existingcolumn structures. The space under the seats, whichwas non-functional and accumulated garbage, wasrationalised and redesigned as a movement space.Toilets, food stalls, drinking water facilities andaccess to spectators and security personnel were alsoprovided within the stadium.

Birla Cellulosic Township,Bharuch: The Birla CellulosicTownship provides a built-uparea of 400,000 sq. m. and wascompleted in 1997. Thetownship is organised as twodistinct colonies of 27,000 sq.m. and 13,400 sq. m. It is alsoequipped with adequatephysical infrastructure,including an electricsubstation, club house andshopping centre. Sharedfacilities across the coloniesinclude a guesthouse,bachelors’ hostels, and aswimming pool. Common publicbuildings, which occupy a built-up area of approximately13,500 sq. m., include a school,hospital, bank and post office.

Shyamal Row Houses, Ahmedabad:Shyamal Row Housing was designedin 1987 and executed in five phasesto provide 400 3BHK units. Thisproject sought to resolve the classicconflict between the demands of thedevelopers as client and the needsof the end user, the anonymousclient. In attempting to maximisethe number of units we wereconstrained to work with a verynarrow unit width of 5.8 m. To lenda feeling of spaciousness to thecompact units, the double heightliving rooms were designed to openinto the back garden. The projectincludes ancillary recreation andservice facilities for each phase,namely a common club house,gardens, a swimming pool andshared services.

Eden Gardens

Birla Cellulosic Township

Shyamal Row Houses