Preface

This book examines the architecture, urbanism and ideas of Balkrishna Doshi. It is not a complete catalogue of his buildings, but an interpretative essay which puts the architect in historical perspective. Doshi has combined certain enduring values of modern architecture with research into the substructures of Indian tradition. The primary lessons of Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn have been transformed to deal with the searing climate and the needs of an ancient civilisation undergoing dramatic change.

The book is in four main parts. The Introduction charts Doshi’s development from the beginning up until the recent past. It follows the gradual emancipation from mentors through a variety of projects dealing with a wide range of social needs from housing to education to civic monuments. During the past decade, Doshi has crystallised a vocabulary of his own which uses vaults, shaded courts, grassy platforms, meandering routes, water gardens, and hooded sources of light. Recent buildings such as the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore (of the late 1970s) and Doshi’s own studio, Sangath, in Ahmedabad (of 1979-81) mark this synthesis and show how the architect has drawn from various periods of the Indian past.

The second part of the book is devoted to a close examination of around 20 projects. It looks at programmes, sites, demands of climate and, on occasion, processes of design. It also illustrates sources which have inspired the architect: Doshi’s sketches reveal the sort of mind that learns one minute from the plan of a temple, the next from a structural detail seen during a trip abroad. But architecture is created by teams of people, not just individuals, and Doshi has benefited from dedicated collaborators. Since 1977 he has been in partnership with Joseph Allen Stein and Jai Rattan Bhalla. Nonetheless, the buildings selected were conceived by Doshi himself.

Doshi’s first commitment is to building, but he also expresses himself in writing from time to time. The third part of this book includes excerpts from articles and lectures as well as certain philosophical reflections from private diaries. These demonstrate Doshi’s understanding of both Indian predicaments and the nature of architecture. His maxims do not provide a comprehensive theory of design, but they certainly hint at the principles that have guided his life’s work.

The fourth section of the book is a postscript by the author on the future of Indian architecture. It is intended as nothing more than a sketch and it touches upon such issues as urbanisation, the use and abuse of tradition, regionalism, international influence, natural resources, and shifts in the political culture of the country.

Doshi’s quest for an authentic architecture blending old and new, regional and universal, has relevance beyond India. In many other areas of the Third World, architects are grappling with the problem of how best to modernise yet maintain a core of cultural identity. Doshi’s work does not provide recipes for doing this but it does suggest

that the architect must avoid both international and national stereotypes. The aim should be to transform, not to imitate or to reproduce. As always, architecture of depth relies upon ethical as well as aesthetic convictions.

This book was put together at the end of 1986 and the beginning of 1987, an ideal time in Ahmedabad, when the days are cool and the flowers are in bloom. For the author it was a chance to focus certain ideas that had been in gestation during several earlier visits to India. I am grateful to Doshi for giving so freely of his time and archives, and to many members of his office for being so helpful, especially Rajinder Puri who dug up many photographs and translated the author’s doodles into an invaluable preliminary layout. At this point, Aman Nath took over and, helped by Anuradha Patni and Vinay Jain, defined the final design. Thanks are also due to Carmen Kagal for her meticulous editing, to P.G. Joseph and Rajendra Padmashali for their fast and accurate typing, and to Kishore for his endless cups of iced coffee.

The book was written in ideal circumstances: a verandah in Delhi, and a quiet nook in Ahmedabad. I am grateful to my hosts in both cases. From the second place, it was possible to glimpse water troughs, monkeys and peacocks. When writing became tedious, I had only to step onto a terrace to see camel carts and peasants on their way to the city.

William J.R. Curtis February 1987 Ahmedabad