A C H Y U T P U R U S H O T TA M K A N V I N D E ( 1 91 6 – 2 8 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 2 )
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Life of Padma Shri Achyut P. Kanvinde Education and Career Influences Architectural Principles Concepts Philosophies Achievements Projects by A P Kanvinde
LIFE OF A P KANVINDE •
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Padma Shri Achyut P. Kanvinde is a quite known name in the list of contemporary Architects. He is considered as one of forefathers of modern Indian architecture. Kanvinde was born in 1916 in a small village on the Konkan coast raised in a joint family in the village. His mother died when he was two and his father was an arts teacher in Mumbai. Kanvinde was a influenced by his father, who was a portrait and landscape painter.
EDUCATION AND CAREER •
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Kanvinde had the calling of a painter and did enroll in an art school but the family decided that architecture would be a better profession for him. He entered the Architecture Department at Sir J.J. School of Art in 1935 then headed by Claude Batley, who was also the premier architect of the country. He passed out in 1941. 1943, he joined the newly formed Council for Scientific and Industrial Research as architect. Achyut Kanvinde attended Harvard Graduate
EDUCATION AND CAREER • •
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In 1947 appointed as the Chief Architect of CSIR. Formed Kanvinde and Rai with Shaukat Rai in 1955 which resulted in a unique and exemplary partnership. He practiced perfectly for 55 years and was considered the pioneer of what may be termed the modern movement in architecture in India. 1974-1975 he was vice-chairman of IIA and authored the book “Campus Design in India”. In 1985, He was the winner of IIA “BABURAO MHATRE GOLD MEDAL”.
INFLUENCES •
Claude Batley – teacher 1941
Batley in his teaching and his active practice maintained the new ideal of Architecture: it was a universal craft tailored rationally to regional parameters. In 1934, he published a volume of measured drawings of traditional ‘Indian’ building and in his lectures he tried for an informed appreciation of the similarities and differences of Indian and European classical buildings. In his practice he avoided the loud, revolutionary éclat of the machine-age imagery popular in the west in favor of an archeologically literate fusion of Western classical order with Indian building traditions and coupled with sound climatological principles. His works and his thinking were obvious models for his students. Kanvinde remembers him as "a very important man in shaping the outlook of many architects of my generation, also of the earlier generation“
INFLUENCES •
Harvard Graduate school of Design- 1945 Then had a reputation of being the new fountainhead of functional and social promise of Modern Architecture under its émigré director Walter Gropius. He graduated with a thesis on science Laboratories, returned to India in 1947 as the Chief Architect of CSIR. It is believed that Gropius’s insistence for using space as a tool for expressing universal human values was what left most lasting influence on his mind.
ARCHITECTURAL PRINCIPLES • •
His buildings were simple and he used to tell the students “ARCHITECTURE IS NOT A MUSEUM OF MATERIAL” The various principles reflected in most of Kanvinde’s work would be: Asymmetry Blocky Cubic shapes Smooth, Flat, Plain, Undecorated surfaces Flat roofs Adoption of steel framed or reinforced concrete post and slab.
CONCEPTS •
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Kanvinde believed that a grid of columns forming a matrix giving structural and spatial aspect would turn a design to more sophisticated and faceted. He treated his building with ‘VASTUSHASTRA’. He also used maximum principles of vernacular architecture.
PHILOSOPHIES •
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Kanvinde plays with space and forms. His designs are slender, balanced, proportionate, neat and well crafted. The building is important but most important is the gate of the user. Example is Iskcon Temple. He gave much more importance to the natural light. He would give forms to the building that could solve the problem of ventilation as well as excessive heat. He believed in vernacular architecture. He believed that the image should be such that can set the mood and interest for which the building stands for. Both inherent values and historical influences contribute towards good architecture.
PHILOSOPHIES •
All his creations were in strict conformity with these principles:
FUNCTIONALISM LOGIC OF LIGHTNESS MODERN ARCHITECTURE AND BRUTALISM REGIONALISM RATIONALIST SENSE OF SPACE
PHILOSOPHIES •
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FUNCTIONALISM The buildings were always conceived with first priority given to its functions and the social values when designing spaces. He rejected symmetry. LOGIC OF LIGHTNESS The complete focus on the materials to be used in construction Kanvinde always try to develop such an aesthetic for a heavy mass construction that’s looks light.
PHILOSOPHIES
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MODERN ARCHITECTURE AND BRUTALISM Simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure. Elimination of unnecessary detail. Visual expression of structure, as opposed to the hiding of structural elements. Brutalism is child of modern architecture. Developed to create functional structure at a low cost, but eventually designers adopted the look for other uses such as college buildings.
