Indian architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi passed away on January 24, 2023, in Ahmedabad at the age of 96. He was India’s only winner of the Pritzker Prize. Born in Pune in 1927, Doshi worked under the legendary architect Le Corbusier in Paris in early 1950s and later returned to India to oversee Corbusier’s projects in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. He also worked with Louis Kahn as an associate to build the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. In 1956, he established his own practice, Vastu Shilpa Consultants (now known as Studio Sangath) in Ahmedabad and left behind a legacy of over 100 completed works in cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Jaipur. In 2022, Doshi was awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Royal Gold Medal for his pioneering work in modernism, which combined vernacular architecture with a deep appreciation for India’s traditional architecture, climate, culture, and craft.
Doshi viewed architecture as an extension of the body and aimed to address function while considering the climate, landscape, and urbanization through his use of materials, overlapping spaces, and natural elements. “Every object around us, and nature itself—lights, sky, water and storm—everything is in a symphony. 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,” he explained.
The Pritzker Foundation announced Dosch’s death through an official statement on the 24th.
The announcement said: Doshi was instrumental in shaping the discourse of architecture throughout India and internationally since the 1950s. Influenced by 20th-century masters, Le Corbusier, and Louis Kahn, he explored the relationships between fundamental needs of human life, connectivity to self and culture, and social traditions. Through his ethical and personal approach to the built environment, he touched humanity in every socio-economic class of his native country.
“In our country, we don’t think of architecture as integral to a city, we see it as real estate… I hope this award will give eminence to architecture, which is a neglected profession. We should think of the quality of life not the quantity. That’s what our old cities were about — enterprise, ethics, community — what we call our Indian culture,” the 90-year-old architect said in the ceremony of the Pritzker Prize in 2018.
He leaves behind a legacy of over one hundred built works that continue to enhance society, including the Institute of Indology (Ahmedabad, 1962), Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT University) (Ahmedabad, 1966-2012), Tagore Memorial Hall (Ahmedabad, 1967), Life Insurance Corporation Housing or “Bima Nagar” (Ahmedabad, 1973), Premabhai Hall (Ahmedabad, 1976), The Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore, 1983), Aranya Low Cost Housing (Indore, 1989) and Amdavad Ni Gufa (Ahmedabad, 1994).
Many of his most important works were public housing developments, designed to create community. His Aranya Low Cost Housing project in Indore consists of over 6,500 residences, ranging from one-room units to spacious homes, all to accommodate a cross-section of society.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed his condolences on the passing of Balkrishna Doshi. “Dr B.V. Doshi Ji was a brilliant architect and a remarkable institution builder. The coming generations will get glimpses of his greatness by admiring his rich work across India. His passing away is saddening. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”
Doshi’s family members remembered him as someone who loved life deeply and always encouraged others to “celebrate life.
See related article
Balkrishna Doshi to receive 2022 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture
2018 Pritzker Prize Announcement Video
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