IA&B May 2013

MUMBAI VOL 26 (9)

MAY 2013

` 200

INDIAN ARCHITECT & BUILDER

In Conversation Sir Peter Cook, CRAB studio Architecture The Centre of Hope Orphanage, Trichy: Hundredhands International Management Institute, Bhubaneswar: Abin Design Studio The House in the Hills, Kodaikanal: Calm Studio

Image © courtesy Hundredhands

Young Designers ‘13 Faisal House, Bengaluru: RedShift

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Of Antics and Aliens

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

in conversation

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One of the most important architects of our time, a playful critic of the dreary sclerotic conformity in architecture, a highly regarded teacher, and a witty and engaging raconteur, Sir Peter Cook, Founder and Principal of London-based CRAB studio confesses his fondness for the unexpected, professes his candid advice to design schools, and indicates the architecture he admires and the beliefs he doesn’t.

Images & Sketches: courtesy Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau (CRAB studio)

Sir Peter Cook is a notable English architect, lecturer and writer on architectural subjects. He was a founder of Archigram, and was knighted in 2007 by the Queen for his services to architecture and teaching. His achievements with Archigram were recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2004, when the group was awarded the Royal Gold Medal. He is also a Royal Academician and a Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic. He continues to curate, organise and exhibit around the world, while maintaining his practice with Gavin Robotham as CRAB studio (Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau) in London.

IA&B: Archigram, the avant-garde architectural group that you co-founded in the 1960s, is fondly remembered as the ‘Beatles of Architecture’. What, do you think, in its essence makes it important in the history of architecture?

PC: Archigram was A) optimistic, B) excited by inventions, C) fascinated by combining the unlike with the unexpected, D) intrigued by almost everything and E) enjoying being boys who didn’t have to be ‘grown up’, i.e. boring.

IA&B: Who were the architects or academicians who inspired your ideas?

PC: Richard Buckminster Fuller; Louis Kahn; Le Corbusier; Roberto Burle Marx, the Brazilian landscaper; Gunnar Asplund; the historian, John Summerson; critic, friend and strong theoretical influence, Reyner Banham; Cedric Price and Bruno Taut.

that Superstudio and Archizoom were Italian and more given to myth. We were English and more given to funny objects.

IA&B: How important is hand-drawing to your architecture?

Do you see any drawbacks in computer-aided design?

PC: Hand-drawing can relish in being incorrect suddenly and then, suddenly, correct. Combinations of computer and ‘hand’ have wonderful possibilities.

IA&B: The Centre Georges Pompidou by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers is considered to be an embodiment of the qualities advocated by Archigram. Which other movements, according to you, had an analogous spirit?

PC: The Japanese Metabolists, Taut’s Glass Chain and the DADA. IA&B: What started as an abstract communication, with poems and sketches on the cheapest possible paper in 1961, within two years, was invited to curate an exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. What shaped ‘Living Cities’?

PC: We worked for Theo Crosby who was trusted by the Institute of Contemporary Arts. The minimal substance of the pamphlet gave no clue to the energy and diversity of the actual group of people in the flesh.

IA&B: Archigram, Superstudio, Yona Friedman, Archizoom; they all saw architecture beyond built objects. What, in your opinion, did they all share in common? How were they different from each other?

PC: We were predominantly optimistic designers; Friedman was a strategist-designer-mathematician; Superstudio, artists and poets; and Archizoom, theoretical visionaries. In the end there is the fact

Sketch: Vienna University.

Sketch: Plug-In University.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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context, sometimes necessary to PLAY AGAINST context and, on other occasions to, GET OFF ON CONTEXT (which does not mean imitating what is there or what was there or what is across the street).

IA&B: You have previously stated, with reference to user interpretations of the intended usage of a building: “I think misuse is quite interesting.” Can you please elaborate?

PC: I am not a ‘party line’ functionalist, though I like to be able to accurately predict activities and operations. I am irritated by the tradition of typologies: repeating typologies stultifies the forward march of architecture. Nonetheless, I detest stupidly designed washbasins and horribly steep staircases.

Kunsthaus Graz in Austria.

IA&B: You have said that your proposal for the Taichung Tower in Taiwan not only celebrates energy, but also marks the moment of maturity of the CRAB studio. How so?

PC: It was the moment at which we started to apply issues, motives and sustained inventions in CRAB projects.

IA&B: Who are the architects in contemporary times whose work you admire?

PC: The top group: Toyo Ito, Thom Mayne, Enric Miralles (before he died); then sometimes: Wolf Prix, Zaha Hadid, Stephen Holl, Neil Denari, Itsuko Hasegawa, Scogin & Elim, Diller & Scofidio, Snøhetta and Helen & Hard.

Taichung Tower in Taiwan.

IA&B: Has your memory of Archigram influenced your work principles at the CRAB studio? How so?

PC: I hope so. I hope I haven’t fully lost the knack of combining the unlike with the unexpected, and I still love drawing.

IA&B: The Kunsthaus Graz in Austria appears ‘alien’ in its context, for it stands out intentionally against the surrounding baroque-roof landscape. Do you think architecture should be like that?

PC: I think it is sometimes VERY NECESSARY to break away from

Studio interactions.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

IA&B: You take keen interest in your contributions as an academician and have been credited with transforming two prominent architecture schools. Are there any radical changes you find essential in architectural education?

PC: A complete reversal of the prominence of career-academics in charge of the schools’ radical reduction in the prominence of ‘theory’; and a return of power to part-time designer-architect teachers.

IA&B: Some of the projects that were technologically impossible when proposed by Archigram could actually be built today. In this light, what kind of technological developments do you imagine in the near future?

PC: Nano technology. Weirder and weirder computer machining.

Bringing some real lateral thinkers into the ‘studio’ and at the stylus or mouse of the computer.

With Gavin Robotham at CRAB studio.

VOL 26 (9) | MAY 2013 | ` 200 | MUMBAI RNI Registration No. 46976/87, ISSN 0971-5509 INDIAN ARCHITECT AND BUILDER

EXPLORE

Chairman: Jasu Shah Printer, Publisher & Editor: Maulik Jasubhai Shah Chief Executive Officer: Hemant Shetty EDITORIAL Assistant Editors: Maanasi Hattangadi, Ruturaj Parikh Writers: Rashmi Naicker (Online), Sharmila Chakravorty, Shalmali Wagle Editorial Co-ordinator: Parikshit Vivekanand Design Team: Mansi Chikani, Prasenjit Bhowmick, Kenneth Menezes Event Management Team: Abhay Dalvi, Abhijeet Mirashi Subscription: Dilip Parab, Deven Arora Production Team: V Raj Misquitta (Head), Prakash Nerkar, Arun Madye Head Office: JMPL, 210, Taj Building, 3rd Floor, Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Tel: +91-22- 4213 6400,+ 91 -22-4037 3636, Fax: +91-22-4037 3635 SALES Brand Manager: Sudhanshu Nagar E-mail: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com MARKETING TEAM & OFFICES Sales Co-ordinator: Christina D’sa E-mail: Christina_dsa@jasubhai.com Mumbai Parvez Memon 210, Taj Building, 3rd Floor, Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Tel: +91-22- 4213 6400,+ 91 -22-4037 3636, Fax: +91-22-4037 3635 Email: parvez_memon@jasubhai.com

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IN CONVERSATION

Of Antics and Aliens

In a witty and concise exchange, Sir Peter Cook, Founder and Principal of

London-based CRAB studio elaborates on his transdisciplinary practice,

outlining aspects of his contributions in architecture, both in academics

and practice.

