Balkrishna Doshi, Guru of modern architecture
B.V. Doshi, one of the most famous practitioners of Indian architecture, was born in Pune, India, in 1927. Almost 90 years later, he is recognized with the 2018 Pritzker prize.
In these times when architecture is increasingly associated with terms such as profitability, profit or market, which an architect speaks of experience, silence, wellbeing, community and peace, is a sign of hope. And more if that architect or philosopher, as it is considered, is internationally recognized with the 2018 Pritzker prize. We are talking about Balkrishna Doshi, architect, urban planner and Hindu professor, pioneer in the construction of low cost housing.
His work has achieved the materialization of his ideas: to foster a sense of community, to reflect on how space can promote inner peace, or cities to contribute to the health of a society: "Architecture should be an experience, if not, it is only a Product, "he says.
Heir to the tradition of great architectural masters of the twentieth century as Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, Doshi has a wide portfolio of educational, cultural, public and residential projects that are characterized by combining tradition and modernity, which It can be seen clearly in his drawings and conceptual sketches.
These include the low-cost housing Project Aranya (1989), where more than 80,000 low-and middle-income residents now live in households ranging from modest single-room units to spacious homes with shared patios for families; The Housing Group Ahmedabad (1973), which combines housing for families with different income in three levels of a pyramidal block; or the master Plan and urban design of Vidhyadhar Nagar (1984) which highlights its use of channels for water capture and distribution.
For his work, he has received national and international awards on more than one occasion, however, the seventy-year career of Doshi does not focus on recognition, but on architectural activity as a promoter of the common good. Its architecture, moreover, is an evocation of Indian history and culture, and is inspired by the grandeur of shrines and temples, the hustle and bustle of urban streets and local materials like those in his grandfather's furniture shop.
Today, at the entrance of his studio, Doshi keeps a portrait of his master Le Corbusier along with the representations of the goddess Durga and Lord Ganesha: "I thank you every time I enter or leave the office. They question me, I keep a dialogue quietly with them, because there they are. A guru is not an entity, a guru is a part of your heart. " He says, and among questions, he reflects: "What is the role of architecture today? Will we be service providers for a single customer or are we going to be useful to society at large? "