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B.V. Doshi: The Latest Architecture and News

Balkrishna Doshi, 2018 Pritzker Prize Winner, Passes Away at 95

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, master architect, urban planner, educator, 2018 Pritzker Prize Winner, and 2022 Riba’s Gold Medal has passed away at 95, in Ahmedabad, India on Tuesday the 24th of January 2023, as reported by several Indian outlets and Architectural Digest India on their Instagram page. One of the most renowned Indian architects that shaped the architecture of India and its adjacent regions, Doshi, who was inspired greatly by the works of Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, has “combined pioneering modernism with vernacular”. Known especially for his urban planning and social housing projects, as well as his academic work as a visiting professor at various universities worldwide, Balkrishna Doshi has designed, over his 70-year career, some of the most iconic buildings in India.

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Designed by Louis Kahn, the Complex at IIM in Ahmedabad Faces the Threat of Demolition Once Again

On November 3rd, 2022, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) announced the decision to end the restoration works for elements of the campus designed by Louis Kahn with Indian architects Balkrishna V. Doshi and Anant Raje in 1962. The decision affects the faculty blocks, classroom complex, and dorms other than dorm D15. According to the statement, the institution plans to replace some of the buildings, as the complex is “facing structural damage, deterioration and have become uninhabitable, posing a safety concern for the campus's residents.” This represents a reversal of the decision to withdraw the first demolition plans following global protests, announced in January 2021.

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The Veranda: A Disappearing Threshold Space in India

An ancient Indian folktale narrates the story of a demigod, Hiranyakashipu, who was granted a boon of indestructibility. He wished for his death to never be brought about by any weapon, human or animal, not at day or night, and neither inside nor outside his residence. To cease his wrathful ways, Lord Vishnu took the form of a half-human-half-animal to slay the demigod at twilight at the threshold of his house.

Threshold architectural spaces have always held deep cultural meaning to the people of India. In-between spaces are found in the midst of daily activities as courtyards, stairways, and verandas. The entrance to the house is revered by Indians of all social backgrounds. Throughout the country’s varied landscape, transitional entry spaces are flanked by distinctive front verandas that merge the street with the house.

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Materials to Build India's Identity

Materials to Build India's Identity  - Featured Image
© Andre J Fanthome

Upon becoming a sovereign country, free from British Rule, the people of India found themselves faced with questions they had never needed to answer before. Coming from different cultures and origins, the citizens began to wonder what post-independence India would stand for. The nation-builders now had the choice to carve out their own future, along with the responsibility to reclaim its identity - but what was India's identity? Was it the temples and huts of the indigenous folk, the lofty palaces of the Mughal era, or the debris of British rule? There began a search for a contemporary Indian sensibility that would carry the collective histories of citizens towards a future of hope.

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The Genius, Heart and Humility of Balkrishna Doshi

This article was originally published on Common Edge as "The Genius, Heart and Humility of Indian Architect B.V. Doshi"

I’m sitting in a busy suburban coffee-and-donut shop with the quiet, grandfatherly Indian architect, Jitendra Vaidya. When I started my life as an architecture intern in the late 90s, Jitendra was one of the most experienced technical designers I knew. Equally comfortable weighing the relative merits of various flashing details as he is discussing abstract design concepts, Jitendra is an old-school, universal architect. After more than half a century in a profession famous for grinding deadlines, Jitendra still maintains a joyful twinkle in his eye when he talks about architecture. So it’s no surprise that Jitendra is visibly animated today as he tells me about his teacher, the man who was just recognized as one of the world’s greatest living architects, B.V. Doshi.

Now Live: Watch Balkrishna Doshi’s Pritzker Prize Laureate Lecture Online

Update: Watch the lecture with the video above!

Balkrishna Doshi, the 90-year-old architect who became the first ever Indian winner of the architecture world's most prestigious award earlier this year, will present his Pritzker Prize Laureate Lecture entitled "Paths Uncharted" on Wednesday 16th May at 6:30 pm ET. The event is hosted by The University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, at the school's new home in the Daniels Building at One Spadina Crescent. The lecture will be one of the first events at the new building and marks the 40th anniversary of the Pritzker Prize. 2018 will also be the first year that the award is presented in Canada.

The "Four Pillars" of B.V. Doshi: Why All Architects Can Learn From the 2018 Pritzker Laureate

This article was originally published by Common Edge as "The Genius, Heart and Humility of Indian Architect B.V. Doshi."