32 CURRENT

Au courant updates on events, exhibitions, competitions and news.

36 PRODUCTS

Objects and details designed for architectural settings from across the globe.

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CONSTRUCTION BRIEF

Yamai Lake Conservation and Development

Delineating a conservation and regenerative proposal by prioritising the

ecological significance of a natural element, Rahul Shah conceptualises the

Yamai Lake Conservation and Development Programme.

46 ARCHITECTURE

Nature, Order, Design

Delhi: Preeti Singh / Manu Raj Singhal 803, Chiranjeev Tower, No 43, Nehru Place, New Delhi – 110 019 Tel: 011 2623 5332, Fax: 011 2642 7404, E-mail: preeti_singh@jasubhai.com, manu_singhal@jasubhai.com

Honest to its material, in its response to architecture in context of function,

situation, economy and the region, the Centre of Hope Orphanage in Trichy by

Bengaluru-based practice Hundredhands is composed with restrained

Gujarat: Parvez Memon Mobile: 09769758712, Email: parvez_memon@jasubhai.com

appropriation of materials, resources and a versatile design ethic.

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Of Time and Timelessness

Bengaluru/ Hyderabad: Sudhanshu Nagar Mobile: 09833104834, E-mail: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com

Abin Design Studio characterises a stolid, liberal and contemporary response

Chennai / Coimbatore: Princebel M Mobile: 09444728035, 09823410712 E-mail: princebel_m@jasubhai.com

for the International Management Institute in Bhubaneswar on the basis of

traditional frameworks.

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A Semblance of Solitude

Silent and stark, the House in the Hills by Chennai-based Calm Studio manifests

the sense of the place through its materiality, cohesive detailing and

authenticity in the reclusive setting of Kodaikanal.

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YOUNG DESIGNERS ‘13

NEW-AGE STYLISTICS

Set in the suburban context of Bengaluru, the Faisal House by RedShift is

thoughtfully curated with a dynamic façade and absorbing interiors.

Kolkata: Sudhanshu Nagar Mobile: 09833104834, E-mail: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com Pune: Parvez Memon Mobile: 09769758712, Email: parvez_memon@jasubhai.com Printed & Published by Maulik Jasubhai Shah on behalf of Jasubhai Media Pvt. Ltd (JMPL), 26, Maker Chamber VI, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021 Printed at M.B.Graphics, B-28 Shri Ram Industrial Estate, ZG.D.Ambekar Marg, Wadala, Mumbai 400031and Published from Mumbai - 3rd Floor, Taj Building, , 210, Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001.

Editor: Maulik Jasubhai Shah, 26, Maker Chamber VI, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021 Indian Architect & Builder: (ISSN 0971-5509), RNI No 46976/87, is a JMPL monthly publication.

Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, in English or any other language is strictly prohibited.

We welcome articles, but do not accept responsibility for contributions lost in the mail.

ARCHITECTURE

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BOOK REVIEW

Floating Images EDUARDO SOUTO DE MOURA’S WALL ATLAS : Edited by

Andre Tavares and Pedro Bandeira

A treasure trove of memories and inferences – newspaper clippings, postcards,

sketches, images – is formalised as a pictorial and prose composition depicting

the journey and practice of Atelier Eduardo Souto de Moura.

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SPACE FRAMES

Between Mirrors

In this edition of Space Frames curated by Dr. Deepak Mathew, Meera Margaret

Singh composes a narrative that is introspective of the fundamental aspects of

the physical and cultural environment.

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ETHOS

Water

Ethos is an attempt to decipher and understand the ideas and elements that

are sacrosanct to the Architecture of India. The first edition of this column will

deliberate on water as an element of life – real and mythical.

Printed & Published by Maulik Jasubhai Shah on behalf of Jasubhai Media Pvt. Ltd (JMPL), 26, Maker Chamber VI, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

Printed at M.B.Graphics, B-28, Shri Ram Industrial Estate, ZG.D.Ambekar Marg, Wadala, Mumbai 400031and Published from Mumbai - 3rd Floor, Taj Building, 210, Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001.

Editor: Maulik Jasubhai Shah, 26, Maker Chamber VI, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

Indian Architect & Builder: (ISSN 0971-5509), RNI No 46976/87, is a JMPL monthly publication. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, in English or any other language is strictly prohibited. We welcome articles, but do not accept responsibility for contributions lost in the mail.

EXPLORE

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ONE Prize 2013: STORMPROOF Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all June 30, 2013

The ONE Prize 2013 design competition invites architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, students and individuals of all backgrounds to present their designs that will help alleviate storm impact through various urban interventions such as: protective green spaces, barrier shorelines, alternative housing, waterproofing technology, and public space solutions. The 4th annual competition is a means to prepare cities of future challenges of extreme weather with better environmental adaptability by reviving infrastructure and reinventing spaces towards a design in the service of the community.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.oneprize.org

[RIO DE JANEIRO] Symbolic World Cup Structure Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all June 30, 2013

[AC-CA]™, is holding an international competition inviting participants to design a free standing World Cup Structure in Lapa square in the heart of Rio de Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The aim of the competition is to generate progressive contemporary design ideas. The design should strive towards creating a social space which integrates function, structure, details and the spirit of the World Cup. It should also involve a sustainable bent in the design at the same time must be distinctive enough to represent an iconic event. There is no guarantee of the structure actually being built although the selected design will receive a sum of USD 3,500.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.ac-ca.org/en/project07

SKIN: International Digital Fabrication Competition

COMPETITIONS

Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all June 30, 2013

SKIN is a two-stage international design competition established to foster the deeper developments within the field of computational fabrication. The design proposals must enable further existing research that can be prototyped at a larger scale or full scale, and will jumpstart new research and design concepts into a first prototype. Choice of project location, contextual constraints, programmatic and functional requirements are open and should be freely interpreted to further the proposal’s thesis. Boldest visions and challenging technologies are encouraged in the design proposals. The competition explores new methods to enable the performative qualities of the façade through its adaptive qualities fundamental to its function.

