Balkrishna Doshi is an Indian architect known for his architectural works in India.
Wiki/Biography
Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi was born on Friday, 26 August 1927 (age 94 years; in 2021) in Pune. His hometown is Ahmedabad. His zodiac sign is Virgo. He went on to study architecture at Fergusson College, Pune, JJ School of Architecture, Mumbai, and North London Polytechnic.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 9″
Weight (approx): 70 kg
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Doshi’s father’s name is Vithaldas Doshi, and his mother’s name is Radha.
Father Doshi
Doshi’s mother
Wife & Children
He is married to Kamala Parikh.
Doshi with his wife in 1955
They have three daughters Tejal, Radhika, and Maneesha.
Religion/Religious Views
He is a Hindu.
Signature/Autograph
Doshi’s signature
Career
Architecture
He began his career in 1951 by assisting Le Corbusier who was working to design the city of Chandigarh.
Doshi with Le Corbusier
Later, he worked with Le Corbusier’s team to design the High Court and the Governor’s Palace in Chandigarh. He also worked on the design of the Factory Owners Association building and Shodhan House in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He was also the design supervisor of Villa Sarabhai, Villa Shodhan, and Sanskar Kendra. In 1956, he started his own Vastushilpa practice which is now known as Vastushilpa Consultants.
Consultant Vastushilpa Doshi
In 1959, he joined the Japanese architect Yoshikatsu Tsuboi for an international competition for the Toronto City Hall in Canada. In 1961, together with the American architect Louis Kahn, he designed the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.
Doshi with Louis Kahn
In 1970, he designed the Dal Lake Area in Srinagar, and in 1972, laid the design for the Gulmarg−Tangmarg area in Jammu and Kashmir. In 1973, he got a contract to design the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore designed by Doshi
In 1976, he found the non-profit organization Vastushilpa Foundation for Studies and Research. In 1980, he found his own studio, Sangath. In 1992, he was selected to design the Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai.
Design of Bharat Diamond Bourse, Mumbai
In 2016, he delivered a TED Talk at TEDx Talk at Nirmala University, Ahmedabad.
In 2015, she appeared in the Tamil film ‘O Kadhal Kanmani,’ and in 2017 in the Bollywood film ‘Ok Jaanu.’
Doshi with the cast of the movie ‘Ok Jannu’
Teach
He has delivered various lectures in many countries including UK, USA, Eurpe, New York.
Doshi delivered a lecture
He was the founding Director of the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad (1962–72), the first founding Director of the School of Planning (1972–79), the first founding Dean of the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology (1972–81), a founding member of the Center for Visual Arts, Ahmedabad and first founder Director Kanoria Art Centre, Ahmedabad.
Award
- 1976: Padma Shri by the Government of India
- 1993–1995: 6th Aga Khan Award for Architecture for Aranya Community Housing
- 2007: Global Award for Sustainable Architecture
- 2011: France’s highest honor for the arts, Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters
- 2017: Dhirubhai Thakar Savyasachi Saraswat Award
- 2018: Pritzker Architecture Prize
- 2020: Padma Bhushan by the Government of India
- 2022: Royal Gold Medal for Architecture for 2022 by the United Kingdom Government
- Honorary doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
- In 1954, he was appointed an associate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
- In 1993, JK Cement Ltd., India named him the Best Architect.
Facts/Trivia
- Doshi first became interested in architecture, buildings and sculptors when he visited his grandfather’s house at the age of eight. His grandfather had his own furniture store.
- When Doshi was 11, he tried a fire trick at home and burned his leg due to the failure of the trick. He did not seek treatment for it and he developed a slight limp in his leg.
- In an interview, she said that she prefers to study in the open rather than in a closed classroom.
- When he was in school, his art teacher Venecatesh Patil insisted he pursue architecture in Bombay. He then took admission in JJ School of Architecture, Mumbai. In an interview, she revealed that she is not good at English, and that she felt sad when all her classmates in college spoke in English.
- In 1951, he went to London to sit an examination for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). There he met members of Le Corbusier’s team. They offer Doshi to work with them, but he will not be paid for it. He accepted the offer and moved to Paris for a while. Later, he returned to India and worked on the design of the High Court and the Governor’s Palace in Chandigarh.
- He saw his wife for the first time in 1955, and married her. His parents did not accept his marriage because of religious differences.
- In 1957, he met famous architects such as Mies van der Rohe, Josep Lluís Sert, Charles and Ray Eames, Friedrich Kiesler when he got the Graham Foundation’s International Fellowship.
- In an interview, he said that in 1959, when he participated in an international competition for Toronto City Hall, he learned the relationship between architecture and structural systems.
- In 1961, he was offered to design the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, for which he suggested the name of the American architect Louis Kahn. They collaborated on the project.
- His article ‘Main Structure Concept. A Role for the Individual in Urban Planning,’ which he wrote with the American architect Christopher Alexander was published in a magazine in 1964. In 1967, the Japanese architecture magazine Kenchiku Bunka published his article “Architecture for Time and Change – Systems.”
- In 1992, to complete the Bharat Diamond Bourse project in Mumbai, he opened a new branch of his office in Mumbai.
- His institute Vastushilpa Foundation for Studies and Research in Environment Design became a shelter for those affected by the earthquake in Gujarat in 2001.
- A documentary based on Doshi’s life achievements and struggles was released on YouTube in 2008. The film was directed by Premjit Ramachandran.
- In 2014, Doshi’s first work ‘Celebrating Habitat: The Real, the Virtual and the Imaginary’ was exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. His work was exhibited by architect Khushnu Panthaki Hoof.
Doshi’s work on exhibition
Congratulations to renowned architect Balkrishna Doshi for winning the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. This honor is a fitting recognition of his outstanding work, which has spanned decades and made significant contributions to society. https://t.co/vhKGegfeCv
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 7, 2018
- In an interview, Doshi said that he was inspired by Indian monuments and the work of European and American architects.
- In an interview, he talked about his emotions when he was chosen for the award. He said,
I was very surprised and very honored to receive the Royal Gold Medal from the Queen of England. The news of this award brought back memories of my working with Le Corbusier in 1953 when he had just received the news of receiving the Royal Gold Medal. I vividly remember his joy at receiving this honor from His Majesty. He said to me metaphorically, ‘I wonder how big and heavy this medal is.’ Today, six decades later, I am truly touched to be awarded the same award as my teacher, Le Corbusier – honoring my six decades of training.”
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
