Prof. Rafael Moneo pens a letter in tribute to Ar. Charles Correa. The gentlemen, both icons in their respective nations and across the globe, share a long friendship and mutual admiration.
June 30, 2015
It was with great sadness and surprise that I heard last week of Charles Correa’s passing away. I had seen him recently in Goa and although indeed he did seem fragile, I never thought he would leave us so rapidly. Continue reading A Tribute to Charles Correa by Rafael Moneo
Narendra Dengle talks about the inherent contradictions in the much discussed ‘Smart-City’ idea that has captured political imagination by inclining the argument in favour of a city which has a place for all and not just the economy which builds it.
Once a client of mine discussed at length the requirements of an institutional project and stressed the importance of being rational, functional, economic, and energy conscious in approach. We agreed. The next day he called up to say, “Please make it Eco-friendly.” We said, ‘Oh yes’. Then he dropped by to insist that the Continue reading Cities: Between Metaphor & Reality
In this comment, P Venugopal objectively observes our changing architectural perceptions of homes as a society and the subjective dimensions of the missing levels of humanising factors shaping the designs.
Museums are regulated environments. Artifacts on display are confined to tight frames of glass, and watched under spotlights. Curios in glass boxes are hermetically sealed. Relieved from the incessant gaze of the spectators, if they are taken back to the store, after the day’s work, they may recoup in the warmth of their ordinary storage alcove and breathe! They too can enjoy the privilege of a private realm. Continue reading AN ERODED PRIVATE REALM: P Venugopal
By David Robson
David Robson pens an empathetic memoir outlining the life and works of Sri Lanka’s two pioneering architects – a man by the name of Andrew Boyd and a lady by the name Minnette de Silva – in an attempt to restore their well-deserved place in the history of Modern Architecture from Sri Lanka and to bring into light their exceptional merit.
Andrew Boyd
Born in Cornwall in 1905, Andrew Boyd was the son of an Indian Circuit Judge and experienced a typically dislocated Raj childhood, spending part of his childhood in India and part of it at school in England. His father encouraged him to join the tea business, and in 1927 arranged for him to become a tea taster with Liptons in Ceylon. There he was befriended by the photographer, Lionel Wendt, and moved in a circle which included the painter George Keyt and the poet/diplomat Pablo Neruda. Wendt kindled Boyd’s interest in photography and this in turn led him to architecture. Continue reading Andrew Boyd and Minnette de Silva
by Ruturaj Parikh
A reaction to William JR Curtis‘s piece on India’s Modern Heritage titled ‘Nothing is Sacred‘.
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I have grown up with modern architecture. As a child in Ahmedabad, my father used to take me to climb trees in CEPT campus and play cricket in IIM (which then had no compound wall) while vultures lined the water tank with the fake arch. I have known the Sanskar Kendra to host some nice exhibitions although as a child I never used to like the space. I was taught in architecture to consider it sacred. I am not a fan. Continue reading No Museum for Architecture
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