“Architecture, form, light, space-all of these I learnt from them.”ĭoshi’s long list of works-from the academic block of IIM-Bangalore to Amdavad Ni Gufa in Ahmedabad to the Aranya low-cost housing project in Indore-draw inspiration from Corbusier and Kahn’s monumental works. “I had never thought of what a building actually was,” he says. They taught him things he had not even heard of earlier. “Corbusier and Kahn were fascinating personalities,” says Doshi. The gesture underscored Doshi’s stature-he is the only Indian architect to have won the Pritzker Prize, often called the architecture Nobel.ĭoshi says his career owes a lot to his two gurus-legendary architects Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, with whom he worked closely after studying architecture at Sir J.J. Simon Allford, president of the Royal Institute, personally flew to Ahmedabad to present the medal in person. One of India’s best-known architects, Doshi, 94, was recently awarded the prestigious Royal Gold Medal, given annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects in London and considered one of the world’s highest architectural honours. Architecture, form, light, space-all of these I learnt from them. The jury found Aranya to be an innovative sites-and-services project that is particularly noteworthy for its effort to integrate families within a range of poor-to-modest incomes.Corbusier and Kahn were fascinating personalities. Brick, stone, and concrete are available locally, but owners are free to use any material they choose for house construction and decoration. The down payment is based on the average income of the family, the loan balance being paid in monthly instalments. Available to the poorest, in addition to the plot itself, are a concrete plinth, a service core, and a room. Most of the income groups buy only a house plot. Doshi, display a wide variety of possibilities, ranging from one room shelters to relatively spacious houses. Eighty demonstration houses, designed by architect Balkrishna V. Payment schemes, and a series of site and service options, reflect the financial resources of this mixed community. 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. The site plan accommodates and integrates a variety of income groups. Septic tanks are provided for each group of twenty houses, and electricity and water are available throughout. Ten houses, each with a courtyard at the back, form a cluster that opens onto a street. Six sectors, each with populations of 7000-12,000, lie to the east and west of the spine and are diagonally bisected by linear parks. The master plan, prepared by the Vastu-Shilpa Foundation in 1983, is designed around a central spine comprising the business district. 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.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |