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Sharma

Chintal Sharma
Dr. Patrick French
Dr. T.C.A Raghavan
The Historical Moment
25 November, 2018
th

Power Play between Formality and Informality in Architecture: Defining the New? (CEPT
Campus, Ahmedabad)

“Architecture is influenced by a number of considerations but apart from those considerations,

architecture like all creative arts is influenced, if I may use the word—it is often used and
misused—by the life forces of a people. If they have that vitality in them it comes out in
painting, in architecture, in poetry, in literature, in everything that they do, in life itself. If they
have not got it then they are just pale copies of human beings, without the vitality of human
beings and naturally their arts are pale copies too.”

Nehru, Jawaharlal. "Inaugural Address by Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister."

In Seminar On Architecture, edited by Achyut P. Kanvinde, 5-9. New Delhi: Lalit Kala
Akademi, 1959.

Milton once said that “Show me the language of a people and if I do not know anything about
that people, I will tell you what they are, whether they are brave, or timid or adventurous,
creative or not”. Like other relics of art, architecture can be used as a lens to trace historical
changes. The process of tracing these changes through architecture entails understanding the
transforming spatial compositions, materiality and elements of architecture. Inception of the
School of Architecture, Ahmedabad, was placed at a moment in history when a new nation was
born, juxtaposing the need for a new pedagogy in education and as well as a new language of
architecture. The architecture of CEPT University as it now stands (and its aspiration for the
future) is diametrically opposite to the vision at its inception. I wish to analyse the dichotomy
between the two languages of architecture in order to trace the historical moment leading to
the new language to understand the current socio-political atmosphere.
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School of Architecture was established in the 1962 when the fervour of nation building
as envisioned by the architects of the newly born modern Independent state of India was at its
peak. Between 1962 and 2002 School of Architecture grew to CEPT University. The School
was designed by the now Pritzker winner Balkrishna Vallabhdas Doshi shortly after returning
from Paris having worked with the pioneer of European modernism, Le Corbusier. Ahmedabad
was going through its share of cultural renaissance with the Mahajans of the city at its helm.
The Mahajans were essentially the mill owners who had gain affluence when Ahmedabad
became the textile hub of the country and was rightly known as the ‘Manchester of the East’;
the prominent families leading the cultural renaissance were the Sarabhais and Lalbhais
(Spodek 112). Their contribution to the city can be witnessed in the quality of institutes which
were born by the combined vision of the political leaders of the time and the encouragement
of the Mahajans of the city- Physical Research Laboratory, Indian Space Research
Organization, National Institute of Design, Indian Institute of Management and School of
Architecture. This was the time when designers like Charles and Ray Eames, Nagochi, George
Nakashima and the likes frequented the newly established institutions to enrich the vision
which would lead the designers of the country into the new century.

Ahmedabad was not the only city which was undergoing an architectural revolution;
around the same time Delhi, being the capital city, was at the centre of the revolution with
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru personally engaged with the vision for modern
India’s architecture (Rahman). Nehru’s socialist vision for the country is reflected in the
architecture done the Ram Rahman, Joseph Allen Stein, Raj Rewal, Mahendra Raj, Achyut
Kanvinde, Charles Correa, B. V. Doshi, among the others. A breed of new architects had
returned to India after either studying in Europe or in America. There were two strands of
architecture which germinated, the architects returning from Europe were eager to experiment
with the contemporary material of the time, concrete; while the other strand architects who had
returned from America were influenced by the likes of Frank Llyod Wright experimenting with
modern local materials- bricks, locally available stone and wood till an extent (Rahman). The
confluence of these two strands can satisfactorily define the modern architecture of India.
Developing countries were not influenced by the pure International Style of architecture which
developed in Western Europe, rather they were influenced by variants which were ‘regionally’
adapted models of the International Style (Curtis 334). Hence, much of the Indian modern
architecture was inspired more by Corbusier’s later work done in Chandigarh, there was a
concern for responding to geography of the landscape. By the time Corbusier was building in
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India, he was concerned about the climatic response of his buildings. He had invented briese
soleil to deal with western and the eastern facades of the building, he was using terrace gardens
and hydroponics to create microcosm within the building spaces while retaining the five
principles he had invented earlier1. Hence, the modern architecture of the country did not
follow the strict principles of International Style and came to be known as ‘regional
modernism’ (Curtis 335).

Balkrishna Doshi having worked with Le Corbusier between 1951-54 returned to

Ahmedabad to supervise Corbusier’s projects in India (Doshi 2011). By this time Corbusier
was already designing Chandigarh and the Mahajans of Ahmedabad had commissioned him to
work on private homes and a museum. A significant influence of Le Corbusier is evident in
Doshi’s design yet they are only a point of departure; School of Architecture is a testimony to
Doshi’s architecture as a celebration of life rather than architecture as a calculation of square
metres. In 1962, Doshi along with Rasubhai Vakil and Bernard Kohn established the School
of Architecture (SOA) in Ahmedabad (Spodek 3).

