Joseph Allen Stein

India International Centre First Head of the Department

Triveni Kala Sangam Architecture and Planning Department
Bengal Engineering College
Born in 1912 in Omaha, Stein studied under the Finnish
architect Eliel Saarinen at the Cranbrook Academy in Detroit,
Michigan, in the early 1930s. This legendary campus designed
by Saarinen and filled with sculptures by Carl Milles, the
Swedish sculptor, influenced Stein’s Design philosophy. The
design approach developed was very different to the Bauhaus
modernism then taking hold in Europe, which arrived on the
American shores with the immigration of Walter Gropius, Mies
Van der Rohe and others just before the Second World War. The
Bauhaus tended to be insensitive to local culture and materials
of building, and advocated hard-edged design philosophy using
industrial elements. The influence on Stein, on the other hand,
was a view, which incorporated organic materials, brick, stone
and wood, with a willingness to decorate through texture and
volume, yet retaining a simplicity and human scale. Stein moved
to California in 1938 to work with the Austrian Richard Neutra,
who became another great influence. Neutra’s spare, elegant
houses were carefully sited in the California landscape with large
glass vistas blurring the boundaries of interior and exterior.

Stein arrived in India in 1952, as head of the newly formed

Architecture and Planning Department at the Bengal Engineering
College in Calcutta in 1952, little realizing that he would stay on.
Sher-I-Kashmir, International Conference Centre
Moving north to San Francisco, Stein became a vital part
of the design scene in the Bay Area working with architect
Indian Institute of Management , Kozhikode John Funk and landscape designer Garret Eckbo, eventually
opening his own office. Living in Mill Valley, Joe Stein designed
a number of houses, which became recognized as major
examples of the ‘California School’. As a team, they had planned
and designed a large cooperative residential community at
‘Ladera’ near Palo Alto, which had idealistic social aims of
simplicity surrounded by landscaped beauty in the post-War
peace. Unsuccessful in raising financing, he moved to Europe
in the early 1950s. Richard Neutra, who had been invited by
the Government of West Bengal to be an adviser, proposed
Stein’s name as head of the newly formed Architecture and
Planning Department at the Bengal Engineering College in
Calcutta. Accepting the invitation, Stein arrived in 1952, little
realizing that he would stay on.
He was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian
honors, in 1992.

He has written of his initial reaction: “It was a very stimulating,

extraordinarily interesting time, India was almost newly
Independent. It was like coming to the United States when
Joseph Allen Stein walking up the stairwell of Ford Foundation, 1968. Thomas Jefferson was alive, something like that.
Indian Habitat Centre ~ Photo (c) Madan Mahatta
Stein’s famous works include - India International Centre, India
Habitat Centre, Sher-I-Kashmir Conference Centre, Indian
Institute of Management; Kozhikode.

BRIEF STUDY | ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE | POST INDEPENDENCE INDIA | EXHIBITION | DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, B.E.S.U., SHIBPUR
Wichita House Union Tank Car Company, Largest Dome at Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Fuller, Richard Buckminster

American systems theorist, architect, engineer,
author, designer, inventor, and futurist.
Born in 1895 at Milton in Massachusetts, Buckminster Fuller
had a sketchy formal education which as not in much progress
beyond two years (1913-’15) at Harvard. He was not an Architect
by profession, but was a Naval Officer during the First World
War. Working as a Visiting lecturer in various architectural
schools in USA, he received the award of merit of the New York
chapter of the AIA in 1952. In 1959, national organization of the
same body rewarded him honorary membership.

DYMAXICON
The term Dymaxion was coined in 1929.The organization of the
Marshall field departmental store decided the name ‘House of
Future’ instead of ‘4d’ for maximum publicity. Dymaxion is a
fusion of syllables related directly or indirectly to ‘Dynamism’,
‘Maximum’ and ‘Icons’.

Eden Project geodesic domes 1960 - One of the GREATEST MOMENTs of the
Department of Architecture:

Prof. Richard Buckminster Fuller inaugurating an exhibition at

B E College.
According to Mr. Dipak Majumdar (1963 batch):
“..We were in 3rd year in 1960 when Mr. Buckminster Fuller
visited us. We students of 3rd year built two geodesic domes
with bamboos with direct guidance by him in the open area on
the east of Civil Engineering Dept. He sat on a drafting stool and
gave us bottles of coke as we were working in the sun. On the
third day afternoon, he gave a lecture on “tensegrity structure”
to the students in the gallery above the first lobby entrance. He
Biosphère Montréal
left in the evening.”
BRIEF STUDY | ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE | POST INDEPENDENCE INDIA | EXHIBITION | DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, B.E.S.U., SHIBPUR
 Le Corbusier
architect, designer, urbanist,and writer
Assembly Building, Chandigarh

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier (October

6, 1887 – August 27, 1965), was an architect, designer, urbanist,and
writer, famous for being one of the pioneers of what is now called
modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a
French citizen in 1930. His career spanned five decades, with his
buildings constructed throughout Europe, India and America.

He was a pioneer in studies of modern high design and was dedicated

to providing better living conditions for the residents of crowded
cities.

Le Corbusier adopted his pseudonym in the 1920s, allegedly deriving

it in part from the name of a distant ancestor, “Lecorbésier.”

He was awarded the Frank P. Brown Medal in 1961.

Le Corbusier developed the Modulor in the long tradition of Vitruvius,

Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, the work of Leone Battista Alberti,
and other attempts to discover mathematical proportions in the human
body and then to use that knowledge to improve both the appearance
and function of architecture.[1] The system is based on human
measurements, the double unit, the Fibonacci numbers, and the golden
ratio. Le Corbusier described it as a “range of harmonious measurements
Chandigarh High Court to suit the human scale, universally applicable to architecture and to
mechanical things.”
BRIEF STUDY | ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE | POST INDEPENDENCE INDIA | EXHIBITION | DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, B.E.S.U., SHIBPUR
 Achyut P. Kanvinde
(1916-2002)
Mehsana Dairy Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai

Padma Shri Achyut P. Kanvinde (1916–28 December 2002) is

considered as one of forefathers of modern Indian architecture.
He was born in Achara, in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, in
1916 in a large family. His mother died when he was two and his
father was an arts teacher in Bombay.

Kanvinde entered the Sir J.J. School of Art (University of Mum-

bai) in 1935, to study architecture under Claude Batley. He lat-
er studied design at Harvard in 1945 and was influenced by the
works of Walter Gropius.

Along with his partner S. Rai, he opened a firm Kanvinde, Rai

and Chowdhury in New Delhi (which is currently run by Mr. San-
jay Kanvinde, Mrs. B.K. Tanuja and Mr. Murad Chaudhury). The
firm has been responsible for IIT Kanpur, National Science Cen-
tre, Delhi, NII Pune, numerous dairy buildings under NDDB and
many other great buildings.

Balkrishna Hariballab Das Residence

Pk Kellar Library, IIT Kanpur

NATIONAL INSURANCE ACADEMY , PUNE Iskon Temple, New Delhi

BRIEF STUDY | ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE | POST INDEPENDENCE INDIA | EXHIBITION | DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, B.E.S.U., SHIBPUR
 B. V. Doshi
Hussain Doshi Gufa, Ahmedabad
Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi is an Indian
architect,considered an important figure of South
Asian architecture and noted for his contributions to
the evolution of architectural discourse in India. He
is known for his contributions to the architecture of
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

B. V. Doshi was born in Pune, India.He studied at the

J. J. School of Architecture, Mumbai.

After having worked for four years between 1951-

54 with Le Corbusier in Paris, B. V. Doshi returned
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad to Ahmedabad to supervise Le Corbusier’s projects.
with Louis.I. Kahn His studio, Vastu-Shilpa (environmental design),
was established in 1955. Doshi worked closely with
Louis Kahn and Anant Raje, when Kahn designed
the campus of the Indian Institute of Management,
Ahmedabad. In 1958 he was a fellow at the Graham
Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. He
then started the School of Architecture (S.A) in 1962.

Doshi is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British

Architects, and has been on the selection committee for
the Pritzker Prize, the Indira Gandhi National Centre
for Arts, and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. He
is also a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects.

Apart from his international fame as an architect, Dr.

Doshi is equally known as an educator and institution
builder. He has been the first founder Director of the
School of Architecture, Ahmedabad (1962–72), first
founder Director of the School of Planning (1972–79),
first founder Dean of the Centre for Environmental
Planning and Technology (1972–81), founder member
Sangath, Ahmedabad of the Visual Arts Centre, Ahmedabad and first founder
Director of the Kanoria Centre for Arts, Ahmedabad.
Dr. Doshi has been instrumental in establishing the
nationally and internationally known research institute
Vastu-Shilpa Foundation for Studies and Research
in Environmental Design. The institute has done
pioneering work in low cost housing and city planning.

As an academician, Dr. Doshi has been visiting

the USA and Europe since 1958 and has held
important chairs in American Universities.

In recognition of his distinguished contribution as a

professional and as an academician, Dr. Doshi has
received several international and national awards
and honours. He has been awarded Padma Shri by
the government of India. He received an honorary
doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.

CEPT Ahmedabad Gandhi Labour Institute In 2008, 100hands director Prjmit Ramachandran
released a documentary interviewing Doshi.

BRIEF STUDY | ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE | POST INDEPENDENCE INDIA | EXHIBITION | DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, B.E.S.U., SHIBPUR
 Charles Correa
Architect, Planner, Activist

Charles Correa is a major figure in contemporary

architecture around the world. With his extraordinary
and inspiring designs, he has played a pivotal role in
the creation of an architecture for post-Independence
India . All of his work - from the carefully detailed
memorial Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Museum at the
Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Kanchanjunga
Apartment tower in Mumbai, the Jawahar Kala Kendra
Sabarmati Ashram Ahmedabad in Jaipur, the planning of Navi Mumbai, MIT’S Brain
Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur and Cognitive Sciences Centre in Boston, and most
recently, the Champalimad Centre for the Unknown
in Lisbon, places special emphasis on prevailing
resources, energy and climate as major determinants
in the ordering of space.

Over the last four decades, Correa has done pioneering

work in urban issues and low cost shelter in the Third
World. From 1970-75, he was Chief Architect for New
Bombay an urban growth center of 2 million people,
across the harbor from the existing city. In 1985, Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi appointed him Chairman of the
National Commission on Urbanization.
In 1984, he founded the prestigious Urban Design
Research Institute in Bombay which to this day is
dedicated to the protection of the built environment
and improvement of urban communities. He also
designed the distinctive buildings of National Crafts
Museum, New Delhi (1975–1990), Bharat Bhavan
Bhopal, British Council, Delhi. (1987–92).
2005-2008 he was Chairman of the Delhi Urban Arts
Commission. In 2008 he resigned his commission as
the head of Delhi Urban Arts Commission.

Kanchanjangha Apartments, Mumbai

LIC Building, Delhi

BRIEF STUDY | ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE | POST INDEPENDENCE INDIA | EXHIBITION | DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, B.E.S.U., SHIBPUR
 Raj Rewal

Raj Rewal was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India. He created a revolution

French Embassy Headquarters, New Delhi Gujral House, New Delhi in geometric design systems. Creation of geometric systems and respond-
ing visual imageries are apparent in Raj Rewal’s architectural works.

He even went to School of Art in Delhi for six months before joining the
School of Architecture. He chiselled his art in London’s Architectural As-
sociation School of Architecture

After completing the post graduation in Architecture; in 1955-1961, he

moved to London and attended the architectural association of architec-
ture for one year. He completed his formal professional training at the
Brixton school of building, London.

Raj Rewal took up his first job as an assistant stage manager for several
avante grade theatre production in London. He became an associate of
the Royal Institute of British Architects, London.

Raj Rewal worked with Michel Ecochards’s office in Paris before starting
his practice in New Delhi. He designed the Asiad Village and the Parlia-
ment Library in New Delhi. He was assigned a Project of the design of a
Parliament Library which he designed beautifully with lot of grace and
also adding majestic qualities to the structure. He got married to a Lady
named Helene from France in 1962.

He set up his own architectural practice in 1962 when he returned to

Delhi. In 1963-72, he taught at the School of Planning and Architecture,
Delhi and Architecture, SUST. He opened his second Architectural Office
Housing for British High Commission , New Delhi
at Tehran, Iran in 1974. Ram Sharma was his associate in the foundation
of the Architectural Research Cell in 1985. In 1986, he became the cura-
tor of the exhibition “Traditional Architecture in India” for the festival of
India in Paris.

Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi

Gujral House, New Delhi World Bank Regional Mission, New Delhi

BRIEF STUDY | ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE | POST INDEPENDENCE INDIA | EXHIBITION | DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, B.E.S.U., SHIBPUR
 Romi Khosla
Romi Khosla is an architect who received a B.A. in
Economics from the university of Cambridge, and
qualified as an architect at the architectural association,
London.

His professional work has always encompassed concerns

about economic development and architecture. Romi
A House, Himachal Pradesh founded group (group for rural and urban planning)
M.F. Hussain Art Gallery, Jamia University, New Delhi
in Delhi in 1974, and has designed a number of large
institutional complexes as well as small community-
based rural projects.

