49
Kaiwan Mehta in conversation with Fumihiko Maki,
Principal, Maki and Associates
Kaiwan Mehta: What was it to know that you would
be building a public institution for a country like
India of the contemporary times?
Fumihiko Maki: I visited India for the first time
in 1959, and have witnessed its remarkable change
and progress through the decades. The chance
to build there was a great honour and challenge,
and an unforgettable moment in my long career.
KM: Did your thinking as a designer undergo
any shifts or questioning, or get reinforced,
through the process of designing and building
this museum?
FM: We do work all over the world, but of course
we have tendencies and interests that span
geography and project type. Given India’s harsh
climate and limited construction resources, we
were forced to re-think many decisions that we
otherwise take for granted in our design pro-
cesses. The inputs from Rahul (Gore) and Sonal
(Sancheti) from Opolis Architects — who under-
stood our perspective, but also the reality of the
Indian context — was invaluable in keeping our
team on track and making realistic decisions.
I think this allowed us to create a building
that, in our opinion, feels Indian but also some-
what unique.
KM: What are the key design ideas you have be-
lieved in? And how do they reflect in this building?
FM: We try to make architecture that is long-last-
ing and serves the interest of the client, first and
foremost. Context is always important. For ex-
ample, the use of Corten (weathering) steel as a
primary façade material gives the client a long-last-
ing and maintenance-free exterior, but also
connects to the Indian history of metallurgy and
its current prominence in the international steel
industry. The reddish-brown colouration blends
nicely with the green context and recalls the
palette of terracotta brick that is common in Bihar
(for example, the remains at the Nalanda
University) and contrasts well with the Indian
sandstone and granite we selected. Time always
serves as the test of a building, and the long life
span and slow colour changes of the Corten steel
should mark the passage of time nicely.
KM: What was your experience of working with
structural design and construction of a building
in India?
FM: Mahendra Raj was the structural designer
of the project, and his vast experience with both
building and government work was invaluable
for us. It was his initial suggestion to pursue this
project as a lump sum (rather than tender-rate)
contract, as that would force both a timelineThis spread: Various views of
the exterior of the structure of
the Museum, highlighting its
many components