Balkrishna doshi biography of william

B. V. Doshi

Indian architect (–)

Balkrishna Vithaldas DoshiOAL (Gujarati: બાલકૃષ્ણ વિઠ્ઠલદાસ દોશી; 26 August &#;&#; 24 January ) was an Indian architect.[1] He is an important figure in Indian architecture and noted for his contributions to the evolution of architectural discourse in India.[2] Having worked under Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, he was a pioneer of modernist and brutalist architecture in India.

His noteworthy designs include FLAME University, IIM Bangalore, IIM Udaipur, NIFT Delhi, Amdavad ni Gufa, CEPT University, and the Aranya Low Cost Housing development in Indore for which was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.[3]

In , he became the first Indian architect to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize.[4][5] He was also awarded the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan,[6] and the Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal for [7]

Early life

Doshi was born to a GujaratiVaishnavHindu family in Pune.[8] His mother died when he was 10 months old and his father remarried, with his grandfather and aunts helping raise him.[9][10] At the age of eleven, he was injured in a fire accident, and thereafter walked with a slight limp.[11] He studied at the Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai between and [12]

Career

Early projects

In , he went to Europe. He worked closely with Le Corbusier on the latter's projects in Paris between and In , he returned to India to supervise Corbusier's buildings in Ahmedabad, which included the Villa Sarabhai, Villa Shodhan, Mill Owners' Association Building, and Sanskar Kendra. Corbusier is described as having been a major influence on Doshi's later work.[citation needed]

His studio, Vastu-Shilpa (environmental design), was established in Doshi worked closely with Louis Kahn and Anant Raje, when Kahn designed the campus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. In he was a fellow at the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. He then started the School of Architecture (S.A) in [citation needed]

Bimanagar

Bimanagar Housing Society, located at Ahmedabad is one of the well-known project by Shri B.V Doshi. He once said, "One of my most favourite housing projects is the one I designed for Life Insurance Corporation, at Ahmedabad. Here I knew that the houses would be occupied by several generations of the same family, that they would identify with it, that there will be a strong sense of belonging and that their needs will change, and they may modify parts of it.”

Teaching

Apart from his international fame as an architect, Doshi is equally known for having been an educator and institution builder. He was the founding director of the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad (–72), founding director of the School of Planning (–79), founding dean of the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (–81), founding member of the Visual Arts Centre, Ahmedabad, and founding director of the Kanoria Centre for Arts, Ahmedabad.[13]

Doshi was instrumental in establishing the nationally- and internationally-known research institute Vastu-Shilpa Foundation for Studies and Research in Environmental Design. The institute has performed pioneering work in low-cost housing and city planning.[14] He is noteworthy for his pioneering work on low-income housing, and for his designs that incorporate concepts of sustainability in innovative ways.[14]

Media

In , Hundredhands director Premjit Ramachandran released a documentary interviewing Doshi. He appeared as himself in Mani Ratnam's O Kadhal Kanmani and Shaad Ali's Ok Jaanu.[11]

Style

Doshi said that he had been inspired by historic Indian monuments, as well as the work of European and American architects.[15]

Personal life and death

Doshi married Kamala Parikh in They had three daughters – Tejal, Radhika, and Maneesha.[16] Tejal Panthaki is a textile designer,[17] Radhika Kathpalia is an architect and fashion designer,[18] and Maneesha Akkitham is a painter.[19] Khushnu Panthaki Hoof is Doshi's grand daughter and architect and currently head Balkrishna Doshi Archives and Vastushilpa Foundation. She along with her husband Sönke Hoof are Principal Architects of Studio Sangath.[20][21][22]

Doshi died in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 24 January , at age [23][24]

Recognition

Doshi was a fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and sat on the selection committee for the Pritzker Prize, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. He was also a fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects.[citation needed]

Doshi's work on the reunification of Indian and English heritages through his practice was awarded a Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in , the award's first edition. The award recognized Doshi's significant step in the direction of an alternative development model.[25]

In March , Doshi was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the Nobel equivalent for the field, thus becoming the first Indian to receive the honour. The Pritzker jury announced that Doshi "has always created an architecture that is serious, never flashy or a follower of trends", and noted his "deep sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute to his country and its people through high quality, authentic architecture".[5]

  • Padma Vibhushan (posthumous), Government of India, [26]
  • Royal Gold Medal, Royal Gold Medal for Architecture, Government of United Kingdom, [27]
  • Padma Bhushan, Government of India, [6]
  • Dhirubhai Thakar Savyasachi Saraswat Award, [28]
  • Pritzker Architecture Prize, [14]
  • Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, (first edition)[29]
  • Padma Shri, Government of India,
  • Honorary doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania
  • Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters, France, [30]
  • 6th Aga Khan Award for Architecture for Aranya Community Housing, –[3]

Buildings

  • – Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad[31]
  • – Centre for Environment and Planning Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad[16]
  • – Tagore Memorial Hall, Ahmedabad[16]
  • – ECIL Township, Hyderabad.[32][33]
  • – IFFCO township, Kalol[16]
  • – Premabhai Hall, Ahmedabad[16]
  • – Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore[16]
  • – Sangath, B. V. Doshi's office, Ahmedabad
  • – Shakti Bhavan, Administrative Office of M. P. Electricity Board, Jabalpur[16]
  • – Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute[16]
  • – Aranya Low Cost Housing, Indore[4]
  • – Vidyadhar Nagar, Jaipur[16]
  • – Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum, Ahmedabad[34]
  • – National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi[35]
  • – Amdavad ni Gufa, Ahmedabad
  • – Sawai Gandharva Smarak, Pune[36]
  • – Udayan the Condoville, Udita (HIG), Utsav (MIG) Utsarg (LIG) homes, Kolkata[37]