His recent work includes developmental and revitalization

projects for the United Nations development programme
(UNDP) in central Asia, Tibet and Egypt, and for the
government of India in the Himalayan belt.

The River Farm

Dental College, JMI University, New Delhi

Zuari Garden City, Mandya Assam Valley School

BRIEF STUDY | ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE | POST INDEPENDENCE INDIA | EXHIBITION | DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, B.E.S.U., SHIBPUR
 Hafiz Contractor
Hafeez Contractor was a student of architecture in The
Academy of Architecture, Rachana Sansad, Mumbai
from being an Arts student at Jai Hind College. The
credit goes to his cousin, an established architect himself,
Bharati Airtel Building, Gurgaon T.Khareghat, who himself saw his potential and had him
Dypatil Stadium enrolled. The chance paid off as Hafeez topped all his
seven years of architecture with honors. A post graduate
course from Columbia University, New York followed,
allowing him not only to learn about architecture, but
also about his profession and life. His fellows at the
University still remember him as the persevering student
never giving up on challenges, a trait that was to earn a
place so high amongst his other ideologies.

An apprenticeship with Khareghat began in 1968 and in

1977. during those times he used to visit the construction
sites and observe the detailing. Hafeez became an
associate partner in the same firm. From 1977 to 1980 he
was the visiting faculty at The Academy of Architecture,
Mumbai. He established his own firm Architect Hafeez
Contractor in 1982 and since then there has been no
looking back. He shot to fame with the design of the
residential complexes that he started in Mumbai.

He is now a member of the Bombay Heritage Committee

and New Delhi Lutyens Bungalow Zone Review
Committee.

DB Turf Estate

Infinity Cyber City, Gurgaon

BRIEF STUDY | ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE | POST INDEPENDENCE INDIA | EXHIBITION | DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, B.E.S.U., SHIBPUR
 Pathabhavan , Girls’ Hostel, Shantiniketan

Dulal Mukherjee
Dulal Mukherjee studied architecture at the Bengal Engineer-
ing College, Howrah, now renamed as Bengal Engineering
and Science University, Shibpur.

He graduated in 1964 and worked part–time for a small Kolkata practice

to complete his diploma in Town and Regional Planning from the same
college in 1966. For a very brief period in 1967 he taught at his alma mater
and then joined a practice with Gauri Ghosh, a well known interior de-
signer with whom he worked for the next four years on designing interi-
ors. His breakthrough came in 1972 with the boom in construction of own
ship apartments, when he set up his present practice and concentrated
on residences for the first five years. It was only in 1979 that he received
commissions for public and institutional buildings by winning several lo-
cal compitions. His work displayed at the Festival of India, Exhibition on
Contemporary Architecture, held in Paris. The year 1978 saw the begin-
ning of a spate of national design competitions several of which were won
by the firm thus acquiring a number of Government, Quasi Government,
and Institutional Projects.

At the uncertain start of his career he dashed off, in sheer desperation, a

Cultural complex at Haldia letter to the late G . D Birla requesting work. This led to his partnership
with Gauri Ghosh, the Birla’s interior designer, and his commission was
a small temple for a Birla Group factory at Barasat. Soon after he joined
Gauri Ghosh they won a competition for the interior of the New Interna-
tional Terminal at Kolkata Airport and were subsequently appointed by
the royal family of Nepal to design some interiors of the palace at Kat-
mandu.

He has been jury member for various educational and national architec-
tural competitions having also been a visiting lecturer, external examiner
and conducted workshops for Bengal Engineering and Science University,
Sibpur, Jadavpur University and I.I.T, Kharagpur.He also been panel of
judges for the selection of the J.K and the J.I.I.A. national Awards, having
recently been nominated a member of the All India Council For Technical
Education (AICTE).

He received the “Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara” award for his out-

standing contribution to semi-rural architecture at Shantiniketan with
reference to Kala Bhavan Graphic Studio, Vishwa Bharati University and
J.I.IA. Award from the I.I.A for the Don Bosco Church at Kalyani, West
Bengal.

“As he designs, he walks through the house – attributing the

ultimate evolution of form
to the knowledge of materials, and compositions, a process
that happens naturally.”

~ Indian Architect & Builder, April 1996.

Kalabhavan, Shantiniketan Gateway of Kolkata Highland Park

BRIEF STUDY | ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE | POST INDEPENDENCE INDIA | EXHIBITION | DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNING, B.E.S.U., SHIBPUR