As per the recent report coming from Washington, Balkrishna Doshi, the legendary Indian architect has got the Pritzker Architecture Prize. This award is equivalent to Nobel Prize for the field of Architecture.
The Pune-born Balkrishna Doshi is now 90 years old. He had designed not just buildings but institutions. He is the first Indian to receive this honour. On Wednesday, it was announced. Pritzker Architecture Prize is the highest award in the profession of Architecture. Previous winners include world-renowned architects like Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, IM Pei, and Shigeru Ban.
In the announcement statement, Pritzker jury said, “Over the years, Balkrishna Doshi has always created an architecture that is serious, never flashy or a follower of trends. With a deep sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute to his country and its people through high quality, authentic architecture, he has created projects for public administrations and utilities, educational and cultural institutions, and residences for private clients, among others.”
After having this news of being honoured with this renowned prize, Mr Doshi told that my works are just my attempts to showcase extension of my life, dreams and philosophy. I just tried to create a treasury of the true architectural spirit. Certainly, I owe this prestigious prize to my guru, Le Corbusier. I think that his guidance led me to raise questions and compelled my approach to discovering new horizons along with the adoption of contemporary expression for the holistic habitat.
Balkrishna Doshi is renowned as an institution builder: the first founder Director of the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad, first founder Dean of the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, first founder Director of the School of Planning, founder member of the Visual Arts Centre, Ahmedabad and first founder Director of the Kanoria Centre for Arts, Ahmedabad.
Legendary Indian architect, Balkrishna Doshi is an alumnus of the JJ School of Architecture in Mumbai. He holds the experience of working with the legendary Le Corbusier in Paris. In 1950, Balkrishna Doshi returned to India and that to supervise his few projects. In 1955, Balkrishna Doshi established his studio, Vastu-Shilpa.
Mr Doshi also worked in the designing team of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Along with Louis Kahn and Anant Raje, he designed the campus of IIM, Ahmedabad. Not just this one, there are many institutions in his list of designs like IIMs in Bangalore and Lucknow, Tagore Memorial Hall, the National Institute of Fashion Technology, the Institute of Indology in Ahmedabad, among other fine campuses and buildings across India
Balkrishna Doshi came from a family of carpenters. He told that his inspiration of architecture came from his grandfather’s house. He had seen the work for adding new levels in that house for accommodating a large joint family.
In an interview to a radio channel, he shared that I love to sense the space as alive. The space and light in that space are very significant to me. I feel a connective dialogue and that’s what generates all activities. My architecture philosophy is: Architecture is a backdrop for life.