For further information, log on to: Web: tex-fab.net/skin-competition Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

2013 Faith & Form/IFRAA International Awards for Religious Art Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all June 30, 2013

The 2013 Faith & Form / IFRAA International Awards Program for Religious Art and Architecture is accepting project submissions, including those for student work. The awards program will recognise the best in religious art and architecture, unbuilt work, and student work. Award recipients will receive significant recognition including printed and framed citations, recognition at an IFRAA awards presentation, full-page coverage in Faith & Form’s Annual Awards Issue and project board exhibition at the AIA National Convention.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.faithandformawards.com

d3 Natural Systems international architectural design competition Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all July 1, 2013

Natural systems offer architects and designers significant potential as alternative, ecologically performative architectonic strategies.

The d3 Natural Systems competition invites architects, designers, engineers, and students to collectively explore the potential of analysing, documenting, and deploying nature-based influences in architecture, urbanism, interiors, and designed objects. The annual d3 Natural Systems competition, established since 2009 is an emerging voice in alternative architecture and one of the most notable awards in speculative, performance-based design. It recognises architecture to redefine it as an ecological project. Design submissions are expected to be environmentally responsible while advancing inventive conceptual solutions.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.d3space.org/competitions

CHROMOTECTURE - Architectural Photography Competition Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all July 10, 2013

Homemade Dessert is out with yet another photography competition.

The theme this time is COLOR in architecture based on the scientific principle of chromotherapy. Although, and while perception of color is somewhat subjective, there are some colour effects that have a universal influence on people. Whether it is used as a conceptual trigger of a project or introduced in the middle of a process to reconfigure the perception of some material or space, the truth is that color has its particular psychological function, either perceptive or systematic. The winning entrant will receive a sum of USD 1,000.

For further information, log on to: Web: HOMEMADEDESSERT.ORG

current

Date Venue

: :

June 26-28, 2013 Shanghai, China

Organised by UBM and the China Chamber of Commerce (CCCMC), Concrete Show China coincides with the Government’s plans for rapid urbanisation, with the creation of 260 new cities in the next 20 years. The three day exhibition takes place at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre, providing the perfect platform to meet and network with concrete industry professionals, from engineers, architects and contractors to government officials and developers. The event will bring together buyers and suppliers to experience and interact with a full range of products and services to learn about the latest innovations and experience firsthand new technologies in the market.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.concreteshowchina.com

Cities in Asia Summer Program Date Venue

: :

July 05 - August 09, 2013 Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore

Studio SHA-HKG-SIN is a three to four-week design and research studio organised by the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Architecture in the cities of Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Taught by a diverse group of faculty members from the University of Hong Kong, and speakers from internationally renowned universities and independent research groups, the course offers participants a design studio experience within Asia’s most vibrant contexts. The International Summer Program in Architecture positions Hong Kong as a launch pad to other Asian cities. Participants will have the opportunity of visiting numerous cities under-going massive change, exploring issues such as identity, migration, cultural production, colonialism, nationalism and globalisation.

For further information, log on to: Web: fac.arch.hku.hk/summer/cities-in-asia/

cyberGARDENing the City - AA Visiting School Date Venue

: :

July 06-16, 2013 Milan, Italy

STUDIO 013: Sanctuary in Nature Date Venue

: :

July 13-20, 2013 Michigan City, Indiana

The bucolic Indiana landscape will see participants live on the farm, collaborate to design and make meaningful space created by one’s own hands. This is a unique, immersive experience designed for discussion, collaborative design and investigation of ceremonial place-making in the landscape. Live on-site, collaborate with a team of creatives, carpenters + celebrants. Design charrette led by Honored Guest Host STEVE BADANES of Jersey Devil Design/Build + University of Washington! Open to students, architects, landscape architects, artists, carpenters, celebrants, and others from related fields. Limited to ten participants.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.studio013.org

Expressive Movement in Architecture and Design Date Venue

: :

July 15-19, 2013 Berkeley, California

Set at the Cal Design Lab at the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley, this workshop will explore the expressive possibilities of recognising and using motion to build more “intuitive” systems in domains such as architecture, public art and industrial design.

Participants interested in modern-day applications of motion studies and social factors examine the current state of the art in sensing and actuation technologies that detect and perform motion, applying this knowledge to working prototype designs. This is useful in designing automated windows or doors, or reactive public displays.

Workshop exercises include the construction of simple automata, design of public-scale reactive displays, and improvisational video prototyping. This workshop will be led by Wendy Ju, the programme coordinator for the Cal Design Lab. For further information, log on to: Web: ced.berkeley.edu/academics/summer-programs/designfutures-workshop-series/

The Big 5 Construct India 2013 Date Venue

: :

September 02-04, 2013 Mumbai, India

Marco Poletto and Claudia Pasquero on behalf of the Architectural Association in Milano are launching the second spring/summer season with a renewed program of lectures and events leading to an International Summer School focussed on the topic of alternative FOOD and renewable ENERGY for the Urban Environment. Matteo Pasquinelli, a young Italian philosopher, will open the series with his Manifesto on Urban Cannibalism, setting the stage for the debate that will inform the main Summer School, the experimental design workshop involving international participants working on the theme of cyber-gardening the city. The participating team will breed alternative renewable energy networks of algae, bacteria and urban insects; the key design instruments will be direct field work and a custom-designed Twitter-based real-time digital interface.

As part of its global development plan, The Big 5 is launching in Mumbai, India allowing suppliers of construction products and services to benefit from one of the world’s most exciting and fastest growing construction markets. The Big 5 Construct India is organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in cooperation with dmg events Middle East & Asia.

FICCI’s members include 250,000 organisations and has a proven track record of securing hundreds of thousands of quality buyers attending trade events across the continent. It is a one-of-a-kind forum for suppliers and buyers looking to meet and do business with the best in business. The Big 5 Construct India is set to deliver an outstanding industry event.

For further information, log on to: Web: cybergardens2013.aaschool.ac.uk

For further information, log on to: Web: www.thebig5constructindia.com Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

EVENTS

Concrete Show China

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current

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Campaign to Include Denise Scott Brown in the list of Pritzker Prize winners Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi are the most influential names in the field of postmodernism and yet due recognition was not given by the Pritzker jury when they honoured only husband and partner Robert Venturi with the Pritzker in 1991. Brown worked alongside Venturi to play a critical role in the evolution of architectural theory and design. Her critical analysis has changed how many architects and planners saw mid-century modernism and urban design. This unfortunate oversight by the Pritzker committee brings to light the need for recognising the female counterparts who have equally, or even more, made contributions in the field of architecture. The campaign demands that Denise Scott Brown be retroactively acknowledged for her work deserving of a joint Pritzker Prize. It is to rectify the mistakes of the past and to help change history by demanding equal recognition for equal work.

Heritage Panel in India to Document 155 Heritage Properties The 11-member panel of the heritage conservation committee has decided to create a detailed account of the 155 heritage buildings in India. Panel chairman Chitkala Zutshi held a meeting in this regard on Wednesday at Nagpur Municipal Council’s town planning department office. Zutshi stated that the committee constituted documentation cell for the process. “It is a lengthy and technical process to inspect and prepare detailed report of all 155 heritage buildings and precincts. But the data is very important for recommending maintenance or repairs to conserve the heritage properties. Manoramabai Mundle College of Architecture has been appointed as nodal agency for the project. The agency will operate on its premises till given independent space at NMC’s town planning department office. The committee lacks funds, so we have sought funds from NMC,” she said. Asked about the committee’s plan after compilation of data, Zutshi said the committee will ensure regular maintenance and repairs if required.