I’m sitting in a busy suburban coffee-and-donut shop with the quiet, grandfatherly Indian architect, Jitendra Vaidya. When I started my life as an architecture intern in the late 90s, Jitendra was one of the most experienced technical designers I knew. Equally comfortable weighing the relative merits of various flashing details as he is discussing abstract design concepts, Jitendra is an old-school, universal architect. After more than half a century in a profession famous for grinding deadlines, Jitendra still maintains a joyful twinkle in his eye when he talks about architecture. So it’s no surprise that Jitendra is visibly animated today as he tells me about his teacher, the man who was just recognized as one of the world’s greatest living architects, B.V. Doshi.

For the Pritzker Prize—the profession’s highest honor—to be awarded to a 90-year-old academic urbanist who spent his long career primarily teaching architecture students and serving poor communities in India is a stunning development. To be fair, the caricature of Pritzker winners as arrogant, scarf- wrapped, Euro-American, Starchitects, is overblown and outdated. Recent winners such as Alejandro Aravena, Wang Shu, and Shigeru Ban, are connected in their mutual dedication to serving poor and displaced communities through innovative, culturally authentic designs. But even accepting this nuance, Doshi is fundamentally different from recent winners.

Photographer Iwan Baan Celebrates Pritzker Prize Winner B.V. Doshi With Curated Instagram Posts

The great #BVDoshi at #sangath. @pritzkerarchitectureprize 2018 laureate.

A post shared by Iwan Baan (@iwanbaan) on

Architectural photographer Iwan Baan recently honored 2018 Pritzker Prize Laureate Balkrishna (B.V.) Doshi. It has been a little over a month since the Pritzker jury selected the Indian architect as the latest winner, and his work still remains popular within the online world. The genuine materiality and intricate spatial experience associated with Doshi's work are captured by Baan in multiple projects across India. Baan's Instagram (@iwanbaan), which has nearly 120K followers, acts as "a diary of travels with the iPhone."

Read on to see some of Baan's images (some posts have multiple images, so be sure and use the left and right arrows to see the full set of pictures). 

B.V. Doshi's Drawings Reveal the Identity of His Work

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Concept Drawing for Vidhyadhar Nagar Masterplan . Image Courtesy of Pritzker Architecture Prize

Balkrishna Doshi, also known as B.V. Doshi or simply Doshi, has been named this year’s Pritzker Prize Laureate. His extensive portfolio of educational, cultural, public administration, and residential projects is matched only by his contribution to architectural culture—from founding The School of Architecture at Ahmedabad (now known as the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology) to co-authoring the Habitat Bill of Rights, among others. Yet, his vividly illustrated conceptual drawings reveal as much, if not more, of the architect’s relationship with building, history, tradition, culture, and modernism.

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2018 Pritzker Prize Winner Balkrishna Doshi's Work in 21 Images

After designing over a hundred buildings and establishing several schools of architecture, Balkrishna Doshi achieved architecture’s highest accolade: the Pritzker Prize Award. Doshi is the first Indian architect to receive this award. He is known as an architectural advocate for social change and the environment.

Doshi believes his award is not only for himself but for all of India. The 90-year-old architect stood out as a pioneer of social housing design and architectural identity in India. Reflect on his legacy through these 21 images of his work:

“Doshi”: Documentary Explores the Pritzker Prize-Winning Career of A Modern Indian Architect

Balkrishna Doshi, despite his vast number of completed projects, is a little-known name in the Western world. Directed by Premjit Ramachandran, the documentary "Doshi" allows the viewer to appreciate the vision of this important Indian architect, probing his thoughts while getting to know a number of his projects. Filmed in a frank style of conversation, the documentary reveals an original and creative human being who, even in old age, remains passionate about architecture as well as life and learning.

The film becomes a roundtable with Doshi, his alumni, his contemporaries and even family members, all within the context of his architecture. The camera follows its protagonist through spaces designed by him, while he narrates, recalls and explains his processes of creation. It also reveals how he makes his philosophy an intrinsic part of his own life.

7 Projects You Need to Know by 2018 Pritzker Prize Winner B.V. Doshi

Earlier today, B.V. Doshi was named the winner of the 2018 Pritzker Prize, the profession’s highest accolade. For the past 70 years, Doshi has shaped the discourse of architecture and urban design, with a particularly strong influence in his native India, through projects including private residences, schools, banks, theaters, and low-income housing developments. Here are seven examples of this work that exemplifies Doshi’s respect for eastern culture and his desire to contribute to his country through authentic designs that enhance people's quality of life.

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