Balkrishna Doshi

Balkrishna Doshi is one of India's most influential architects, and was honored with the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2018. The book Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture for the People presents the first comprehensive survey of the architect and his oeuvre in 20 years, providing insights into the inspiration behind Doshi's work and background to his projects through essays by outstanding experts in the field. The richly illustrated survey is further supplemented by new photographs that document the impressive timeliness of the Indian master's buildings.

Balkrishna Doshi (born 1927 in Pune, India) played a pivotal role in shaping of postcolonial architecture in India. He is a pioneer in addressing crucial issues of social housing and urbanization in India. Doshi influenced the development of Indian architecture significantly through his teaching and lecturing activities and played a major role in the development of Ahmedabad into a center of Indian architectural education. This anthology assembles a selection of his writings, such as lectures, articles and essays.0Doshi, who worked for Le Corbusier in Paris for six years in the 1950s, has also always sought contacts with Western architects, for example by promoting the work of Louis Kahn in India.0The book is published to accompany the opening of the Balkrishna Doshi Exhibition at the Architekturmuseum der TUM, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich.

Put together from the lifelong diaries and notes maintained by him, Paths Uncharted is a personal recounting of the remarkable journey of 2018 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, Dr. Balkrishna Doshi, unfolding across continents and over more than 80 years. Dr. Balkrishna V. Doshi is foremost among the modern Indian architects. An urban planner and educator for the past 70 years, Dr. Doshi is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects. He has been the first Founder-Director of School of Architecture and School of Planning, Ahmedabad - regarded as the pioneer and fountainhead of modern architectural and planning education in India. Doshi has also held important chairs at American universities and has received several international and national awards and honours. He has also been on the jury for several international and national competitions. Doshi's life - from the time he was born into a modest family in the bylanes of Pune, and his struggles and tenacity to excel in his chosen fields--is a fascinating and inspiring story. Put together, for the first time, from the lifelong diaries and notes maintained by him, Paths Uncharted is a personal recounting of this remarkable journey unfolding over more than 80 years and across all the continents. This autobiography captures Doshi's career from his childhood to his studies at the JJ School of Architecture, Bombay and then London, his work at Atelier Le Corbusier in Paris (1951-1954) and collaboration with Louis I Kahn for IIM Ahmedabad. It recounts his meetings with the most remarkable persons in his own and allied fields, and his equally remarkable patrons. In 2018, Doshi was selected as the Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, internationally known as architecture's highest honour. In 2014 and 2017, the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, and Power Station of Art, Shanghai, had hosted a retrospective exhibition of Doshi's notable works. And, in spring 2019, the Vitra Design Museum, Germany, will present the first European retrospective of Doshi's work, and is likely to travel to other international venues over the next several years. With the continued interest worldwide in his work, this volume brings to the reader invaluable insights into the course of Doshi's illustrious life, the paths it has taken over the years, the experience and the learnings. 182 illustrations

Balkrishna Doshi is an architect, urbanist and educator who builds in harmony with the climate, culture and traditions of India. His contribution has long been acknowledged internationally but this is the first monograph to be devoted to his work. The book shows how Doshi has bridged the gap between modern architecture and the age-old lessons of Indias peasant villages and ancient buildings. At a time of rapid and unsettling urbanisation, Doshis architecture reaffirms the links between community and nature. The book is in four main parts a historical essay; a section which analyses key projects in detail with the aid of sketches, models, drawings and diary jottings; a selection of the architects reflections; and a postscript by the author on the trends in Indian architecture. A detailed bibliography and catalogue of Doshis works complete the study. Balkrishna Doshi: An Architecture for Indiais a valuable addition to the literature on architecture in developing countries.

The influence of the award-winning Jordanian architect Rasem Badran is rapidly spreading throughout the developing world. His work involves the full spectrum from urban planning to individual residences. His work is human-scaled, responsive to its environment and meets the social and cultural requirements of the people who use it. For the first time, this volume provides an overview of the work of one who could be seen as the natural successor to the seminal Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy and brings together the architect’s own dramatic collection of drawings, plans and photographs, many seen here for the first time. A comprehensive chronology of Badran’s work completes this fascinating survey of one of the most influential and revolutionary architects of our time.