ABOUT THE ISSUE

— Daniel Libeskind

The last month was no doubt one of those unfortunate ones for Indian architecturewith the loss of three distinguished and celebrated architects. Yes, Jasbir

Sachdev, Kuldip Singh and M. N. Khullar. They all belonged to a generation which was instrumental in carving out post- independence, a strong belief and direction for Indian architecture. They had started their respective careers when India was still under the British architecture infl uences. Architects Kuldip Singh and Jasbir Sachdev, set on their architecture journey with passion and conviction to give a meaningful modernistic character to architecture then. Jasbir Sachedev had the privilege to work with masters such as Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeannaret and one observes their lingering architecture approach in his practice. Apart for his architecture, stalwart Kuldip Singh would always be remembered as a thorough gentleman with great respect for professionalism and elegance. His love for poetry and collection of paintings was a talking point. Noted architect Raj Rewal- his close friend and former business partner puts it aptly, “Kuldip was a rationalist architect and chose the building material in quite a sensitive manner. His projects in Delhi stood the test of time and depicted the highly- creative use of raw concrete in a beautiful manner.” The contribution by distinguished architect M N Khullar fi rst stands apart for his earlier steadfast role as the Chief Architect of the public undertaking – The Delhi Development Authority, and then for energetic participation in the private sector in the development of housing and sports infrastructure.

A section of this Issue focuses on architecture that aims to be eco- friendly and one which utilizes diverse design elements to create environmental- friendly solutions. During this pandemic phase of Covid- 19, there have been numerous voices in the profession discussing the need for re- establishing design norms that are relevant for the deuterating urban environs with high carbon footprints and diminishing open spaces- public and private. Although these projects were planned and built much before this present phase, they however provide directional pointers to address sustainability. There are glimpses here of the contemporary interpretations of vernacular. There is no denying that the new generation architects and planners are more conscious of the environmental issues today than they were in the earlier years. And that gets refl ected in the select projects related to the theme. They are demonstrative of incorporation of more natural light and ventilation in the spaces bringing in a cheer and fresh feel in the indoors. I am sure these projects would bring you closer to the genuine efforts being put in to make our habitat greener and richer in aesthetic content.