NEWS

Approval Received for the Restoration of the iconic Pier 57 in NYC A unanimous decision was made by the New York’s City Council to back a proposed plan to restore and redevelop the iconic Pier 57. Known as the ‘SuperPier’ by Popular Mechanics, it is an unconventional structure built in 1952 supported by ‘floating’ air-filled concrete cassions. The pier, once used as a bus depot by the New York City Transit Authority, has been lying vacant since 2003. The new plan spearheaded by developer Young Woo & Associates and architects LOT-EK, will see the transformation of the pier to host a mix of commercial and cultural ventures. The proposal includes a sizable public market, a roof-top garden, which will hold a permanent outdoor venue for the TriBeCa Film Festival, and a series of ‘incuboxes’ – re-purposed shipping containers that will be used as pop-up shops and concept stores. Diana Taylor, Chairperson of the Hudson River Park Trust, welcomed the decision stating, “This new Pier will include sorely needed open spaces for Park visitors…and will result in much-needed revenue to help operate and maintain the Park to the high standards we have come to expect.”

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

Architect Paolo Soleri Dies at 93 Renowned architect and theorist Paolo Soleri passed away on 9 th April 2013 at the age of 93 in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

The Italian-American architect was born on June 21, 1919, in Turin, Italy. He spent a lifetime investigating how architecture, specifically the architecture of the city, could support the countless possibilities of human aspiration. The urban project Arcosanti that he established 65 miles north of Phoenix, was described by NEWSWEEK magazine as “…the most important urban experiment undertaken in our lifetimes.” Soleri’s exhibition in 1970 at the Corcoran Museum in Washington DC – and the concurrent publication of his landmark book, CITY IN THE IMAGE OF MAN – changed forever the global conversation about urban planning on our living planet. His term, “Arcology” joining the words architecture and ecology to represent one whole system of understanding human life on the earth is meant to serve as the basis for that conversation. His own lifetime of work is represented in models, drawings, books, lectures and museum exhibits throughout the world. Soleri continued questioning and creating until his death. The theme of his last project, a series of collages entitled “Then and Now”, juxtaposed his own signature forms with illustrations of life from antiquity.

Pennsylvania Station (NYC) to be Re-invented Amidst heated debate on whether or not the city should restrict Madison Square’s recently expired special permit to 10 years, the Municipal Art Society (MAS) of New York has challenged Santiago Calatrava, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, SHoP Architects and SOM to propose four new visions that exemplify the potential of the highly disregarded area. MAS has requested that the enlisted firms complete their proposals

by May 29. The designs will be unveiled to the public that day at the TimesCenter on West 41 st Street. The challenge is in an effort to “unlock people’s imaginations” about Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. This will help the city to come up with a viable solution for the arena and station. The ambitious project is modeled in the lines of Kings Cross in London which once was a crime-ridden station transformed into a thriving cultural destination.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters Announces 2013 Architecture Award Winners The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced the recipients of its 2013 architecture awards on April 17 in New York.

The Academy’s architecture awards program began in 1955 with the inauguration of the annual Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in Architecture, which is awarded to a pre-eminent architect from any country who has made a significant contribution to architecture as an art. The Arts and Letters Awards was a much later addition in 1991 that recognises American Architects. This year Alberto Campo Baeza has been awarded the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize. Barry Bergdoll is awarded the Arts and Letters Award that recognises an American who explores ideas in architecture through any medium of expression. Thomas Phifer and Teddy Cruz are recognised for their work characterised by a strong personal direction and Sanford Kwinter for his exploration of ideas in architecture through any medium of expression.

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Lithuanian designer Rapolas Gra탑ys designs a beautiful symmetric piece of furniture Weaves/Aud탑iu, which is inspired by ancient Lithuanian design patterns.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

products

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WEAVES/ AUDzIU

Text compiled by: Parikshit Vivekanand Images: courtesy Kestutis Kurienius

R

apolas Gražys is an industrial and graphic designer from Lithuania who has found inspiration in the classic ethnic and ancient Lithuanian patterns with his design of the Weaves/ Audžiu. The design is a solution that borrows elemts from the classic ornaments of the ethnic Lithuanian tissues, a system of modular shelving made of plywood which started from a basic and essential element and is capable of giving rise to different solutions, from simple shelving to displayer, from magazine holder to bookshelf. Each segment has a wall that is connected by an ancient Lithuanian plug principle. Plugs are responsible for the weight and shape-retention of the segments.

A multi-functional geometric segment that can be easily combined, exploiting its structure with couple of minimal screws, leaving the user free to “weave” its own composition, assembling and customising multiple units according to needs and desired aesthetic result.

The design philosophy behind this particular design is based on functionality, minimalism and aesthetics. An open-minded person that Rapolas is, has been made clearly visible in his design and its adjusting nature.

Designer: Rapolas Gražys Contact: Vilnius, Lithuania Tel: +37061216678

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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Radhi Desai and Varsha Menon are designers from the Indian subcontinent, who explored the idea of a multi-purpose and easy-to-use piece of furniture called the Spiral Stack, which was an outcome of a studio called 'Prototyping the Domestic environment' at Rhode Island School of Design.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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SPIRAL STACK

Images: courtesy Andrew Fillmore

S

piral Stack is a versatile, interactive and adaptable piece of furniture. It was the outcome of a Studio called Prototyping the Domestic environment, at Rhode Island School of Design.

Prototyping the Domestic environment is basically work done by the Rhode Island School of Design students from the Interior and Architecture program at the Salone Satellite, Milano Salone Del Mobile 2012. Prototyping the Domestic environment is a collection of a series of objects focussed on the formal adaptation of utilitarian furniture pieces into domestic spatial components. The works explore the paradigm that in designs the creative process can be driven by the manipulation of formal components prior to the association with a given use.

For this very purpose they chose a utilitarian domestic object like a bookshelf. Overcoming their affection for the primary utilitarian objects, in the application from objects-in-space to space-objects, the work demanded the extent, that a particular shape could be repurposed in size, use and context: while maintaining its geometrical properties. The process involved using various design tools and functions like rotate, transform, translate, twist, duplicate, factorise and multiply were the key criteria to come up with a object which could be a spatial as well as work as an object.

The Spiral Stack is a perfect example of the outcome of such a highly adaptable, communicative and flexible piece of furniture requirement. Each L-shaped unit can be fanned out in a spiral or stacked-up position. This flexible nature of the furniture allows the user to create different furniture configurations, set against a wall or centre of the room or in the corner to have shelf, console, working surfaces, room divider and a hide-out. Spiral Stack is inspired from a linear bookshelf.

