Louis Kahn

Louis Kahn was born in Saarama

(Saaremaa), Estonia in 1901.
Kahn's architecture is notable for its
simple, platonic forms and compositions.
Through the use of brick and poured-in
place concrete masonry, he developed a
contemporary
and
monumental
architecture that maintained a sympathy
for the site.
While rooted in the International Style,
Kahn's architecture was an amalgam of his
Beaux Arts education and a personal
aesthetic impulse to develop his own
architectural forms.
Kahn received the AIA Gold Medal in 1971
and the RIBA Gold Medal in 1972.
Louis Kahn is considered one of the
foremost architects of the late twentieth
century.

Louis Kahns works in India :

1.Indian
Institute
of
Management,Ahemedabad
2.Institute
of
Public
Administration
3.National
Assembly
at
Dacca.

LOCATION

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

AHEMEDABAD

PLAN OF IIM
AHEMEDABAD
Housing

Housing

Kitchen/Dining
Substation
Substation

MDC

School Building
Library
Faculty Block
Service Tower
Parking Area

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

Year of completion : 1963

Chief Architect
: Louis I. Khan
B.V Doshi
Anant Raje
: 66 Acres
Site Area
: 500
No. of Students
Students
: 100 Faculties
No. of Faculties
No. of Staff Members: 350 people

COMPONENT OF CAMPUS

MAIN

Main Academic Complex

(administration block,
class room and faculty
room around central
pizza, which also has
main entrance)
Kitchen and dining
ENTRANCES Faculty and Staff housing
Management
development center
Students dormitories
for PGP Students.

CAMPUS LAYOUT
Separate entries for institutional and residential complex.
Separate service entry.
Academics and social activities have been integrated with
students and staff living.
Institutional Complex is taken as Focal Building.
Auditorium is located near main entrance for easy access for
visitors.
Residential areas have been planned in Hierarchical pattern
School building Is planned around a court.
School building and students dormitory have been placed
diagonally to take advantage of winds from southwest.

ACADEMIC COMPLEX
The Academic complex comprises of
the following :Library
School Building
Faculty blocks
Dormitories
Louis Khan Plaza

LIBRARY BLOCK

FIRST FLOOR
PLAN OF
LIBRARY
The library building
is five storyed
structure with
rectangular plan.
It is approached by
a broad, imposing
flight of steps from
the parking lot.
The design has been
conceived to entail
movement from the
active spaces to
most private and
quite carrels at the
farthest reaches.

 SECOND FLOOR : Accommodate triple

height reading hall and conference hall
THIRD FLOOR : Accommodates bound
volumes of journals.
FOURTH FLOOR : Has bound volumes of
old books and journals.

SECOND FLOOR
PLAN

READING HALL (FIRST FLOOR)

SCHOOL BUILDING
BLOCK

OFFICES ON GROUND FLOOR

RAMP LEADING TO DORMS & CLASS ROOMS

CLASS ROOMS
The shape of classroom
is hexagonal
The Design of class
room is based on the
seminar type interaction
between the students
and the faculty.
Windows are high to get
glare free light.

FACULTY BLOCKS
Faculty block is on the right side
of the main entrance.
It is four stored building with
four blocks.
All the openings are designed
to overlook the adjacent and
landscape garden and Louis
Khan Plaza.

Faculty blocks over the landscaped

Garden in Between

DORMITORIES
The shape of each
dormitory block is
square with two
residential
wings,
triangular
lounge
and a service area.
The position of the
staircase
and
washroom
are
meant to protect
the
living
room
from sun and glare
without obstructing
and the breeze and
ventilation.

Dormitory Block

Courtyard between Dormitory block

LOUIS KHAN PLAZA

Instead of small
courtyard, one large
court has been planned
in the center to relate
the movement around.

AUDITORIUM
CAPACITY

: 550 SEATS

AREA

ENTRANCE LOBBY
FOYER
AUDITORIUM HALL
CONFERENCE ROOM
SEMINAR ROOM

: 560 Sq feets
: 560 Sq feets
: 3000 Sq feets
: 200 Sq feets
:400 Sq feets Each

Your text here

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

DINING BLOCK

MANAGEMENT DEVLOPMENT
CENTER
Management devlopment center is located towards
estern edge of the campus. It has been planned as a
self contained unit with academic area, offices,
executives hostels and dining facilities.
It is a double storyed building with a basement and
has a u shape plan enclousing a court in between
There are two lecture halls, two conference rooms
and eight syndicate rooms in the mdc building.

THE PLAN OF MDC

BUILDING MATERIALS
BRICK HAS BEEN
USED AS PRIMARY
BUILDING
MATERIAL FOR THE
ENTIRE COMPLEX
WALLS, COLUMNS.
BRICK ARCHES
HAVE BEEN USED
FOR WIDE SPANS.

 USE OF CONCERETE HAS

BEEN RESTRICTED TO
FOUNDATIONS, FLOOR
SLABS, AND TIES FOR
ARCHED OPENINGS.

Institute of Public Administration

Architect : Louis I. Kahn
Location : Ahmedabad, India
Date :1963
Building Type school of
government
Construction System brick
masonry and concrete
Climate desert
Context urban
Style Modern
Notes : Heavy layered walls
modulate sun and capture
ventilating breezes.

The organization of the complex, as well

as its architecture, reflects the
conceptual organization of learning
which is focused on three inevitable
components.
The sudden vibration of light on the
lowered arches spanning the concrete
cord to the gesture of full arches, and of
the round openings with their curved
shades, all maintained within the strict
discipline of construction, spatial
dimensioning, and plan organization."

LOUIS KHAN WORKS IN INDIA & THEIR INFLUENCES ON EMPIRICISTS

Louis khan was steeped in classicism by his beaux arts education and
his
Experience at the American Academy in Rome.
He came to India to in 1962 a decade later than Lecorbusier on being
Selected to design IIM Ahemedabad.

Kahns influence on the Indian architectural scene occurred in much

same
Way as Lecorbusier but the time, volume , Location and size of his
work
Resulted in a lesser impact. he was less of a guru for Indian Architects.

Some of his work in India were the IIM in Ahemedabad and

gandhinagar
Gujarats new capital.

Kahn is officially listed as the architectural consultant to the Nationa

Insitute of design in Ahemedabad on the IIM Project but he was actua
The architect. Doshi & Anant Raje were the liason architects.

In IIM he used local building skills and used brick , a common buildin
Material rather than going for more sophisticated techniques used by
Lecorb in Chandigarh.

In South Asian work he was able to explore the use of brick in way th
He had been unable to do in America. his Indian experiences thus ver
Much influenced the later American architecture.

The IIM seems to have stood up well over time although

shortcomings in Dealings with the climate are again in evidence.
Kahns Indian colleagues such as Raje and assistants such as
Kulbushan Jain were directly affected by the experience of working
with him. his major Lessons for India stemmed from the grounding of
his work in reality and Tradition , local materials and methods .
On Khans death and the withdrawal of his Philadelphia office from
work
On the IIM , Raje continued the development of the campus with the
Designing of the dining halls , the Management Development center
and
The housing for staffs and students .

To the lay person this work is almost indistinguishable From

Khans and gives consistency of design to the whole Institute.
Like lecorbusier ,Kahn also had an impact on architectural
education. His Collaboration with doshi occurred in formative
years of the school of Architecture at the CEPT in Ahemedabad.
With the development of such Schools and with the younger
architects being Exposed to the work of Lecorbusier and Khan , a
new period of Architectural Work emerged in India. It is highly
influenced by the Masters