B.V. Doshi: Shaping the discourse of architecture in India: A true legend!

His work in architecture to affect humanity is deeply personal, responsive and meaningful. He has been instrumental in shaping the discourse of architecture throughout India and internationally. He has been able to interpret architecture and transform it into built works that respect Eastern culture while enhancing the quality of living in India.”

  • Pritzker award jury; March 2018

First Indian to win the prestigious Pritzker award (March 2018), considered the Nobel of architecture and awarded to a living architect with a great influence on the profession, Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi (B. V. Doshi) is truly a living legend. Born in Pune on August 26, 1924, Doshi got interested in architecture quite early and entered the prestigious Sir J. J. School of Architecture, Bombay in 1947. He loved his country and its culture and that always reflected in his work and philosophy.

  • Le Corbusier: a great influence

Having completed his degree in Architecture, Doshi travelled to London in 1950 where he met the great architect Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (better known as Le Corbusier), and his life changed forever. He went to Paris with master architect and worked for him for the next four years. Doshi then returned to India on the behest of Corbusier in 1955 to oversee the construction of some of master architect’s projects here. These projects included The Mill Owners’ Association Building and The Villa Sarabhai in Ahmedabad. He liked the city so much that he chose to settle there, making his residence (Kamala House, 1963) and later his office (Vastushilpa Consultants) in the Gujarati Metropolis.

  • Understanding the land

As mentioned earlier, Doshi’s work and philosophy was greatly influenced by his guru Le Corbusier, but he adapted many of his senior’s principles to the necessities of his motherland. His architecture has been a brilliant mix of India’s traditions, lifestyles and environment. His structures fittingly offer refuge from harsh weather and provide common spaces for residents to spend time together.

  • Landmark projects

Doshi has completed more than a hundred fascinating projects throughout India during his illustrious career. He specialized in designing public institutions, like schools, libraries, art centers, and low-cost housing to name just a few. Some of his most famous buildings are listed below:

  • School of Architecture, Ahmedabad. 1966. (later renamed The Center for Environmental Planning and Technology in 2002)
  • Life Insurance Corporation Housing, Ahmedabad. 1973
  • Aranya Low Cost Housing, Indore. 1989
  • Amdavad Ni Gufa (an art gallery), Ahmedabad. 1994
  • Indian Institute of Management, Banglore. 1977-92
  • Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad. 1962

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • A great teacher himself

Doshi kept his connection with the field of education intact throughout. He himself established the School of Architecture at Ahmedabad in 1966, and later added more disciplines to it, like planning, interior design, and environmental design. Doshi made extensive tours to universities and colleges around the world to remain in touch with his colleagues and the students. He was a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Washington University (St. Louis), the University of Hong Kong, and so many other universities. Students just loved his style of teaching during his lectures.

He has also been a prolific writer, writing articles and notes on a regular basis. He penned down his autobiography “Paths Uncharted” in 2011, surely a beacon of light for students of architecture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Honours and awards

Doshi’s understated buildings with a stamp of Indianness have received numerous honors and awards during his long and illustrious career. He is the first and so far the only Indian to have received the prestigious Pritzker Prize. He was made an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters, the highest French award for Arts, in 2011. He was awarded the 6th Aga Khan Award for Architecture for Aranya Low-cost Housing in Indore. The government of India honoured him with Padma Shree in 1976 in recognition of his stupendous work in the field of architecture.

B.V. Doshi worked tirelessly to become an important figure in South Asian Architecture. His concern for the common man makes him a people’s architect. We shall highlight some of his landmark works in our next posts. Keep sending us your invaluable feedback to help us in our endeavour to constantly improve our blogposts.

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Balkrishna-Doshi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._V._Doshi

https://www.archdaily.com/…/7-projects-you-need-to-know-by-2018-pritzker-prize-w…

https://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/balkrishna-doshi

https://www.aljazeera.com/…/balkrishna-doshi-architecture-backdrop-life-180309122…

https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture…/3-masterpieces-by-balkrishna-dosh…

https://www.behance.net/gallery/72947975/BV-Doshi?tracking_source=search_projects|bv+doshi&l=3

https://www.behance.net/gallery/174495735/BV-Doshi-digital-poster?tracking_source=search_projects|bv+doshi&l=7

https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/life-insurance-corporation-housing_o

https://www.behance.net/gallery/126087035/LIC-Housing-by-BV-Doshi-Architecture-Illustration?tracking_source=search_projects|bv+doshi&l=16

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sandeep Singh is an architect from IIT Roorkee.

Ten years after graduating, he lost his vision to genetic Diabetes.

He reinvented his career and turned writer.

He has authored two fiction books and writes blogs on

Architecture, Outsourcing, Safety and a variety of other

subjects for different organizations. He also chairs and runs two NGOs