Balkrishna Doshi is an Indian architect who is famous in India for his architectural works.
Wiki/Biography
Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi was born on Friday, August 26, 1927, in Pune (age 94; as of 2021). His hometown is Ahmedabad. His zodiac sign is Virgo. He pursued his degree as an architect from Ferguson College, Pune, JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai and North London Institute of Technology.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′9″
Weight (approximately): 70kg
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Doshi’s father’s name is Vitadas Doshi and his mother’s name is Radha.
Dorsey’s father
Dorsey’s mother
wife and children
He is married to Kamala Parikh.
In 1955, Dorsey and his wife
They have three daughters: Tejal, Radhika and Maneesha.
Religion/Religious Views
He believes in Hinduism.
Signature/Autograph
Dorsey’s signature
Profession
architecture
He began his career in 1951 assisting Le Corbusier in designing the city of Chandigarh.
Doshi and Le Corbusier
He then collaborated with Le Corbusier’s team to design the Chandigarh High Court and the Governor’s Palace. He was also involved in the design of the Factory Owners Association Building and Shodhan House in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He is also the Design Director of Sarabhai Villas, Shodhan Villas and Sanskar Kendra Villas. In 1956, he founded his own company VastuShilpa, now Vastushilpa Consultants.
Doshi’s Vastushilpa Consultants
In 1959, he participated in an international competition for the City Hall of Toronto, Canada, together with the Japanese architect Tsuboi Yoshikatsu. In 1961, together with American architect Louis Kahn, he designed the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.
Dorsey and Louis Kahn
In 1970, he designed the Dal Lake area in Srinagar and the Gulmarg-Tangmarg area in Jammu and Kashmir in 1972. In 1973, he was awarded the contract to design the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore designed by Doshi
In 1976, he founded the Vastushilpa Research Foundation, a non-profit organization. In 1980, he established his own studio Sangath. In 1992, he was selected as the designer of the Bharat Diamond Exchange in Mumbai.
Design of the Bharat Diamond Exchange in Mumbai
In 2016, he delivered a TED Talk at TEDx Talk at Nirmala University, Ahmedabad.
In 2015, he starred in the Tamil film O Kadhal Kanmani and in 2017, he starred in the Bollywood film Ok Jaanu.
Dorsey with the cast of “Ok Jannu”
teaching
He has delivered various lectures in the UK, the United States, Europe, New York and many other countries.
Dorsey delivers a speech
He served as the founder dean of the Ahmedabad School of Architecture (1962-72), the first founder dean of the School of Planning (1972-79), and the first founding dean of the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology (1972-81 ), founder member of the Center for Visual Arts, Ahmedabad and the first founding director of the Kanoria Arts Centre, Ahmedabad.
Awards
- 1976: Awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India
- 1993-1995: 6th Aranya Community Housing Architecture Award
- 2007: Global Sustainable Architecture Award
- 2011: France’s highest artistic honor – the Order of Arts and Letters
- 2017: Dhirubhai Thakar Savyasachi Saraswat Award
- 2018: Pritzker Architecture Prize
- 2020: Padma Shri Award from the Government of India
- 2022: Royal Architecture Gold Medal 2022 from the British Government
- Honorary doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
- In 1954 he was appointed an associate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
- In 1993, JK Cement Ltd. of India named him Architect of the Year.
Facts/Trivia
- Dorsey became interested in architecture, buildings and sculptors when he visited his grandfather’s house at the age of eight. His grandfather had his own furniture store.
- When Dorsey was 11 years old, he tried a fire trick at home, but failed and burned his leg. He received no medical treatment and had a slight limp in his leg.
- He said in an interview that he prefers to study in an open place than in a closed classroom.
- When he was in school, his art teacher Venekatesh Patil insisted that he pursue architecture in Mumbai. Later, he was admitted to JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai. In an interview, he revealed that he was not good at speaking English and felt bad when his classmates in college all spoke English.
- In 1951, he traveled to London to sit for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) examinations. There he met a member of Le Corbusier’s team. They invited Dorsey to work with them, but he wouldn’t be paid. He accepted the invitation and moved to Paris for a while. Later, he returned to India and participated in the design of the Chandigarh High Court and the Governor’s Palace.
- In 1955, he met his wife for the first time and married her. His marriage was not approved by his parents due to religious differences.
- In 1957, when he received a Graham Foundation International Fellowship, he met Mies van der Rohe, Josep Louis Selter, Charles and Ray Eames, and Friedrich Kiesler and other famous architects.
- He said in an interview that he learned about the relationship between architecture and structural systems in 1959 when he participated in an international competition for Toronto City Hall.
- In 1961, he was invited to design the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad and recommended the name of American architect Louis Kahn. They worked together on this project.
- His article “Main Structural Concepts.” In 1964, “The Role of the Individual in Urban Planning”, which he co-authored with the American architect Christopher Alexander, was published in a magazine. In 1967, the Japanese architectural magazine Kenchiku Bunka published his article “Architecture of Time and Change—A System.”
- In 1992, he opened a new office branch in Mumbai for the completion of the Bharat Diamond Exchange project in Mumbai.
- His institute Vastushilpa Environmental Design Research Foundation became a shelter for people affected by the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.
- A documentary about Dorsey’s life’s achievements and struggles was released on YouTube in 2008. The film is directed by Premjit Ramachandran.
- In 2014, Doshi’s first work, Celebrating Habitat: Real, Virtual and Imaginary, was exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. His work was exhibited by architect Khushnu Panthaki Hoof.
Exhibition of Doshi’s Works
Congratulations to renowned architect Balkrishna Doshi for winning the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. This honor is a fitting recognition of his decades of outstanding work and significant contribution to society. https://t.co/vhKGegfeCv
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 7, 2018
- Doshi said in an interview that he was inspired by Indian monuments and the works of European and American architects.
- In an interview, he talked about his emotions when he won the award. He said,
I was surprised and deeply honored to receive a Royal Gold Medal from the Queen of England. News of this award took me back to my time working with Le Corbusier in 1953, when he had just received news that he had been awarded the Royal Gold Medal. I clearly remember his excitement at receiving this honor from Her Majesty the Queen. He said to me metaphorically: “I wonder how big this medal is and how heavy it is.” Sixty years later, I am truly honored to receive the same award as my mentor Le Corbusier. ——In recognition of my sixty years of practice. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education