BALKRISHNA VITHALDAS DOSHI

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi

o Born in Pune, India on 26 August 1927
o Studied at the J. J. School of Architecture, Mumbai.
o Worked for four years with Le Corbusier as Senior Designer (195154) in Paris
o His studio, Vastu-Shilpa was established in 1955
o Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Indian Institute of
Architects
o He has been on the selection committee for the Pritzker Prize, the Indira Gandhi
National Centre for Arts, and the Aga Khan Award
o The first founder Director of School of Architecture, Ahmedabad (196272)

o Doshi has worked in partnership as Stein, Doshi & Bhalla since 1977
oHe was presented a 1995 Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Aranya Community
Housing in Indore, IndiaHe has received numerous international awards and honours,
including Padma Shri from the Government of India, and an honorary doctorate from the
University of Pennsylvania

Architectural Principles

Mythical sense

Vasatu purasha mandala

Transformation of energy
Human institutions
Symbolism
Flexible approach

Amorphous forms
timelessness

BUILDING STYLE & FORMS THAT WOULD BEST EXPRESS HIS IDEAS.
The building profile will have natural light + air +movement + access elements against
the sky toexpress the cosmic relationship.

The building base will gradually widen towards the ground through platforms, terraces,
and steps.

The building mass will integrate roof, rainwater, cascades, water bodies, natural
landscapes, gardens, foliage.

The external finish of the building will express one homogenous mass but will have
adequate details/textures/ surface modulations.

The main arrival to the building will be at a higher or raised level- with provision for
a lower entry to express duality.
Not all movements within the building will be symmetrical but will shift axis to give
unexpected experiences and provide ambiguous / dual impressions
And finally Aesthetic considerations will take into account local symbolism, context, and
associations.
Casting of shadows, breaking of mass, rhythms in the structure, solids, voids, will be
the mode of expression.
Sangath, is one of the best examples of the project, which shows his building style a
green enclave of grassy mounds, steps, terraces, water cascades and earth hugging vaults
covered in chips of china mosaic to glare and heat.

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi

I learned from Le Corbusier to observe and react to climate, to tradition, to

function, to structure, to economy, and to the landscape. To an extent, I also
understand how to build buildings and create spaces and forms. However, I
have in the last two decades, gradually discovered that the buildings that I have
designed seems somewhat foreign and out of milieu; they do not appear to
have their roots in the soil. With the experience of my work over the years and
my own observation, I am trying to understand a little about my people, their
traditions, and social customs, and their philosophy of life."

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi

PROJECTS
1. Hussain - Doshi Gufa Client : M.F.
Hussain, Ahmedabad
2. National Institute of Fashion Technology
Client : NIFT, New Delhi
3. Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural
Heritage Client : INTACH, New Delhi
4. Aranya Low Cost Housing Client :
Indore Development Authority
5. Sangath Client : Balkrishna Doshi,
Ahmedabad
6. Indian Institute of Management,
Bangalore Client : IIM, Bangalore
7. IMAX Theatre,Ahemdabad : Gujarat
Council of Science City, Ahemdabad
8. Residence for Arjun Machan,
Ahmedabad : Radhika Doshi Kathpalia

1. Hussain - Doshi Gufa Client : M.F. Hussain,

Ahmedabad

is an underground art gallery in Ahmedabad, India. Designed by the

architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, it exhibits works of the Indian
artist Maqbool Fida Hussain.

The

cave-like

underground

structure

has

roof

made

of

multiple

interconnected domes, covered with a mosaic of tiles.

On the inside, irregular tree-like columns support the domes. It was earlier

known as Hussain- Doshi ni Gufa.

Development
The structure's contemporary architecture draws on
ancient and natural themes.
The domes are inspired by the shells of tortoises and
by soap bubbles.
The mosaic tiles on the roof are similar to those found
on the roofs of the Jain temples at Girnar, and the
mosaic snake is from Hindu mythology.
The Buddhist caves of Ajanta and Ellora inspired
Doshi to design the interior with circles and ellipses,
while Hussain's wall paintings are inspired
by Paleolithic cave art. The interior is divided by tree
trunks or columns similar to those found
at Stonehenge.

Construction

A simple floor of wire mesh and mortar was used instead of a

traditional foundation.
The structure's components are self-supporting.
Ferrocement, only one inch thick, was used for the undulating walls and
domes in order to reduce load.
The cave was constructed by unskilled tribal labourers using only hand
tools.
Broken ceramic crockery and waste tiles were used to cover the domes'
exterior, which bears a transversal mosaic of a snake.
Work was carried out in two phases: the first was the construction of the
main cave as an underground art gallery, while the second covered the
surrounding structures including the paving, the caf, and a separate art
gallery for exhibitions.

Structure

The gallery space is below ground

level.
A partially hidden staircase leads to a
circular door which opens into a cavelike space.
Though designed to display paintings,
the cave has no straight walls, instead
using a continuation of the curved
dome structure which extends down to
the floor.
The domes themselves are supported
by irregularly shaped inclined columns,
similar to those found in natural caves.
They are also said to resemble the
trunks of trees. The entire design is
made up of circles and ellipses.
Light arrives though snouts, creating
spots of light on the floor which move
around as the day progresses, intended
to create a mystic atmosphere.