Design Firm: Prototyping the Domestic environment Designers: Radhi Desai, Varsha Menon Contact: Radhi Desai: +732 527 6013 Varsha Menon: +614 800 2213 Web: www.radhidesai.com www.issuu.com/varshamenon

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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INITIAL SKETCHES

Nature, Order, Design

Text: Ruturaj Parikh Images & Drawings: courtesy Hundredhands

The Centre of Hope Orphanage in Trichy by Hundredhands, Bengaluru, is an incredibly honest building – a pragmatic response to the imperatives of architecture: function, situation, economy and context while being subtly versatile in its expression: of materials, of forms and of colours.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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access ro ad

architecture

Model studies showing (clockwise from top) massing, orientation and climatic response with buffers etc., circulation diagram and the figure-ground diagram.

VIEW FROM ACCESS ROAD Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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Of Time and Timelessness

With a strong spatial quality which contains and liberates a person, both at once, the International Management Institute in Bhubaneswar by Abin Design Studio fuses lessons from past traditions with inclinations of the present to evolve as a timeless architectural piece.

Text: Shalmali Wagle Drawings & Images: courtesy Abin Design Studio | Pradip Sen Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

architecture

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“We decided, at first, to learn from the ‘City of Temples’, to let it speak to us. And it spoke like never before!...

The temples with their rich architecture, atypical to any other, had us overwhelmed. The primitive rock-cut cave architecture took us back in time. The sculptural motifs left us breathless with their majestic beauty and attention to detail. The gardens, statues and fountains beckoned to us invitingly. We took solace from the heat under extended roofs and traditional courtyards.

We found an architecture which had risen from the native soil - sacred and pure. We found one of those rare places where tradition matches its steps with modernity, where culture and technology flourish together, where the glorious past is preserved and an illustrious future is in the making.

We finally understood what the city was trying to tell us. The challenge lay in fusing the rich heritage and the traditional elements in a modern setting. And so we created - for that city and for that purpose.”

- Abin Chaudhuri

The curved façade of the library building stands lofty and assertive, in contrast to the convivial main entrance of the academic block.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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A Semblance of Solitude The House in the Hills at Kodaikanal designed by Chennai-based practice Calm Studio follows the topography of the hills with an acute sense of local materiality and contemporary aesthetics to embody critical regionalism.

Text: Ayishwariya Balagopal Drawings & Images: courtesy Calm Studio | Harshan Thomson Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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The meandering path leading up to the house.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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Situated atop a hill, the solitary home designed by Calm Studio aptly communicates the need to remain isolated from prying eyes and submits to an innate desire to be one with the wilderness.

The 'Deepastambham' at the entrance adds a touch of detail to the faรงade at the entrance.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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View of the entrance from the north.

The water court renders its calming effect to the landscape.

The deck adjoining the living room extends into the landscape.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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NEW-AGE STYLISTICS REDSHIFT, BENGALURU RedShift is a young, progressive practice initiated as an axiom into architecture and thinking; it follows a movement along the understood and into the unknown, negotiating the grey in between. Constantly journeying along a process-driven path through rigour and grit that accumulates the obvious and the hidden, the firm assimilates fragments into a tangible whole. It believes in an architecture that is honest to time, liberated from stylistic notions and visual representation.

Text: Sharmila Chakravorty | Images & Drawings: courtesy RedShift

Ingeniously weaving striking design elements within a restrained, swanky residence, RedShift designs the Faisal House in Bengaluru – a responsive, functional manifestation of aspirations and traditional roots.

L

ocated in a relatively new suburb to the south of Bengaluru, the Faisal House is in close proximity to the Electronic City, the industrial and IT hub of Bengaluru. Its neighbourhood has seen a sudden surge in residential developments, resulting in a rather eclectic mix of architectural styles around. Thus, the design of the Faisal House rightfully draws inspiration from its modern, urban milieu, while being rooted in its context.

which opens into the living and dining rooms. The more private family room is symbolically separated by a narrow strip of a water body, connected by a bridge to the living and dining spaces. In addition to imparting a textural quality of space, the sound of water also enlivens the aural experience – soothing, calming and relaxing those within the residence.

The residence sits on a 82’ x 50’ corner site, asserting its presence through its dynamic form. The main entry, on the northeast corner of the site, is pronounced by a sweeping curved wall, drawing one into the house from the street. As a visual marker, the wall leads up to the main door. The entrance gate too adds to the visual drama, with an abstract patter laser-cut onto it which makes for an interesting light fixture.

A straight flight of steps with glass treads above this in-between space accentuates it, with the skylight placed above the entire stretch creating patterns of light and shade throughout the day.

Another interesting design feature is the wall clock on the wall besides the water body and staircase. Being the only focal point on the otherwise unadorned wall, the hands of the clock too are subjected to the skylight and create dramatic patterns during the day.

Within the house, the main door opens into a foyer which leads one into the house. From this point, spaces burst out into one another, creating a sense of expansive openness. These spaces, however; the living room, the dining room and the family room; assume their required privacy levels with design elements such as visually light low-height frosted glass partition between the living and dining room and fabric drapes to separate the family room,

The design takes into account the client’s elderly parents and thereby incorporates a small hydraulic elevator connecting the ground floor to the basement, and does not have any split levels.

Thus, the lower levels of the residence become the domain for the family. In keeping with the same, the client’s parents’ room is placed right next to the family room – the hub of all family activity within the residence. The first floor houses the master bedroom,

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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View of the Faisal House and its dynamic cantilevered roof form.

The main gate with the abstract laser-cut design that also acts as a lighting feature.

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DRESS

DRESS

GUEST BEDROOM

MASTER BEDROOM DN

STUDY

R O A

DRESS

D

GUEST BEDROOM

CHILDRENS’ BEDROOM

R O A D

SITE PLAN

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

Overall, the house is an interesting mix of functionality decorated with elemental aesthetics.

UTILITY GARDEN

DECK

DN DN

KITCHEN

LIFT FAMILY

GARDEN

GARDEN

DINING

BASEMENT

R

SECTION

O

UP

A

DRESS LIVING

D

PARENTS’ BEDROOM

DECK UP

RAMP DOWN

GROUND FLOOR PLAN Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

R O A D

ENTRY

ELEVATION

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Teak wood on the roof structure contrasting against the white wall.

Light-coloured frosted glass walls form partitions, yet keep the spaces seamless.

Interior spaces seem continuous, with design elements as focal points.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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Water The Element of Life – Real and Metaphorical.

The architecture of India has a profound connection to water – the element and the idea.

It is one fundamental common between the two conceptual worlds – the realms of the sacred and the profane. The miracle of water has always lured the people of our subcontinent to treat this element with reverence. Water reveals itself as a recurring pattern in our architecture and manifests itself in many ideas therein.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

[1] Lothal, the world’s earliest dock, linked it to the trade routes. It is the first evidence of purposeful thought into water-supply and drainage. With a shift in the river course, a new inlet was built to connect the channel to the dock.

94

[2] [3] The Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro, was an elaborate community pool, which may be linked with religious practice. A central marketplace boasted a large central well, while individual households obtained water from smaller wells.

[4] Harappan Cities were well-planned with wide streets, public and private wells, drains, bathing platforms and reservoirs. The acropolis featured exclusive paved baths, underground and surface drains and potable water wells.

[1]

The earliest settlements of the Indian subcontinent – precursors of the modern Indian cities – grew on the banks of rivers.

[2]

In their remains, we find sophisticated systems of water harvesting and distribution. Baths, tanks, streams, reservoirs and wells formed a network of water-bodies that supplemented life.

The ancient Indian texts and scriptures present a spiritual affinity our people had and continue to have with water – perhaps the reason why our writing, paintings, pottery, poetry, mythology, art and architecture have an inevitable presence of this element.

[3]

[4]

Indus Valley Civilisation Mauryan

Shunga

Kushan

Gupta Vakataka

-200

-100

Growth of civilisations along the rivers.

Early Settlements in Indus Valley.

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0

Rashtrakuta

Chalukya Pallava

Satvahana

-3300

The Ghats at Varanasi & Pushkar Pratihar Harsha

Pandya 100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Hindu spirituality and propagation of myths.

Early Temple Towns.

800

95 [5] [6] The Ghats of Varanasi: nearly 100 Ghats, step down to the banks of River Ganges. They are typically sacred bathing Ghats or cremation sites associated with legends and mythologies or used for routine fishing, laundry or washing of work-animals.

[7] [8] The Ghats of Pushkar surround the Pushkar Lake, believed to be the ‘original sacred water body’. Over 500 Hindu temples are situated around the 52 bathing Ghats and the lake precincts.

The architecture of India cannot be understood in isolation.

Layers of space-making that define the domains of public and private life, of religion and occupation, of craft and workmanship and overlays of cultural and social hierarchies are superimposed in an anonymous, ambiguous whole.

[5]

On the Ghats of India, the spiritual and the banal share the same space, as life - from birth to death - is celebrated with equal reverence. The river is understood as the source of all life.

On the surface, it is revered for its function, inimitable as an element; layers below, it is the medium where life is born and the abyss where it dissolves.

[6]

The Ghat is a unifier of form – a singular entity that is organic, undefined and incremental, yet structured and organised.

It is a space in transition – always in the making, yet always complete.

[7] Rajput

Sultanate

Sena

Pala

Yadava

Chalukya

Hoysala

Kakatiya

900

1000

1100

1200

1300

Sikh

Mughal Bahamani Portuguese

1400

1500

1600

Dutch Mysore 1700

North British

Maratha

Vijayanagar

Chola

[8]

French

1800

Deccan South

1900

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

96 [9] [10] The Hampi settlement includes temple complexes with a variety of ponds and ‘pushkarnis’ (sacred tanks) in combination with royal baths and aesthetic aqueducts and channels. These, along with the river itself, cater to the ritual and functional aspects of the temple and life surrounding it.

We presently live in condensed continuities of our collective past as subjects of the same reality, but in a different layer.

[11] [12] Sravanabelagola is a Jain ‘tirtha’ comprising of two hills, Indragiri and Chandragiri, a 58-foot tall statue of Gommateshwara and a large sacred tank nestled in between. The name is derived from the word ‘belagola’ meaning ‘white tank’.

The tanks of our historic cities were profoundly minimal architectural features that harvested and retained water, all the while organising built-form and attributed function around it. They act as pivotal centres – unoccupied, ambiguous and yet, structured in form, thought and meaning.

[ 10 ]

The tank is a part of living continuity: ancient and yet permanent in its logic, unquestionable in its form, universal in its meaning.

[ 11 ]

[ 12 ]

[9] Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai

Sravanabelagola Mauryan

Shunga

Kushan

Gupta Vakataka

-200

-100

0

100

Passing of Chandragupta Maurya and the rise of Ashoka – Mauryan Empire.

Medieval Jain Architecture.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

Pratihar Rashtrakuta

Chalukya Pallava Pandya

Satvahana

-3300

Harsha

200

300

400

500

Rise of the Pandya dynasty in the south with Madurai as the capital.

Great Temples in Dravidian Style.

600

700

800

[13] The Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai has a sacred temple tank, ‘Porthamarai Kulam’ or the Pond with the golden lotus, for abulition. The tank is 165 feet by 120 feet in size and surrounded by the temple portico and tall ‘gopurams’.

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[14] [15] The Thillai Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram is well-endowed with several water bodies, tanks, wells and channels, within and around the temple complex that store water for to facilitate religious as well as functional uses.

Water in Indian architecture embodies purity and worship – both as a container and as the contained.

The ambiguous meaning of a structured water-body is resolved as the organiser of conceptual space in the tanks of the great southern temples; though consciously the meaning is kept incomplete. Thus, an essential act of preserving water has a religious connotation.

In the Great Temples, the tank is contained; in the great tanks, the temple is contained. [ 13 ]

The Architecture of India enables the context to govern meaning though the forms and functions remain the same.

Half-definitions enable the mind to complete its perception internally – thus leaving the interpretation to the individual who encounters it. [ 14 ]

Pala Chalukya

Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram Rajput Sena Yadava Kakatiya Hoysala

1000

Hampi Settlement Sultanate

1100

1200

1300

The supremacy of the Cholas in the south.

Great Temples in Dravidian Style.

Sikh

Mughal

Bahamani Portuguese

1400

1500

1600

Dutch Mysore 1700

North British

Maratha

Vijayanagar

Chola 900

[ 15 ]

French

1800

Deccan South

1900

Vijayanagara Dynasty in the south.

Revival of Early Settlements / Vijayanagara Style.

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[16] The Sun Temple at Modhera: the organisation of stone produces a dazzling pattern of art and geometry. 108 miniature shrines are carved in between the steps inside the tank.

[17] The temple complex comprises of three separate, axially aligned and integrated elements: Surya Kund, Sabha Mandap and Guda Mandap.

[18] The Surya Kund, also known as Rama Kund, is a large rectangular stepped tank measuring 175 feet by 120 feet and used to store pure water.

In India, extreme opposites are finely balanced – sometimes within the same idea.

[ 16 ]

[ 17 ]

A staircase to water takes many forms, has many metaphors and bears many meanings in time. In a fine balancing of opposites, while the temples rise above with Mandapas growing towards the sky, the Kund grows below and reaches for the water.

Small shrines on the steps of the Kund bear a duality of meaning – a perceptual ambiguity: Is the Kund a part of the temple? Is the temple a part of the Kund?

Mauryan

Shunga

Kushan

[ 18 ]

Gupta Vakataka

-200

-100

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Pratihar Rashtrakuta

Chalukya Pallava

Satvahana

-3300

Harsha

Pandya 100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

99

[19] [20] The Adalaj Stepwell is five stories deep, octagonal in plan at the top, and built on intricately carved pillars. Dug to access ground water, it embodies religious connotations. Elaborate steps lead to the well, the motifs of Islamic architecture blending with the symbols of Hindu and Jain gods.