PHILOSOPHIES
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REGIONALISM Inevitability based on the exigencies of local climate, social conditions, building materials and sound climatological principles. RATIONALIST Kanvinde reveal the internal functional in a building as separate masses and then arranged in a ways that were functional from inside and elegant from outside. SENSE OF SPACE Kanvinde always tried to bring down buildings to humane scale and a connection to the built heritage in a locality.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Recipient of Padmashree – National Honour from Govt. of India 1975 Recipient of Gold Medal of the Indian Institute of Architects 1985 National Award for Institution of Engineers for Architectural Engineering 1990 Great Master National Award by J.K. Industries Ltd in 1993 Outstanding Konkan Award in 2003
PROJECTS BY A P KANVINDE • •
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COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH (1947) AHMEDABAD TEXTILE INDUSTRIES RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (1953) PHYSICAL RESEARCH LABORATRY, AHMEDABAD (1953-54) DARPANA DANCE ACADEMY (1963) HARIVALLABDAS HOUSE, AHEMDABAD (1964) GANDHI KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRA BANGALORE (1965) IIT KANPUR CAMPUS (1966) RESIDENCE OF A P KANVINDE (1967) DOODHSAGAR DAIRY ,MEHSANA (NATIONAL DAIRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD) (1973) INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT, ANAND (1979) NEHRU SCIENCE CENTER, MUMBAI (1985) NATIONAL SCIENCE CENTER, NEW DELHI (1991) NATIONAL INSURANCE ACADEMY, PUNE (1992) ISKCON TEMPLE, EAST OF KAILASH, DELHI (1998)
DETAILED PROJECTS Dudhsagar dairy complex, Gujarat (1973) IIT Kanpur campus (1961-1965) Nehru Science Centre, Bombay (1980)
National Dairy Development Board built in 1973 One of the largest Milk processing unit in Gujarat
FEATURES
STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE : BRUTALISM
Monstrous and raw The form is very rough and blocky Cold character Fortress like structure One of the first outburts of kanvinde’s brutalism
The natural slope of the site utilized to advantage of a multi level processing system Milk receiving is done at the roof Processing is done at the second level The third and the lower most level accommodate the
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Ventilation points are expressed as large shafts that rise above the roof level They evacuate the hot air by natural convection eliminating the need for mechanical exhaust system
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Walls and structure are more theatrical than technical in their function of containing and supporting the process within
• Banding of the exterior finish helps articulate the muscular feature of the building
IIT KANPUR
• Central deemed University located in Uttar Pradesh, about 15 km north-west of the city of Kanpur in the Kalyanpur suburb • Constructed during 1960-1965
FEATURES Total area 1000 acres Academic buildings: 13 departments, PK Kelkar Library, Computer Centres faculty offices, laboratories and administrative buildings 10 boys hostel and 2 girls hostel Sports complex Housing for faculty
FEATURES The residential campus is planned and landscaped with a hope for environmental freedom. ďƒ’ Halls of residence, faculty and staff houses and community buildings surround the central academic area to provide flexibility in movement and communication. ďƒ’
DEPARTMENTS AND LABS CANTEEN LECTURE HALLS
FACULTY OFFICE AND LIBRARY COMPUTER DEPTT AND LABS
• Core Pedestrian island which consist of lecture halls surrounded by landscaping and water body forming the main focus of the campus. • The academic area is well connected by a long corridor which links all the major buildings
• The academic area is set up in vicinity of Hostels to provide quick accessibility to students
SPLIT LEVEL CORRIDOR SYSTEM • Minimize the walking distance, improving connectivity • Create spatial expansion • Give the impression of one large space hence space is used as a tool
Conventional type of buildings were designed as isolated islands of departments ďƒ’ Activities which students and faculties share are designed to encourage meeting and interaction ďƒ’
HOSTELS
QUIET AND PRIVATE HOSTELS
Hostels to create some sort of family feeling in the students living in them.
VISUAL EXPRESSION OF THE STRUCTURE RATHER THAN HIDING ITS STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS
In Kanpur, the local availability of high quality brick and the prevalent labour and construction practices made Kanvinde go for reinforced concrete for structural frames and brick as infills . ďƒ’ reinforced-concrete post-and-slab construction,with a series of flat slab-floors and a flat roof-slab carried on concrete columns or posts ďƒ’
Exposed brickwork: reduces maintenance costs and enhances aesthetic appeal
P.K. Kelkar Librar
Kanvinde’s expressive architecture was variously interpreted as "an architectural expression that reflected the culture and aspirations“.
Expressed Concrete structure in combination with brick became the dynamic determinant of form and order.
In retrospect, that style shows a remarkable similarity with the brute morphology of vernacular architecture in parts of India.
NEHRU SCIENCE CENTRE, BOMBAY (1980) Location: G. Babu Sakpal Marg Mumbai, Maharashtra 400018
FUNCTION THIS COMPLEX houses; a variety of activities and exhibits intended by the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) to popularize science and technology chiefly, a Children's Museum with, demonstration hall and facilities for education extension activities, a Museum of the history of science, a Hall of Industry, and an outdoor science park . This complex has Discovery of India expositions, Art Gallery, Auditorium and Exhibition Halls.
CONCEPT Need artificial lighting for effective presentation of exhibits, the idea of forced ventilation emerged. At the same time the idea of creating spaces of a certain quality which helps receptivity of mind. Apart from spatial organization, the main design problem was to establish circulation of movement. The topography of the decisively sloping site.
A series of multidirectional units was created with large column for free spaces.
FORM AND FUNCTION It is in the cylindrical form. The service zone is located at the lowest level, accessible to vehicles. The main entry is 18-20m wide & like a tunnel shaped. somewhere the dome is provided for showing the entry. The sunshade in a n elliptical manner.
ď ąCirculation has been defined so that visitors return to the entry level and can proceed to the cafeteria and other social facilities at ground level.
ď ąVentilation to all areas is ensured by a blower system. The structural system is in waffle slab and the structural columns at 12m centers house the ventilation shafts.
“In each of his buildings, whether residential, commercial or government complexes, one can see an attempt to break away from traditional architectural design and yet, design them keeping in mind all the aspects conducive to a great building (such as climate, use of space, orientation and aesthetics) his ultimate concern was for his profession and for society and that came through quite effortlessly in all his works. Kanvinde traveled extensively across the country and always made it a point to carry books and magazines along. He used to say the long travels gave him time to read, reflect and introspect. Kanvinde’s stellar contribution can be summed up succinctly as that depicting plasticity, humility and humanity� -B.V Doshi
Thank You…