Eye of Art #9 : Balkrishna Doshi
A weekly series to share my art discovery with first the work that caught my eye...
This year, I missed the Pritzker prize ceremony, annual award rewarding an architect who has made a significant contribution to architecture. The winner was Balkrishna Doshi, Indian architect, very surprised about this honor.
“The award came as a surprise. The kind of work I have done is slightly low key and if architecture doesn’t shout or scream, sometimes it goes unnoticed.” - Balkrishna Doshi, last week in Toronto (Canada)
With the article of the presentation of Balkrishna Doshi, there is this picture :
Sangath Architect's Studio, 1980, Ahmedabad (India)
I like his design with subtlety and sensitivity and reading the article the modesty of the man, I want to know more about him. So with one day late, just a post to present the architect I didn't know... If you have more information, don't hesitate to share with a comment.
WHO
Born in Pune (south of Bombay) in 1927, Balkrishna Doshi learned architecture at the Sir J. J. School of Architecture in Mumbai and then at the University of London. At the time, there were very few architects in India: about 300, or one architect per million inhabitants. He wanted to join the Royal Institute of British Architects, but he heard about the project to create the Punjab capital, Chandigarh, and went to Paris to be hired by Le Corbusier in 1951. He stayed there for three years, before return to India for the agency and coordinate the realization of the Premabhai Hall in Ahmedabad.
Premabhai Hall, Ahmedabad (India)
In 1955, he created Vastu Shilpa, a foundation devoted to environmental issues and where he questions pre-existing Indian houses, which he considers structured and balanced. In 1962, the famous architect Louis Khan came to work in Amhmedabad with him, to create the Ahmedabad Indian Institute of Management.
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, 1977–1992 (Multiple Phases), Bangalore (India)
“I have done buildings that are graceful and easily understandable.” - Balkrishna Doshi
In 1989, Balkrishna Doshi completed the project of community houses in Aranya, Indore, where lives more than 80,000 people, which earned her the Aga-Khan Award for Architecture. I love this low-cost housing, simple and efficient. All the architecture must be... serving people.
Disciple of Le Corbusier, the 90-year-old architect and teacher manages to combine Indian architecture with modern architecture. He understands the people who would use his buildings but also the environment like heat, ventilation, rain.
With Le Corbusier
In addition to his architectural work, Balkrishna Doshi had an important activity as professor. He has taught at many US institutions (MIT, Rice University in Houston, and University of Pennsylvania). He is also co-founder of the Ahmedabad School of Architecture and the first director (1962-1972)...
Sangath Architect's Studio, 1980, Ahmedabad (India). With the tree in the middle
Sources
Pritzker Prize,
Balkrishna Doshi on Wiki
Article about him on BBC
Doshi's residence, Kamala House, 1959
Old Post Eye of Art
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Finally, works I have seen already. We were all a bit surprised because Doshi's architecture IS low key but he is an amazing man - he still goes to the office everyday and is slightly hard of hearing but overlooks the happenings of the studio.
I really didn't know Doshi and I like the sketch with the tree in the middle of the Sangath studio. I don't find picture if the tree was kept in the middle (now, for some houses, the constructions were made around the existing trees, I like this concept). What I find really interesting is that Doshi already had an environmental concept in the 50's, era of cars par excellence.
Next week, I try to find something you don't know, this is my challenge :-)
Yeah, Doshi is an architect who could almost see into the future. His office in Ahmedabad, Sangath does not have any artificial air conditioning despite being in one of the hottest places in India. It's still cool and comfortable to work in.
it's not going to be a difficult challenge @heroldius! I don't dare claim I know too much about this world.