Download Ar.B.V. DOSHI (Indian Modernist)

INDIAN CONTEMPORARY GREAT
By:
Ar. Anoop Kumar Sharma
Assistant Professor- DoALD
SMVDU
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Dr. Balkrishna Doshi, a Fellow of the Indian Institute
of Architects was born in Pune in 1927.
After initial study at the J J School of Architecture,
Bombay, he worked for four years in India to
supervise his projects in Ahmedabad.
His office Vastu-Shilpa (environmental design) was
established in 1955. The institute has done
pioneering work in low cost housing and city
planning.
Dr. Doshi has been a member of the Jury for
several international and national competitions
including the Indira Gandhi National Centre for
Arts and Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
He has been the first Director of School of
Architecture, Ahmedabad (1962-72).
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The building profile will have natural light + air +movement +
access elements against the sky to express the cosmic
relationship.
The building base will gradually widen towards the ground
through platforms, terraces, and steps.
The building mass will integrate roof, rainwater, cascades,
water bodies, natural landscapes, gardens, foliage.
Not all movements within the building will be symmetrical
but will shift axis to give unexpected experiences and
provide ambiguous / dual impressions.
And finally Aesthetic considerations will take into account
local symbolism, context, and associations.
Casting of shadows, breaking of mass, rhythms in the
structure, solids, voids, will be the mode of expression.
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ARCHITECTURE OF THE UNBUILT(ENERGIZINGVOIDS)
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THE ORDER OF HETEROGENEOUS HOMOGENEITY
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MYTH +FORM IMAGERY +PERCEPTION
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BUILT IN FLEXIBILITY AND OPEN ENDEDNESS OF DESIGN
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ENCOURAGING INTERACTION THROUGH BUILTFORM
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RESOURCE CONSERVATION
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PROJECT DETAILS
Aranya Low Cost Housing
Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Client :
Indore Development Authority
Principal Architect : Balkrishna Doshi
Project Associate : Mr. Himanshu Parikh
Project Supervision : Departmental Engineers
Structural Engineer: M/s Stein Doshi & Bhalla, New Delhi
Project Engineers : Environmental Engineering
Consultants, Bombay
Total Built-up Area: 100,000 m2
Project Cost : Rs. 100 Million
Aranya, 6 kilometers from Indore,
eventually house a total
population of 60,000 in 6500
dwellings, on a net planning area
of 85 hectares.
The master plan, prepared by
the Vastu-Shilpa Foundation in
1983, is designed around a
central spine comprising the
business district.
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.
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Ten 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.
Eighty demonstration houses, designed by architect Balkrishna V. Doshi,
display a wide variety of possibilities, ranging from one room shelters to
relatively spacious houses.
The down payment is based on the average income of the family, the
loan balance being paid in monthly installments.
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Brick, stone, and concrete
are available locally, but
owners are free to use any
material they choose for
house construction and
decoration.
The jury found Aranya to
be an innovative sites-andservices project that is
particularly noteworthy for
its effort to integrate
families within a range of
poor-to-modest incomes.
A total of 6,500 plot
s was to be provide
d. The idea was to
mix some middle inc
ome plots of about
475 m2 with those of
the “Economically
Weaker Section” (EW
S), then to use profits
to raise capital tow
ards the developmen
t of local trades. It w
as obvious that a liv
elihood must be gua
ranteed within the se
ttlement itself for the
majority, otherwise th
e project could not
hope to work.
Squatter settlements repeat some of the s
patial layouts of villages but without the b
eauty and lyricism of rural forms. In the In
dore project a hierarchy of streets was su
ggested which gradually diminished in size
as they penetrated the different sectors
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The sole "architecture” provided by designers would
be “sanitary cores” each comprising plumbing, wash
room, kitchen plus a single room. These could then
be extended as the inhabitants established themsel
ves. It is hoped that the new community would ev
entually generate building trades and then an upgr
aded version of the informal urban vernacular woul
d result. So far it is still too early to judge how the
Indore project will turn out.
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Doshi seems to have followed in the footsteps of
Japanese architect, Kunio Maekawa, who was
also a disciple of Le Corbusier.
At first he designed buildings with rough concrete
exteriors and later in the second phase of his
career, he paid more attention to interiors, using
traditional materials.
