MANILA, Philippines - Who is this Indian architect who is known for his contributions to the evolution of architectural discourse in India?
He was born in Pune, India on Aug. 26, 1927 and studied in the JJ School of Architecture in Mumbai
After having worked for four years between 1951 and 1954 with Le Corbusier in Paris, he returned to Ahmedabad to supervise Le Corbusier s projects.
His studio was established in 1955, and he worked closely with Louis Kahn and Anant Raje when he designed the campus of the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.
In 1958 he was a fellow of the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. Then he started the School for Architecture in 1962.
Over the years, he has created architecture that relies on a sensitive adoption and refinement of modern architecture within an Indian context. The relevancy of his environmental and urban concerns makes him unique both as a thinker and a teacher.
Architectural scale and massing as well as a clear sense of space and community mark most of his work. His architecture provides one of the most important models for modern Indian architecture.
Among his projects in Ahmedabad are the Center for Environment and Planning Technology in 1972, the Amdavad ni Gufa in 1990, the Prembhai Hall, and the Tagore Hall.
He is a fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architecture, and has been on the selection committee of the Pritzker Prize, the Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. He is also a fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects.
He has received numerous awards for his work — the Padma Shri from the government of India, an honorary doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, and France’s highest honor for the Arts Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2911.
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Last week’s question: Who is the British chef known for holding a Michelin Star in two restaurants — The Spotted Pig and The Breslin?
Answer: April Bloomfield
Winner: Fielita Tan of Pasig
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