Balkrishna Doshi Architecture for the People

Balkrishna Doshi Architecture for the People Exhibition Concept Contents ↗ Exhibition Concept 5 Introduction 6 Exhibition 8 Biographical Notes 10 In Search of Context 12 Empowering People 14 Spaces for Education 16 ↗ Facts 18 ↗ Installation Shots 20 ↗ Video 38 Exhibition Concept ↗ Contents Introduction » Doshi has dedicated himself to the issues faced by the people who live around him – a need for housing and the importance of education and a sense of a shared community.« Glenn Murcutt Indian architect and urbanist Balkrishna Doshi he has collaborated at the beginning of his (*1927, Pune, India) is among the few pioneers of career. However, Doshi took the language of his modern architecture in India. With over 62 years buildings beyond these early models. By melding of practice, research and teaching, he has realised modern tendencies with traditional Indian a wide range of projects for public administrations, methods, he developed his own vocabulary that educational and cultural institutions, town oscillates between industrialism and primitivism, planning projects and residences for private between modern architecture and vernacular clients. They demonstrate his awareness for form. It revolves around the interrelation between communities and environment, adopting modern outdoor and indoor spaces, integrates flexibility architectural principles and adapting them to and openness and is based on an idea of local traditions, resources and context. Doshi is sustainability, which takes into account the social, acclaimed for his visionary work in low-cost environmental and economic dimensions of housing and city planning, as well as for his strong architecture. Doshi has contemplated not only the commitment to education. In 2018, he was the first object-ness of architecture but also how to root the Indian architect to be awarded the prestigious architectural object in its larger context of culture, Pritzker Prize. environment, and social, moral and religious beliefs. For him, architecture’s relation to context is Doshi’s architecture, which is both poetic and akin to the self’s relation to community and the functional, was strongly influenced by his learnings essential question for both is: How does the former Balkrishna Doshi at Sangath Architect’s Studio, Ahmedabad, 2018 from Le Corbusier and Louis I. Kahn, with whom serve the latter? 7 Exhibition The retrospective exhibition »Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture that is raised above the ground to Architecture for the People« reflects on Doshi’s the half-buried art gallery Amdavad Ni Gufa. philosophy and work and addresses the Here, questions about the nature of a campus fundamental issues of his approach to architecture, are explored, such as »Shouldn’t educational such as the relationship with local culture and institutions break the barriers, enabling students tradition, and the relevance of his archi tecture to to gain knowledge through discovery? Shouldn’t society in the rapidly changing Indian context institutions be open-ended and adaptive to since the early 1950s. The exhibition includes growth?« Doshi’s most significant projects realised between 1958 and 2014, ranging from the scale of entire The second section focuses on home and identity cities to townships, from academic campuses to and examines the power of architecture to bring individual houses, from institutions to interiors. about change in the various economic and These buildings are documented with a wealth cultural sections of Indian society. It evolves of exhibits from Doshi’s archive and studio, around questions such as »What is home? Where including drawings and models, objects, artworks, is home? What is the nature of open spaces in sketches, films and photography. Several full- housing settlements? How can indoor and outdoor scale installations recreate the essence of the spaces, the private and public become intert- physical manifestation of Doshi’s buildings. An wined? How can common elements be devised extensive timeline gives an overview of the to give rise to a sense of community and sharing architect’s professional and artistic career that while respecting the privacy and identity of spans over several decades and shows his close the individual and family? Can participatory relationship with the most influential thinkers of choices lead to growth through adaptation?« the 20th century. The narration of the exhibition The third section displays some of the many follows four main themes, which are essential institutions Doshi has participated in building to the understanding of Doshi’s architecture, while during the last 60 years. They all broke the also analysing the social and historical context, conventional mould and became important the influences, and thinking that have inspired centres for education, research, debate and Doshi’s work. dialogue. Finally, the last section of the exhibition is dedicated to the large-scale town 1. Balkrishna Doshi in collaboration with M.F. Husain, Amdavad Ni Gufa, Ahmedabad, 1994 The exhibition begins with the campus of planning projects and examines the role and 2. Exterior view with entrance area, Amdavad Ni Gufa, Ahmedabad, 1994 CEPT University in Ahmedabad, where Doshi, nature of cultural and civic institutions, as well as 3. M.F. Husain and Doshi during the construction of Amdavad Ni Gufa, Ahmedabad, 1994 between 1962 and 2012, has realised some of his their relationship to the surrounding housing 4. Spatial model, underground art gallery with columns, Amdavad Ni Gufa, Ahmedabad, 1994 most significant buildings, from the School of settlements. 5. Interior view, Amdavad Ni Gufa, Ahmedabad, 1994 9 Biographical Notes Born into a traditional Hindu family in 1927, Modernist architecture with a special emphasis the idea of myth, story, ritual and ceremony play on elemental forms and building materials. an important role in his works. His early conditioning » Doshi encourages his projects to take on happened during the Indian Independence In 1956, Doshi founded his own practice in movement under Mahatma Gandhi and Ahmedabad called Vastushilpa, a Sanskrit word lives of their own even when it happens in Rabindranath Tagore. His commitment to social meaning »Art of the Built Environment«, which ways he couldn’t have predicted.« housing was guided by Gandhi’s philosophy, has grown to employ five partners and sixty Samanth Subramanian while his concern for the education system employees, and has completed more than 100 was inspired by the ideas and teachings of projects. In 1958, he was one of the first to receive Tagore. He began his architecture studies in 1947, the International Fellowship of the Graham the year India gained independence, at the Foundation, Chicago. In 1962, at the age of 35, Sir J.J. School of Architecture Bombay (Mumbai). Doshi founded the School of Architecture at CEPT In the 1950s, he boarded a ship from India to University in Ahmedabad and in 1978 established London where he dreamed of joining the Royal the Vastushilpa Foundation for Studies and Institute of British Architects and eventually moved Research in Environmental Design. Having been to Paris to work under Le Corbusier. Doshi re- recognised both nationally and internationally as turned to India in 1954 to oversee Le Corbusier’s one of the most influential Asian architects after projects in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad, which 1947, Doshi is the recipient of numerous awards include the Mill Owner’s Association Building and distinctions such as the Global Award for (Ahmedabad, 1954) and Shodhan House Lifetime Achievement for Sustainable Architecture, (Ahmedabad, 1956), among others. Beginning in Institut Français d’Architecture, the Aga Khan 1962, he also worked with Louis Kahn as an Award for Architecture, and the Gold Medal of associate to build the Indian Institute of the Academy of Architecture of France, among Management, Ahmedabad, and they continued others. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of to collaborate for over a decade. Doshi’s British Architects, the Indian Institute of Architects, 1. Architectural study model, clay, Sangath Architect’s Studio, Ahmedabad, 1980 2. External view with water channels and grass steps, Sangath Architect’s Studio Ahmedabad, 1980 association with Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn and an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute 3. Interior view of workspace, Sangath Architect’s Studio, Ahmedabad, 1980 4. Staircases, studio space staggered over three levels, Sangath Architect’s Studio, Ahmedabad, 1980 made him familiar with the vocabulary of of Architects. Opposite page: Sectional sketch, Sangath Architect’s Studio, Ahmedabad, 1980 11 In Search of Context » Doshi has contemplated not only the object-ness of architecture (...), but also how to root the architectural object in its larger context of culture, environment, and social, moral and religious beliefs.« Glenn Murcutt Doshi’s architecture is characterised by a broad hollow ceramic cylinders and glass wool. The understanding of factors like climate, ways of life entire building is made of waste material using and particularities of material practices in the local locally available techniques and minimum context. Using patios, court yards, and covered resources. walkways, as in the case of the School of Archi- tecture (1968, now part of CEPT University) or the Sangath embodies the essence of Doshi’s long Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore (1977, career. The barrel-vaulted forms of the parallel 1992), Doshi creates spaces to protect from the volumes are reminiscent of Louis I. Kahn’s Kimbell

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