Delhi's Modern Architectural Heritage | Page 8 - Forbes India

To quote Rahul Mehrotra, architect and urban planner, ‘Within India’s democratic political framework, diverse aspirations express themselves in completely different ways architecturally rather than allowing one entity to prevail and remake the landscape in its image. This intrinsic resistance to any singular force - global capital or political ambition… distinguishes India’s architecture from that of, say, China or the Middle East’.

Here’s a look at a few of the significant structures from the INTACH list that express unitedly a certain austerity in their expression, which is remarkable considering the individuality of the architects who brought them to form over the decades following India’s Independence.

Source : INTACH Delhi Chapter, Ram Rahman

Images: Madhu Kapparath

Jeevan Bharti (LIC) Building. 1986. Charles Correa
Like in his other works, Charles Correa created spaces that ‘breathed’, the result of an ongoing dialogue between the built and the open

India Habitat Centre. 1994. Joseph Allen Stein
Stein’s projects in Delhi addressed the region’s fierce heat, developing ‘jali’ and other shading devices that offered relief, thus creating a new urban vocabulary of form

The Ashok Hotel. 1955. EB Doctor  
A professor at the JJ School, EB Doctor designed a modern five-star hotel beneath a facade of traditional elements like the jharokas and the chhattris that adorn it

Shiela Theatre. 1961. Habib Rahman
The first Indian to complete both under-graduate and graduate degree in Architecture from MIT, Rahman’s understanding of modern architecture shows in the theatre’s structural integrity, economy and elegance

Crafts Museum. 1990. Charles Correa
Defying the Western concept of a museum, Correa created the ambience of a rustic street with courtyards, yet imbuing it with a modern feel by recontextualising the space

Mazaar Of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. 1975. Habib Rahman
The concept of open linear forms - almost like line drawing in space - an ongoing experiment with Rahman was carried to its exquisite fruition in the making of this mazaar

Alliance Francaise. 2004. Anupam Bansal, Rajesh Dongre & Stephane Paumier
To complement the verdant Lodi Gardens next door, the architects created terrace gardens, thus the area taken from the ground for erecting the building was ‘given back’ to Nature. Creating a conducive microclimate for activity outdoors was their other aim.

Triveni Kala Sangam. 1957. Joseph Allen Stein
The American architect Stein made Delhi his home in the 1950s. His work was distinguished by its elegant spacing and landscaping that soothe and inspire. He searched for an appropriate ‘modern regionalism’, a design vocabulary born from observation of local Indian life and construction systems.

Vigyan Bhawan. 1955. R.L.Gehlote
The simple cubical mass of a government conference hall was elevated by an entrance inspired by the stunning form of the chaitya arch at Ajanta caves. It reflected Gehlote’s preoccupations with Buddhist, Hindu and Mughal architecture. The arch motif symbolised ‘an Indian heritage of peace and culture’.

The Garden Of Five Senses. 2003. Pradeep Sachdeva
The garden showcases Sachdeva’s expertise in planning and designing public spaces. Built around a natural rocky ridge and incorporating native plants, the park spread over 20 acres features hundreds of flowering plant species and display of commissioned art in the public realm.

Lotus Temple. 1986. Fariborz Sahba
Commissioned by the Baha’i faith, Sahba’s stunning geometric offering - of a lotus unfolding - is the result of a vision. He was looking for a concept that would be acceptable to people of all faiths and was led to ‘a sacred flower deeply rooted in the thoughts and mythology of all Indians, a flower associated with worship through many centuries’.  The temple is one of the most visited sites in the world.