An intimate space unfolds by enclosing the
courtyard; this is reminiscent of Rajput palaces. This
is one of Doshi’s finest works, creating a rich
environment for people.
Architect: Balkrishna Doshi
 Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat State
 Building Type: Research institute
 Construction System: concrete
 Climate: desert
 Context: urban
 Style: Modern
 Notes: Concrete vaults
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Doshi's architecture provides
one of the most important
models for modern Indian
architecture. Mahatma Gandhi
Labour Institute was established
on 15th September, 1979 by the
Government of Gujarat to
provide for education, training,
study and research in labour
and related subjects.
The institution is
'demonumentalised'
to make it feel
accessible to the
public.
The institute's
activities flow freely
into one another in a
way that is
deliberately
ambiguous. The
composition is
distinguished by its
studied contrast of
regularity and
irregularity.
One enters at the first floor under a transversal vault which then feeds laterally
into the various departments by means of a lofty interior gallery.
The approach is along a diagonal which traverses the forecourt prior to
mounting a shallow flight of steps flanked by a pool
Courtyard.
The Corridor below the vaulted roof.
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Hussain Doshi Gufa is an underground art gallery located
in Ahmedabad that depicts the works of the famous
Indian painter named M.F.Hussain.
It has been designed by the famous architect B. V. Doshi.
Thus, the art gallery has been named after the two
eminent personalities, Hussain and Doshi.
The gallery is more popularly known as Amdavad ni Gufa.
It has been given the name Gufa, as its structural design
resembles a cave
The Hussain Doshi Gufa art gallery in Ahmedabad lies in
the surrounding areas of the Center for Environmental
Planning and Technology.
This structure has been constructed using simple hand
tools and that too by unskilled workers. The art gallery has
been built on the basis of computer aided designs.
Set adjacent to the CEPT University, this
museum is one of a kind – the spaces
are all underground with only the
domed roof shells protruding above the
ground level.
The museum spaces, set below the
ground contain no straight wall, a
surprise when you consider that the
function was to house Husain’s
paintings...one enters the space
through a staircase which is partly
hidden, through a circular door and
reaches the surreal cavern like space.
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PROJECT DETAILS
NIFT Campus
Nr. Gulmohar Park
Hauz Khas New Delhi 110 016
Client, National Institute of Fashion Technology
Principal Architect , Balkrishna Doshi , M/s Stein Doshi
& Bhalla
Project Associate , Laxman Patel, S.L.Shah
Structural Consultant , Himanshu Parikh, Ahmedabad
Electrical Consultant, Sheth Consultants,
Ahmedabad
Site Area, 11650 m2
Total Built-up Area, 13570 m2
Project Cost , Rs. 8.5 million (1994)
The National Institute of Fashion Techno
logy at New Delhi, recreates an inwar
dly bazar, livened up by designed disp
lays and movements of students as we
ll as visitors through entire space. Consi
sting of academic, administrative and r
esidential activities, the campus reinter
prets the traditional town square throu
gh its inward looking building; interactiv
e corridors, bridges and terraces; k u n
d like steps; and communicative facad
es.
The front court, surrounded by the terr
aced academic block and glazed ad
ministrative wing becomes culturally ap
propriate and climatically comfortable
outdoor space.
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The India Habitat Centre, located in New
Delhi, India
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It was conceived to be a catalyst
relationship between individuals and
institutions working in related areas to
increase their effectiveness.
The creation of a green and healthy
environment forms the backbone of the
complex.
 This contributes to the urban level
functions and also creates a healthy and
pleasant environment for the working
employees.
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The height of the building is around 30m
high.
 The entire facade is cladded with red
bricks which give a majestic look to the
structure.
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The atrium of the structure is beautifully
designed with various landscape features
such as sculptures and green areas.
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The reflectors are installed above the
building to provide shade and prevent
sun from entering into the building.
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Massive Steel girders have been used for
the construction purpose. The entire
office block rests on the steel girders
without any support of the columns in
between the longitudinal plan.
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Most of the horizontal ribbon windows
have slots for plantation purpose which
add to the beauty of the entire complex.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND REFERENCES
www.greatbuildings.com
 www.slideshare.com
 www.archpedia.com
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