[21] The Chand Baori at Abhaneri is one of the deepest, largest stepwells in India, with 3500 narrow steps in 13 stories extending 100 feet into the ground.

Intended to conserve water, it became a community gathering place owing to its cool sanctum.

And a simple act of fetching water has ritualistic implications.

[ 20 ]

Different regions have developed ingenious vocabularies and architectural expressions of the ‘Kund’ – each an interpretation of the beliefs, styles, crafts, culture and landscape of the place.

In ‘Baoris’, passively cooled pavilions are built to take advantage of the natural, comfortable sanctum where water is found. The stepwells of India are powerful visual compositions. In the hot-dry belts, they are versatile archetypes crucial to life.

[ 19 ] Chand Baori, Abhaneri Pala

The Sun Temple, Modhera Rajput Sena

Adalaj Stepwell, Adalaj Sultanate Yadava

Chalukya

Hoysala

Kakatiya

1000

Rajputs in the north.

Rajput Style.

1100

1200

Islamic invasions and the Solankis in Gujarat.

Solanki Style (joint-ventures by royals and traders).

1300

Sikh

Mughal Bahamani Portuguese

1400

1500

1600

Dutch Mysore 1700

North British

Maratha

Vijayanagar

Chola 900

[ 21 ]

French

1800

Deccan South

1900

Islamic Rule and Early Sultanate.

Indo-Islamic Style.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

100 [22] [23] The fort-city of Mandu: Islamic influences on Hindu architecture apparent in the incorporation of royal baths and fountain-courts along with sacred tanks and stepwells in the complex. Variation in forms as a way of ornamentation was another result of the overlapping cultures.

[ 22 ]

[24] The complex comprises of the Rewa Kund and Munja Tank to supply water to the palaces, the Jahaz Mahal with fountain-courts seems floating entirely on two artificial lakes and the Champa Baoli, a stepped well.

India is a manifest world of mythic ideas - ever-changing, ambiguous, plural and multiple - all at the same time.

[ 23 ]

With a change in epoch, the elements remain, contexts remain but the metaphors change.

With Islam, came new beliefs, modes of life, spiritual ideals, code of values, cultural standards and socio-political orders – the ideas of pleasure-gardens, of beauty in geometry, of order, scale and monumentality.

[ 24 ]

Mauryan

Shunga

Kushan

Gupta Vakataka

-200

-100

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Pratihar Rashtrakuta

Chalukya Pallava

Satvahana

-3300

Harsha

Pandya 100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

101 [25] Fatehpur Sikri: Anup Talao is an ornamental pool with a central platform and four bridges leading up to it. Important buildings of the royal enclave including Akbar’s residence, Panch Mahal (a five-storey palace), Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience), Ankh Michauli and the Astrologer’s Seat, surround it.

[26] The Tomb of Salim Chishti is a white marble structure within the Jama Masjid’s courtyard. The complex had an underground tank for the storage of water.

In the flow, the form is lost – the substance remains – the idea lasts.

[ 25 ]

And thus the ecstatic Mughal examples of beautiful forms with elaborate meanings incredibly intricate and moving expressions that capture the beauty of flow, gradient, sound and containment - are associated with water. Water finds its way from the top through the baths, channels, canals, tanks and eventually permeates into the many reservoirs where it is harvested.

Terraces, platforms, ‘Char Baghs’, arched colonnades and articulate structures create the set. And water always remains a part of the set – still an element in architecture and architecture, still an element in it.

[ 26 ]

Fatehpur Sikri

The fort-city of Mandu Rajput Sena Pala

Sultanate Yadava

Chalukya

Hoysala

Kakatiya

900

1000

Bahamani Portuguese

1100

Advent of Islam and Early Sultanate.

Indo-Islamic Style.

1200

1300

1400

1500

1600

Dutch Mysore 1700

North British

Maratha

Vijayanagar

Chola

Sikh

Mughal

French

1800

Deccan South

1900

Mughal Empire under the reign of Akbar.

Mughal Architecture.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

102 [27] [28] Humayun’s Tomb, the first garden-tomb in India, has a highly geometrical Char Bagh (Garden of Paradise) divided into four squares by Khiyabans (paved walkways) and two bisecting central water channels that reflect the four rivers that flow in Jannat.

[29] [30] The central water channels disappear beneath the tomb structure and reappear on the other side in a straight line, suggesting the Quranic verse, which talks of rivers flowing beneath the ‘Garden of Paradise’. The complex also has a Hammam (bath chamber).

The Mughals found gorgeous and refined means in craftsmanship and design to articulate formal expressions of the four rivers of Paradise. Again, the ideas remain; forms change.

Here, the elements of water have a perception of geometry, scale and grandeur.

[ 27 ]

[ 28 ]

Orthogonal canals feed water to a network of water-bodies through a natural gradient forming a simultaneous equivalent to the four rivers of Paradise and the Char Bagh (Garden of Paradise) – an exceedingly graceful expression of a Persian metaphor.

[ 29 ]

Mauryan

Shunga

[ 30 ]

Kushan

Gupta Vakataka

-200

-100

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Pratihar Rashtrakuta

Chalukya Pallava

Satvahana

-3300

Harsha

Pandya 100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

103 [31] The Taj Mahal, the complex is set on a large 300sqm Char Bagh. The River Yamuna itself was incorporated into the design and was meant to be seen as one of the rivers of Paradise.

[32] A raised marble water tank at the centre of the garden, halfway between the tomb and gateway with a reflecting pool on a north-south axis, reflects the image of the mausoleum.

[33] Most Mughal Char Baghs are rectangular with a tomb or pavilion in the centre. The Taj Mahal garden is unusual in the fact that the main element, the tomb, is located at the end of the garden.

The object is adorned in its reflection. . .

[ 31 ]

[ 33 ]

[ 32 ]

Though concepts are borrowed from the metaphysical, their material idioms are but precise and fitting – a synthesis of beauty and truth. The canals within the Mughal monuments and the river outside capture many reflections of the scale. The apparent un-approachability of the structure and its reflections in the water that surrounds it in natural and devised bodies, composes the lasting image.

Taj Mahal, Agra

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi Rajput

Sultanate

Sena

Pala

Yadava

Chalukya

Hoysala

Kakatiya

900

1000

Bahamani

1100

1200

1300

1400

North British

Maratha Portuguese

Vijayanagar

Chola

Sikh

Mughal

1500

Mughal Empire under the reign of Akbar.

Mughal Architecture.

1600

Dutch Mysore 1700

French

1800

Deccan South

1900

Mughal Empire under the rule of Shah Jahan.