The 1962 vision’s primary motive was the integration of the arts, the sciences,
technology and architecture and was diligently reflected in consequent proposals. The vision
was complemented by enlightened patronage developing the buildings of Community Science
Centre, the Hutheesing Visual Arts Centre, the Kanoria Centre for the Arts and the Amdavad
ni Gufa (originally the Hussain-Doshi Gufa). Doshi’s exposure to Bauhaus school of thought,
which promoted a holistic space for learning rather than specialised, can be attributed to the
formation of the pedagogy of the institute. School of Architecture was established with the
vision of a learning space rather than a teaching space. SOA was the product of two distinct
yet interconnected endeavours; the need for a modern pedagogy in architecture education and
the simultaneous search for architecture which would appropriate this idea of learning2. Doshi’s
inspiration for the design of SOA from the ancestral heritage of the country combining it with
the technology of the time (Doshi 1993).

1
Les 5 Points d' une architecture nouvelle, which Le Corbusier finally formulated in 1926 included (1) the pilotis
elevating the mass off the ground, (2) the free plan, achieved through the separation of the load-bearing
columns from the walls subdividing the space, (3) the free facade, the corollary of the free plan in the vertical
plane, (4) the long horizontal sliding window and finally (5) the roof garden, restoring, supposedly, the area of
ground covered by the house.
2
Making a Campus for Creative Learning: An Exhibition of Prof. B.V.Doshi's Architectural Studies, Drawings and
Models of CEPT Campus, 1962-2012. Ahmedabad: Students' Council, Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University,
2014.
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To Doshi architecture is a celebration of life, life in its fullest; architecture has to

amplify the senses of its users and the users have to be made aware of their senses. Doshi’s
vision did not distinguish between the life inside the campus and the life which existed beyond
the boundaries of the campus. The culture of the city had to influence the workings of the
academia inside the campus. Incorporation of public spaces within the campus of SOA led it
to become a vital part of the city literally and metaphorically. The various societal functions
performed by public spaces blur the boundaries between the city and the educational institution.
Some of the elements of architecture which allow for the free non-hierarchical interaction
included intimacy of scale, informality and creation of a microcosm3.

The buildings designed were in line with Nehru’s socialist idea of architecture 4; light
and ventilation were at the forefront of the design. The architecture of the studios promotes
interaction between students from all the years by visual communication, all the studio spaces
look into each other. The buffer balconies with full length pivoting doors performs the dual
function of blocking the summer heat as well as creating a connection between the outside and
the inside. The buildings have been designed in the way to light the spaces naturally by the
northern light while placing service spaces on the south and west facades blocks the heat.
Between the time of its inception and present time, the campus has not found the need to create
air conditioned spaces. Corbusier’s influence can be witnessed in the creation of spaces which
were non-hierarchical and the free floor plan principle allowing for the flexibility in functions.
However, Doshi modifies his language of architecture to respond to the cultural and climatic
context of the city.

The language of the buildings creates a harmony between the landscape of the city and
the campus. The low height buildings interspersed with untamed greenery allows the campus
to become an extension to the greenery of Navrangpura. The greenery on the campus was
preserved to create a microcosm. The grove of trees near the South Lawns became the natural
aquifer every monsoon. The lack of hard boundaries in the landscaping allowed for organic use
of spaces by the students. The choice of material for the buildings, engineer bricks allows for

3
Making a Campus for Creative Learning: An Exhibition of Prof. B.V.Doshi's Architectural Studies, Drawings and
Models of CEPT Campus, 1962-2012. Ahmedabad: Students' Council, Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University,
2014.
4
Nehru, Jawaharlal. "Inaugural Address by Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister." In Seminar On
Architecture, edited by Achyut P. Kanvinde, 5-9. New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi, 1959. Nehru
emphasises on the need for ample ventilation and light in the architecture expression of the modern
India. He emphasises on design which is not the replica of its European counterpart rather an
expression which responds to the cultural and climatic context of India.
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life to grow in its crevices. The usage of exposed brick embodies the passage of time and the
life of the past. Concrete was used to allow freedom of architectural expression, the funnel
shaped staircase at the entrance of the main building allows for breeze to flow through each
room in the building while creating a dramatic space. Materiality of the campus was used to
reflect the elegant organic growth of the campus.

