Renowned architects whose legacy and works are unmatched
01 SATISH GUJRAL 02 BRINDA SOMAYA 03 ALFAZ MILAR
Their works not only are world famous, but also give inspiration to many young, aspiring minds. We are mentioning the works of three architects, who have immensely contributed to the field of architecture
Celebrating the issue’s theme ‘India Inspired’ pushed us to celebrate designs and their creators, who did not just marvel in history, but continue do so as time evolves. The beauty in their designs is immortal, the talent they possess is unquestionable and the ideas they put to table are timeless. Here are three nfluential architects from the era who are the game changers and have left or leaving a trail of legacy behind them.
He is the famous name in the new edition of Sir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture naming the architects chosen from the world, which was published by Royal Institute of British Architects in May 2018. Gujral describes his architectural journey by mentioning, “I had not entered architecture before I was commissioned to design Belgium Embassy, New Delhi. The commission had been entrusted to me following a competition that was held in Belgium. After winning the competition what guided me in designing was my background as a painter and sculptor. I had been working in those mediums for more than forty years before I attempted to design architecture. They came handy with designing the architecture forms.”
Architect Satish Gujral believes that the need has been felt with increasing intensity, as built architecture. The medium from which other art forms are supposed to derive their life and strength continues to lose its artistic autonomy, and is being reduced to mere construction in the name of benefit and rationality. It is this loss that has created a nostalgic yearning for a fusion of built architecture with the architecture of painting and sculpture, which have not yet been drained to the same extent by their material and utilitarian culture.
Brinda talks beautifully on Indian architecture by saying, “Working in India often makes each project feel like a completely new universe. We have to be both “barefoot architects” as well as “hi-tech professionals.” Every project has a distinctive client, parcel of land, climate, geography and social context, but when you put all these pieces together, they form a seamless whole, much like India with its many ethnicities, languages and societies.”
Brinda believes that conservation is an act of fine balance. Currently, she is restoring Louis I Kahn’s Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, where she finds herself having to respond to a very powerful and authoritative modern architecture. If the process of reuse and conservation responds to the specific history it deals with whole eloquently and genuinely accounting for the future aspirations of the users of the conserved space, the architect’s work is done. Further she shares, “I believe that development and progress must proceed without straining the cultural and historic environment. I firmly believe that the architect’s role is that of a guardian - the conscience of the built and un-built environment.”
Principal Architect Alfaz Miller is at home at both ends of the architectural spectrum from small projects, which are composed with careful artistry to a highly specialised vocabulary of interior design. He is now working extensively on medium and large architectural projects for private individuals, corporate and institutions. He believes that the quality of indoor and outdoor spaces has a profound impact on human physic. Most of his designs have a timeless appeal, conservative in cost, and energy efficient. Also his aesthetic have been moulded by the variety of projects designed; from restoration, to signature homes, hotels, and technology supported work spaces, his will to remake the living space for humans is again remarkable.
ABM’s role in creating Jaya He GVK New Museum at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was engineering the art wall, which was three kilometres long and consisting of 5,500 pieces of art and artefacts. As shared by the architect, “The most difficult aspect of the project was reading Rajeev Sethi’s mind who is the doyen of Indian arts and crafts and was the “Scenographer” of the New Museum. The creative intent is conceived by him, realised as it were by numerous artists and craftsmen from across the country. Each of the themes is explored and creatively interpreted in the art installations.”