Sangath

SANGATH means moving together through participation

"and the place is more than just an architectural office.

The site was a quadrilateral looking south over a road

towards open country with camels and tribal villagers
going in one direction, diesel trucks and new suburbanites
passing in the other.

Sangath (1979-1981)Thaltej Road, Ahmedabad

Client: Balkrishna Doshi
Principal Architect : Balkrishna Doshi
ProjectAssistants : J.Joshipura, S. Patankar,
H.M.Siddhpura
Project Engineer : B.S. Jethwa, Y. Patel
Structural Engineer: G.A.Tambe
Site Area: 2346 m2
Total Built-up Area: 585 m2

 has a total floor space of 473 square metres and is located on a flat 2425 square
metres site on the fringe of Ahmedabad in India.
The complex is an ensemble of vaulted and flat roofed buildings of differing heights
juxtaposed at a number of varying angles and arranged around a large, terraced
entrance court.
The court contains a fountain surrounded by split level pools. A number of exterior
surfaces including the vaulted roofs, which take precedence, are covered with white
irregularly shaped mosaic tiles. Some of the buildings have been sunk below ground
level so that certain vaulted roofs rise only to eye level.

The entire complex is contained within a walled rectangular area.

The complex houses a number of activities in its component parts. The

design studios are housed in a double height volume surmounted by two
vaults; between them lies a flat roofed area that permits light to enter the
end-walls of each vault.

Perpendicular to this wing is a block of four vaulted units. The two units
facing the entrance court rise to a triple height and house an architect's
office, conference room, lounge, and service area on the ground floor.
First and second floors house the Vastu- Shilpa

CLIMATE & TOPOGRAPHY:

Ahmadabad-climate The city is located on the banks of Sabarmati river at23
degrees N and 72.58 degrees E. The city has hot and humid climate.

there are typically three main seasons summer,monsoon and winter

characterized by different climatic conditions.
Situated at the height of 55m above the sea level ,Ahmadabad experiences
extreme climate.
There is great difference between thet emperatures of days and nights.
Summers start from the month of March and end by June.
Winters are cool and dry and period includes the month of November to
February.
Monsoons are from July to September.
Sangath is a fragment of Doshi's private dream: amicrocosm of his intentions
and obsessions.

Inspired by the earth-hugging forms of the Indian

vernacular, it also draws upon the vault
suggestions of Le Corbusier.
A warren of interiors derived from the traditional
Indian city, it is also influenced by sources as
diverse as Louis I. Kahn, Alvar Aalto and Antonio
Gaudi.
A work of art stands on its own merits and
Sangath possesses that indefinable quality
of authenticity.

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Street Address

off Eastern Metropolitan Bypass

Location

Kolkata

Architect/Planner

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi

Date

1997 - 2002

Client

Bengal Ambuja Housing

Building Type

residential

Building Usage

housing development

Over 25 acres in south-east Kolkata, along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass

This public/private partnership project provides a total of 1,594 housing units spread
across the social spectrum.
264 low-income, 624 middle-income, and 706 high-income.
It is based on the principle of cross-subsidy, which allows a lower buying price for lower
incomes because costs are distributed over the whole system rather than being
calculated in a fragmented way.
In addition to housing, the complex contains a marketplace and community centre,
shops and offices.
The construction uses locally available bricks and reinforced concrete.

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Elevated view of Udita apartment blocks and central green space, looking
west. Club de Ville appears in the lower foreground while the Utsav blocks
are seen in the background

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Elevated view of Udita apartment blocks and central green space, looking
east towards Club de Ville with pool

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

View of Udita apartment blocks from artificial

lake on central greens

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Udita apartment blocks and central green space, view looking east towards
Club de Ville

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Elevated view of Udita apartment blocks showing interior roads

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Elevated view of an Udita apartment block,

showing landscaped entry court

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Landscaped entry court of an Udita apartment block

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Landscaped entry court of an Udita apartment block

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Landscaped entry court of an Udita apartment block, with sculpture

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Landscaped inner road between Udita apartment blocks, with sculpture at

gate

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Club de Ville, looking northwest from portico towards pool and Udita
apartment blocks beyond the central green

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Landscaped commons of the Udita apartment blocks

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Terrace with planters in Udita apartment

blocks

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Inner road between Udita townhouses and apartment blocks

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Udita townhouses, view looking northwest

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Elevated view of Udita townhouses and

apartment blocks

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Brick alley between Utsarg apartment blocks

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Brick alley between Utsarg apartment blocks

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Brick alley between Utsarg apartment blocks

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Central green of the Utsav apartment blocks, view looking west towards the
Utsarg compound under construction

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Sculpture of mother and child in Utsav commons

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Pavilion in Utsav commons

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

Symbolic gateway along brick path

UDAYAN - The Condoville , Kolkata

General view of Unnayan, the Commercial Centre along the EM Bypass