cavity walls. Thin windows and doors pro-
vided cross-ventilation, and in all my experi-
ments I used everything available that was
suitable for all types of low-cost housing.’‘From the mid-1950s, migrants moving from
the villages to the cities were given small
plots of land. Government policy was to
provide a brick plinth, 30 m long and about
50 cm high, as well as a water pan, a toilet and
a kitchen platform equipped with electric-
ity. Migrants had no security, no money and
no jobs, but the moment you offered them
facilities and an identity, they had a sense of
belonging and a change of heart. They started
to think: If I work hard and earn some money,
I can make a tent, slowly put up walls and a
sheet-metal roof, and gradually start building
a house. This is the process we demonstrated
in 1989 with Aranya Low-Cost Housing in
Indore. We made 60 experimental houses,
built in different sequences, with various
kinds of construction levels and additions- some with plinths and toilets, others with
kitchens and stairs; some with concrete
walls and others with windows. Staircases
were either inside or outside. Sometimes a
wall would be removed to make room for
a shop. A building that wasn’t finite gave
migrants the impetus needed to arrange the
space as they liked. Even after 20 years, these
buildings look like they’re growing. They’ve
been enriched by sublets and extensions,
and by the way occupants have educated
their children and enjoyed prosperity. More
than that, the houses were allocated without
restrictions pertaining to region or language:
migrants from diverse places, speaking
different languages, were accepted. Over
time, regional, cultural and caste distinctions
became homogenized. Everybody became
a cooperative collaborative and added his or
her personal characteristics to the mix. Some
people built a ground floor plus two storeys
by inventing ways to integrate staircases of
different sizes, despite legal deterrents. The
main lesson I learned from the migrants is
that minimal just means bare.’‘When designing for a large number of
people, you want to ensure that they’re well,
comfortable and able to find their own iden-
tity. For communities and clusters of people,
you need public places that can be used for
multipurpose functions – such as climate
control and orientation – while providing
pedestrian scales for the different kinds
of use. In designing the Vidhyadhar Nagar
Masterplan in Jaipur in 1984, I applied the
various scales I’d come across in traditional
cities. The project included minimal walking
and water-harvesting.’‘Whatever we build, it must be human –
a celebration of current lifestyles. Second: we
aim for new technologies, new ways of build-
ing and different approaches to architecture
or to the way it’s expressed – a significant
diversity of aspirations. Maharaja Sawai Jai
Singh II [ruler of the kingdom of Amber
(later called Jaipur) from 1699 until his death
in 1743] said that life should be a paradise
on earth for all people. I believe com-
munities should thrive; be self-sustaining;
offer employment, education and a good
health system; and afford opportunities for
residents to express their skills. These are
traditional and normally permanent benefits.
From Le Corbusier I learned that a good
house is a house for human beings. It’s a
place for work and for movement. It includes
time and space for cultivating body, mind and
spirit – and forms the basis of a plan.’‘My partners [led by Rajeev Kathpalia] are
doing a nice project, the Smriti Van Earth-
quake Memorial in Bhuj, for those who died
in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. It’s a self-
sustaining, reverential monument intended
to create connections among surrounding
communities and to be totally integrated
into the ecosystem – land, water, sky, air and
material. [A plantation of trees will honour
the earthquake’s 13,805 casualties, whose
names will be enshrined in the memorial.]
Those who passed away will always be
remembered, and we – as well as visitors –
will feel that we belong to the place.’‘If we don’t smile and shake hands, what can
we do in a world in which technology is mov-
ing so fast, further and further, and sweeping
us along with it? It seems we’re connected
only through virtual vision and sound. When
you meet someone, see the smile on their face
and shake hands, isn’t that experience better
than anything else?’ ●Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture for the People is on show
at the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany,
until 8 September 2019
sangath.org‘Architecture
is not just a
product but a
living organism’
Balkrishna
Doshi
1927 Born in Pune, India1947 Begins studying in Mumbai
at what is now known as the Sir
J.J. College of Architecture1951 Meets Le Corbusier
in London, who offers
him an apprenticeship
at his Paris atelier1954 Returns to India to
oversee Le Corbusier’s projects
in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad,
including the Mill Owners’
Association Building (1954),
Villa Sarabhai (1955) and Villa
Shodhan (1956)1954 Takes an oath to provide
the lowest class with
satisfactory dwellings1956 Founds his own practice –
now called Sangath –
in Ahmedabad1962 Works with Louis Kahn
as an associate on the Indian
Institute of Management,
Ahmedabad. Establishes the
School of Architecture, now
part of the Centre for
Environmental Planning
and Technology (CEPT), in
Ahmedabad1978 Establishes the Vastushilpa
Foundation for Studies and
Research in Environmental
Design, which develops
indigenous design and planning
standards for built environments1989 Completes Aranya
Low-Cost Housing in Indore1994 Designs Amdavad Ni Gufa,
an underground cavelike gallery
presenting the work of Indian
painter Maqbool Fida Husain2018 Becomes the first
Indian to win the Pritzker
Architecture Prize, at age 9050 PORTRAITS