Mughal Architecture.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

104 [34] [35] The Red Fort and Palace complex: the Hayat Bakhsh Bagh (Life-Bestowing Garden) comprises of tanks, pavilions, water channels and fountains. Two pavilions called Savon and Bhadon stand at either end of the north-south channel.

[36] The complex consists of pavilions on a raised platform looking out onto the River Yamuna. The pavilions are connected by a continuous water channel, known as the Nahr-i-Behisht (Stream of Paradise). Water is drawn from the river and the complex is designed as an imitation of Paradise.

[ 35 ]

The idea of flowing water and its many forms is then further refined in nature by many details and architectural articulations – a continuous stream that forms ponds, tanks, fountains, baths, cascades, gushes, streams, channels and falls. Incredibly, in hot and arid India, the channel is not just an aesthetic feature – it is a climatic apparatus.

[ 34 ]

The metaphor renders it intriguing.

[ 36 ]

Mauryan

Shunga

Kushan

Gupta Vakataka

-200

-100

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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Pratihar Rashtrakuta

Chalukya Pallava

Satvahana

-3300

Harsha

Pandya 100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

105 [37] The Deeg Palace at Bharatpur comprises of mansions called ‘Bhawans’ with striking tanks, canals and fountains. The layout of the garden is based on the formality of Mughal Char Baghs and is flanked by two reservoirs, Rup Sagar and Gopal Sagar.

[38] [39] The ‘Bhawans’ float on water and their reflections into surrounding sheet impart a unique charm to ambience. An intricate network of channels carries water strategically to different parts of the complex.

The Rajputs of hot and dry Rajasthan borrow elements from the Mughals but re-interpret connotations that are attached.

[ 37 ]

Thus, the consistent presence of water in the palaces, forts and gardens of Rajput architecture creates a micro-climate that enables passive cooling of royal complexes. Ideas come full circle when a Kund is replaced by a Stream and a Tank.

The pleasure-garden is not the Garden of Paradise anymore.

In India, cultures cross-fertilise and meanings change. [ 38 ]

[ 39 ] Deeg Palace, Bharatpur

The Red Fort, Delhi Rajput

Sultanate

Sena

Pala

Yadava

Chalukya

Hoysala

Kakatiya

900

1000

Bahamani Portuguese

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

1600

Mughal Empire under the rule of Shah Jahan.

Mughal Architecture.

Dutch Mysore 1700

North British

Maratha

Vijayanagar

Chola

Sikh

Mughal

French

1800

Deccan South

1900

Decline of the Mughal Empire & Rajput sovereignity.

Mughal-Rajput Style.

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[40] [41] [42] The Jal Mahal in Jaipur is set in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake and offers a picturesque view of the surrounding Nahargarh hills. The palace is a five-storeyed building out of which four floors remain underwater when the lake is full.

[43] [44] The Golden Temple at Amritsar is a Gurdwara surrounded by a large lake or holy tank, known as the ‘Sarovar’.

Ubiquity and extravagance co-exist in a fine balance.

[ 41]

[ 40 ]

Powerful images transcend the eras of their meaningful expressions and are transferred as new forms bring change in thinking.

The presence of architecture within a body of water establishes hierarchy, creates a setback to appreciate form and scale and imply purity and timelessness.

Thus, symbols of power and humility – both human and divine – are surrounded with water to assert significance. Water provides comfort and respite and thus, is associated with tranquility.

[ 42 ]

[ 43 ]

[ 44 ]

Mauryan

Shunga

Kushan

Gupta Vakataka

-200

-100

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Pratihar Rashtrakuta

Chalukya Pallava

Satvahana

-3300

Harsha

Pandya 100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

107 [45] Houses line the Rainawari Canal in Kashmir.

[46] Houses on the backwaters of Kerala.

[47] A sacred tank in the Sapteshwar Mandir, Dabhol.

[48] A stepwell in a southern village.

In vernacular India, water finds its way in many humble rudiments and formal systems.

[ 45]

[ 46]

[ 47]

Tanks, wells, kunds, streams, springs and many natural reservoirs have architectural mechanisms to collect and control water.

[ 48

The functions are now practical and outlooks, modern. But the essence of an inherent pattern lingers.

Jal Mahal, Jaipur

The Golden Temple, Amritsar Rajput

Sultanate

Sena

Pala

Yadava

Chalukya

Hoysala

Kakatiya

900

1000

Bahamani Portuguese

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

Propagation of Sikhism in Punjab.

Sikh Architecture.

1600

Dutch Mysore 1700

North British

Maratha

Vijayanagar

Chola

Sikh

Mughal

French

1800

Deccan South

1900

The sovereign Rajput states of Rajasthan.

Mughal-Rajput Style.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013

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The presence of water in its many metaphors and complexities in the architecture of India is a profound response to the inherent pluralism of its rich historical landscape.

In India, rivers are sacred, lakes are places of worship, kunds have shrines, wells bear symbols of fertility and ‘paniharies’ occupy the most auspicious place in the house. But beyond securing water, the water-bodies of our landscape act as conceptual centres around which life, both religious and ubiquitous, revolves. Here, layers of activities, building typologies and architectural responses to bygone eras coexist with contemporary life. It is perhaps because of the complete understanding our culture has - of dependency of life on water that it invariably finds its manifestations in spirituality.

Water is plural and has many meanings – one for each idea, era and individual.

Even in contemporary India – in its many modernities – we live in continuing presence of our past. As the architecture of India finds new forms for historic patterns, the element of water persists to appeal to our imagination and collective affinity towards its containers. Even as ideas change, new forms will manifest new meanings. New materials will articulate new ideas and perhaps the architecture of our subcontinent will re-interpret the presence of water and its indissoluble connection with our spaces and places.

This column is an attempt to decipher and understand the ideas and elements that are sacrosanct to the architecture of India. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [

A ] B ] C ] D ] E ] F ] G ] H ] I ] J ] K ] L ] M ] N ] O ] P ] Q ] R ] S ] T ]

Lothal, Gujarat Mohenjo-Daro, Pakistan Harappa, Pakistan The Ghats at Varanasi, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh The Ghats at Pushkar, Pushkar, Rajasthan Hampi, Karnataka Sravanabelagola, Karnataka Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai, Tamil Nadu Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu The Sun Temple, Modhera, Gujarat Adalaj Stepwell, Adalaj, Gujarat Chand Baori, Abhaneri, Rajasthan Mandu, Madhya Pradesh Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh The Red Fort, Delhi Deeg Palace, Bharatpur, Rajasthan Jal Mahal, Jaipur, Rajasthan The Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab

T

C B

E,R

L,S

O,Q N,P

D J,K A M

F G I H

Authors : Photographs :

Drawings : Website :

Ruturaj Parikh, Shalmali Wagle IA&B Archives, Various Contributors, Satellite Images: Google Earth Ruturaj Parikh www.iabforum.com

The images, drawings and references in this column are representational only. All drawings are to proportion and not to scale. The timeline, corresponding periods and the site-marker at the bottom of each page is only approximate.

Indian Architect & Builder - May 2013