Six decades after the initial conception of the campus, the Lilavati Lalbhai Library was
designed by architect Rahul Mehrotra. In many ways the construction of the library marks the
beginning of a new dawn in the history of architecture of CEPT University. While the corporeal
framework does not imitate the existing icons, there is reference to the history of the campus.
The reference can be seen in the scale of the building as well as the colour scheme of the
materials used. The historic gap of six decades seen changes in technological advancements
and the socio-cultural context within with the campus is placed. However, from an ideological
perspective the library building has very clearly marked a departure from the ideology of its
founders. The distinction between the outside spaces and the inside spaces is made apparent.
Being a library building it requires to be closed till an extent for protection reasons however
the visual communication between the users is sabotaged by the creation of isolated spaces
within the library following the more contemporary notions of privacy. Programmatically, the
building is designed for the contemporary times; the interaction between individual spaces is
ensured by creation of multiple levels (mezzanines) enclosed by a single box. However, the
building’s interaction with its surrounding has been cut off by the use of metal fins on all four
facades creating an isolated microcosm separating the library from the rest of the campus as
well as its natural surroundings. The plinth upon which the building sits creates a sense of
monumentality for the building taking away from the earlier informal campus space. The
concrete plinths create designated paths for its users leaving no scope for organic movements
and interactions. The new trees which have been planted on the heavy plinth are decorative and
not encouraging of life of happened around them. The neatly planted trees are planted in a
neatly designed square with ground cover ensuring the tree is not usable for informal sittings
and the trees are reduced to decorative elements. These architectural gestures manifest marking
a change in the ideology of their makers. The new ideology is indicative of a more utilitarian,
capitalist approach as opposed to Doshi’s socialist approach.

In 2011 Dr. Bimal Patel became the president of CEPT University. With a new vision
came a new ideology. Inauguration of the Lilavati Lalbhai Library marked a shift in the
ideology of CEPT University. The Lilavati Lalbhai Library is first of the many architecture
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changes to come in the future of CEPT University. The informality of School of Architecture
has given way for the formality of CEPT University. The landscape which was earlier a part of
the everyday interaction with the environment has now become a decorated feature to be
‘maintained’. The organic growth of the foliage which represented the maturity of the growing
campus now strives to find its space in the sterility of the concrete jungle the campus will
become. Doshi’s vision for School of Architecture as a celebration of life has now given way
to Bimal Patel’s need to accommodate more square metres to generate more income for the
‘organization’ the school has become.
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References and Works Cited

Chhaya, Neelkanth. Note on the Academic hub design proposal as part of campus expansion
at CEPT Ahmadabad In ... on Proposed Academic Building on CEPT Campus by Christopher
Benninger. Ahmedabad, 2017.

Course Curriculum at CEPT University, 1963-2001, Edited by Neelkanth Chhaya, Pratyush

Shankar and Vishwanath Kashikar. FA - CEPT University Booklet Series. Ahmedabad:
Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University, 2011.

Curtis, William J. R. Modern Architecture since 1900. Phaidon Press, 2013.

Doshi, Balkrishna. Celebrating Habitat - B.V. Doshi in conversation with Gautam Bhatia,
Edited by Gautam Bhatia. New Delhi: Architexturez Imprints, 2014.

Doshi, Balkrishna V., et al. Le Corbusier and Louis I. Kahn: the Acrobat and the Yogi of
Architecture. Vastu Shilpa Foundation for Studies and Research in Environmental Design,
1993.

Doshi, Balkrishna. Future Expansions at Kasturbhai Lalbhai Campus, Plan by BV Doshi,

Sangath In The CEPT Campus Masterplan. Ahmedabad: Vāstu Shilpā Consultants, 2014.

Doshi, Balkrishna. Paths Unchartered. Vastu-Shilpa Foundation for Studies and Research in
Environmental Design, 2011.

Kathpalia, Rajeev. Letter to Architect Christopher Benninger by Rajeev Kathpalia In ... on

Proposed Academic Building on CEPT Campus by Christopher Benninger. Ahmedabad, 2017.

Making a Campus for Creative Learning: An Exhibition of Prof. B.V.Doshi's Architectural

Studies, Drawings and Models of CEPT Campus, 1962-2012. Ahmedabad: Students' Council,
Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University, 2014.

Mehta, Jaimini. Lilavati Lalbhai Library. Critique. Vadodara, 2015.

Nehru, Jawaharlal. "Inaugural Address by Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister."

In Seminar On Architecture, edited by Achyut P. Kanvinde, 5-9. New Delhi: Lalit Kala
Akademi, 1959.

Spodek, Howard. Ahmedabad Shock City of Twentieth-Century India. Orient Blackswan, 2012.
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Tayyibji, Riyaz. Letter to Architect Christopher Beninger In ... on Proposed Academic

Building on CEPT Campus by Christopher Benninger. Ahmedabad, 2017.

University, CEPT. YouTube, YouTube, 22 Aug. 2015,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D605SS5O11A.

University, CEPT. YouTube, YouTube, 29 Sept. 2017,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY_aB4TLsUA&t=1995s.