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Institute of Indology, 1962,
Ahmedabad, India |
His work in architecture to affect humanity is
deeply personal, responsive, and meaningful. Chicago, IL (March
7, 2018)—Professor Balkrishna Doshi, of India, has been selected
as the 2018 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, announced Tom
Pritzker, Chairman of Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the award
that is known internationally as architecture’s highest honor.
Architect, urban planner, and educator for the past 70 years,
Doshi has been instrumental in shaping the discourse of
architecture throughout India and internationally. Influenced by
masters of 20th century architecture, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret,
known as Le Corbusier, and Louis Kahn, Doshi has been able to
interpret architecture and transform it into built works that
respect eastern culture while enhancing the quality of living in
India. His ethical and personal approach to architecture has
touched lives of every socio-economic class across a broad
spectrum of genres since the 1950s.
“My
works are an extension of my life, philosophy and dreams trying
to create treasury of the architectural spirit. I owe this
prestigious prize to my guru, Le Corbusier. His teachings led me
to question identity and compelled me to discover new regionally
adopted contemporary expression for a sustainable holistic
habitat,” comments Doshi. He continues, “with all my humility
and gratefulness I want to thank the Pritzker Jury for this
deeply touching and rewarding recognition of my work. This
reaffirms my belief that, ‘life celebrates when lifestyle and
architecture fuse.’”
Doshi’s architecture explores the relationships between
fundamental needs of human life, connectivity to self and
culture, and understanding of social traditions, within the
context of a place and its environment, and through a response
to Modernism. Childhood recollections, from the rhythms of the
weather to the ringing of temple bells, inform his designs. He
describes architecture as an extension of the body, and his
ability to attentively address function while regarding climate,
landscape, and urbanization is demonstrated through his choice
of materials, overlapping spaces, and utilization of natural and
harmonizing elements.
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Institute of Indology, 1962,
Ahmedabad, India |
“Professor Doshi has said that ‘Design converts shelters into
homes, housing into communities, and cities into magnets of
opportunities,” comments Mr. Pritzker. “The life’s work of
Balkrishna Doshi truly underscores the mission of the Prize—demonstrating
the art of architecture and an invaluable service to humanity. I
am honored to present the 40th anniversary of this award to an
architect who has contributed more than 60 years of service to
us all.”
The architect designed Aranya Low Cost Housing (Indore, 1989),
which presently accommodates over 80,000 individuals through a
system of houses, courtyards and a labyrinth of internal
pathways. Over 6,500 residences range from modest one-room units
to spacious homes, accommodating low and middle-income residents.
Overlapping layers and transitional areas encourage fluid and
adaptable living conditions, customary in Indian society.
Doshi´s architecture is both poetic and functional. The Indian
Institute of Management (Bangalore, 1977-1992), inspired by
traditional maze-like Indian cities and temples, is organized as
interlocking buildings, courts and galleries. It also provides a
variety of spaces protected from the hot climate. The scale of
masonry and vast corridors infused with a campus of greenery
allow visitors to be simultaneously indoors and outdoors. As
people pass through the buildings and spaces, Doshi invites them
to experience their surroundings and also suggests the
possibility of transformation.
The 2018 Jury Citation states, in part: “Over the years,
Balkrishna Doshi has always created an architecture that is
serious, never flashy or a follower of trends. With a deep sense
of responsibility and a desire to contribute to his country and
its people through high quality, authentic architecture, he has
created projects for public administrations and utilities,
educational and cultural institutions, and residences for
private clients, among others.” The Jury continues, “Doshi is
acutely aware of the context in which his buildings are located.
His solutions take into account the social, environmental and
economic dimensions, and therefore his architecture is totally
engaged with sustainability.”
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Institute of Indology, 1962,
Ahmedabad, India |
His studio, Sangath (Ahmedabad, 1980), translates to “moving
together.” The placement of communal spaces, including a garden
and outdoor amphitheater, highlights Doshi’s regard for
collaboration and social responsibility. Vaulted roofs,
porcelain mosaic tile coverings, grassy areas, and sunken spaces
mitigate extreme heat. The mosaic tile detail is echoed in the
tortoise-shell inspired roof of Amdavad Ni Gufa (Ahmedabad,
1994), an undulating, cave-like, ferro-cement art gallery,
positioned underground, featuring works of Maqbool Fida Husain.
Other notable works include academic institution Centre for
Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT University)
(Ahmedabad, 1966-2012); cultural spaces such as Tagore Memorial
Hall (Ahmedabad, 1967), the Institute of Indology (Ahmedabad,
1962), and Premabhai Hall (Ahmedabad, 1976); housing complexes
Vidhyadhar Nagar Masterplan and Urban Design (Jaipur, 1984) and
Life Insurance Corporation Housing or “Bima Nagar” (Ahmedabad,
1973); and private residence Kamala House (Ahmedabad, 1963),
among many others.
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Renderings courtesy of
VSF |
Institute of Indology, 1962,
Ahmedabad, India |
“Every object around us, and nature itself—lights, sky, water
and storm—everything is in a symphony,” explains Doshi. “And
this symphony is what architecture is all about. My work is the
story of my life, continuously evolving, changing and searching…searching
to take away the role of architecture, and look only at life.”
Doshi is the 45th Pritzker Prize Laureate, and the first to hail
from India. The 2018 Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremony
commemorates the 40th anniversary of the accolade, and will take
place at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, this May. The
Laureate will present a public lecture, in partnership with the
John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design
at the University of Toronto on May 16, 2018.
About the Pritzker Architecture Prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize was founded in 1979 by the late
Jay A. Pritzker and his wife, Cindy. Its purpose is to honor
annually a living architect whose built work demonstrates a
combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment,
which has produced consistent and significant contributions to
humanity and the built environment through the art of
architecture.
www.pritzkerprize.com
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