A meeting with B. V. Doshi and a conversation on the 1958 Toronto City Hall and Square Competition
?Sangath, it?s an architect?s office isn?t it"? asks the auto-rickshaw driver as we make our way through Ahmedabad?s late afternoon traffic. By this point, I?m accustomed to the organized chaos of Indian driving and the apparent ease of drivers to find any address. Yes, it is an architect?s office, I say to myself, but not the office of any architect. We?re heading to Vastushilpa Consultants and my meeting with its principal, architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi. Half a world away and over half a century later, I am keen to talk to Doshi about his entry into Toronto?s 1958 City Hall and Square Competition.
The office compound at Sangath is enclosed by a high wall of hand-made, parged brick, shutting out the noise of the street. Within, it?s an oasis of quiet, shaded by eucalyptus trees, cooled by small ponds and carpeted with plush green lawns. Peacocks jaunt across the pebbled path that leads down to Doshi?s vaulted offices and my meeting. A Ganesha, half human half elephant, the god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles, sits above the doorway, welcoming me. Inside, I?m offered tea and invited to sit. I?m impressed by the bustle of the place. I could be in any architectural office, anywhere. In front of me, an intern works on a model of a new complex proposed for a town in the Middle East. He confers with a colleague about model details. Around a corner, there?s a room full of computers, their operators fixated on screens and tasks at hand. To the left, a door open...
_MFUENTENOTICIAS
canadian architect
_MURLDELAFUENTE
https://www.canadianarchitect.com/
-------------------------------- |
APUNTALAR. Vocabulario arquitectónico. |
|
The Butcher’s Flat: Minimalist Chic in Prague’s Historic District
02-05-2024 08:21 - (
Architecture )
Pin’n Pan House: Sustainable Agri-Living in Ratchaburi, Thailand
02-05-2024 08:21 - (
Architecture )