References

  1. ^Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi. Archived 23 August at the Wayback Machine. ArchNet Retrieved 26 July
  2. ^Ashish Nangia (12 February ). "Balkrishna V Doshi: The Mythical and the Modern". Post-Colonial India and its Architecture – II. Archived from the original on 10 May
  3. ^ ab"Balkrishna Doshi Named Pritzker Prize Laureate". ArchDaily. 7 March Retrieved 7 March
  4. ^ abPogrebin, Robin (7 March ). "Top Architecture Prize Goes to Low-Cost Housing Pioneer From India". The New York Times. ISSN&#; Retrieved 5 March
  5. ^ abRajghatta, Chidanand (8 March ). "B V Doshi 1st Indian to win 'Nobel' for architecture". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 May
  6. ^ ab"Padma Awards"(PDF).
  7. ^"Royal Gold Medal recipient: Balkrishna Doshi". Retrieved 11 December
  8. ^Utpal Sharma () [9 October ]. In Conversation: B.V. Doshi. Sahapedia. Retrieved 24 January
  9. ^Balkrishna Doshi. Timeline of his life & works
  10. ^"Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi". Japan Architect. No.&#;5. Retrieved 24 January &#; via
  11. ^ abShah, Devanshi (26 August ). "9 amazing facts you absolutely wouldn't have guessed about BV Doshi". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 8 March
  12. ^"Every object around us is in symphony". BBC. 8 March Retrieved 5 March
  13. ^"About BV Doshi". . 25 January Retrieved 27 October
  14. ^ abcPogrebin, Robin (7 March ). "Top Architecture Prize Goes to Low-Cost Housing Pioneer From India". The New York Times. ISSN&#; Retrieved 24 January
  15. ^Saberin, Zeenat (8 March ). "Balkrishna Doshi: 'Architecture is a backdrop to life'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 March
  16. ^ abcdefghiLee Morgan, Ann; Naylor, Colin, eds. (). Contemporary Architects. Internet Archive. St. James Press. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
  17. ^"Tejal Design Studio". . Retrieved 25 August
  18. ^"VSC Vāstu Shilpā Consultants – Team". Indian-Architects. Retrieved 25 August
  19. ^"Maneesha Doshi". Saffronart. Retrieved 25 August
  20. ^
  21. ^Bernstein, Fred A. (24 January ). "Balkrishna Doshi, Modernist Indian Architect, is Dead at 95". The New York Times.
  22. ^"Architecture as a Craft - Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and Sönke Hoof of Studio Sangath".
  23. ^"Celebrated architect Balkrishna Doshi passes away at 95". The New Indian Express. 24 January Retrieved 24 January
  24. ^Bernstein, Fred A. (24 January ). "Balkrishna Doshi, Modernist Indian Architect, Is Dead at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January &#; via
  25. ^Contal, Marie-Hélène; Revedin, Jana (June ). Sustainable Design: Towards a New Ethic in Architecture and Town Planning. Germany: Birkhäuser. ISBN&#;.
  26. ^"Padma Awards announced". . Retrieved 27 January
  27. ^updated, Ellie Stathaki last (9 December ). "Balkrishna Doshi wins Royal Gold Medal for Architecture". . Retrieved 25 January
  28. ^"K G Subramanyan awarded Savyasachi Award". The Times of India. 28 June Retrieved 15 July
  29. ^"Global Award for Sustainable Architecture". Cité de l'architecture & du patrimoine. Retrieved 4 June
  30. ^"B V Doshi conferred France's highest honour for arts | Ahmedabad News – Times of India". The Times of India. 11 September Retrieved 5 March
  31. ^"Institute of Indology". . 7 March Retrieved 25 August
  32. ^Barberini, Elisa (12 November ). "Balkrishna Doshi – Towniship: Electronics Corporation of India, Ltd., Hyderabad, –". Retrieved 20 November
  33. ^"9 iconic buildings designed by BV Doshi". Architectural Digest India. 26 August Retrieved 5 March
  34. ^"About". Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum.
  35. ^"When Hauz Khas ruins, kund steps and gopuram gateways inspired BV Doshi to design NIFT Delhi". The Indian Express. 22 February Retrieved 25 August
  36. ^Shahane, Devayani (2 January ). "PM to inaugurate Sawai Gandharva Smarak". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 August
  37. ^"Udayan ~ The Condoville". Ambuja Neotia. Retrieved 25 August

Further reading

  • Curtis, William J. R., Balikrishna Doshi: An Architecture for India, Rizzoli, New York , ISBN&#;
  • James Steel, The Complete Architecture of Balikrishna Doshi, Rethinking Modernism for the Developing World, Thames and Hudson, London , ISBN&#;
  • Bruno Melotto ed., Balkrishna Doshi. Sangath. Indian architecture between tradition and modernity, Maggioli Editore, Santarcangelo di Romagna , ISBN&#;
  • Bruno Melotto ed., Balkrishna Doshi. The Masters in India. Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn and the Indian Context, Maggioli Editore, Santarcangelo di Romagna , ISBN&#;
  • Doshi, Balkrishna V; Kries, Mateo; Kugler, Jolanthe; Hoof, Kushnu Panthaki; Wolfschalg, Meike; Obrist, Hans Ulrich; Subramanian, Samanth; Thorne, Martha; Pallasmaa, Juhani (). Balkrishna Doshi: architecture for the people. Vitra Design Museum. ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;

External links