HASMUKH C PATEL HASMUKH C PATEL

Architect Architect

December 2008 December, 2008

 Hasmukh Chandubhai Patel was born in 1933, in Bhadran
– one of the many small villages that make up the relatively
prosperous “Charotar” region of Gujarat. His mother Shantaben
belonged to Bhadran. His father Chandubhai Rambhai Patel
was from Sojitra, a village nearby. Chandubhai had studied Civil
Engineering, a rarity in those days, and ran a small construction
company in Baroda.

Hasmukh was the eldest of six children, two brothers and four
sisters. When he was still very young, Hasmukh was striken by a
bout of Polio, which left him with a permanent disability in his left
leg. Hasmukhbhai occassionally reminisces about his childhood
in Baroda, about cycling several miles to a nearby village to run
errands for his mother, about playing cricket in the ‘pols’ with his
friends, about skipping school to go and watch movies, about
being sent away to Ahmedabad to live with his uncle, Ratilal,
who was charged with educating him. In the rough and tumble
of growing up in a Patel household no concessions were made for
his disability and that is probably why he has never thought of
himself as handicapped.

Hasmukh’s father was very keen that he become an architect.

Hasmukhbhai recalls visiting building sites that his father was
working on and being influenced by his meticulousness and high
standards of construction. After graduating from high school,
Hasmukh joined the Department of Architecture at Maharaja
Sayajirao University, Baroda to study for a Bachelor’s degree
in Architecture. It was here at the university that he met his
future wife Bhakti Patel, a student in the Arts faculty. Prof.
M B Dave, was one teacher from his days at M S University, who
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 Hasmukhbhai feels, helped him develop as a designer. He
also worked with Prof. Dave for a year in 1956-57, after his
graduation and before leaving to study architecture at Cornell
University, USA.

The two years of graduate school at Cornell, the professors he

worked with, fellow students, campus life, the music, art and
architecture of the late 1950s, all left a lasting impression on
the mind of this young architect from Baroda who came across
the seas by ship in search of an education. He graduated with
a Masters in Architecture from Cornell University in 1959. After
graduation he traveled within the United States to visit the works
of the masters Mies Van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis
Sullivan et.al.

Though he owed much to his years in the United States, Hasmukh

was keen to return home, which he did, after a brief stop in East
Africa on the way. On his return, Hasmukh joined the architectural
firm of Atmaram Gajjar in Ahmedabad. It was in that same year
that he married Bhakti Patel, and for a short period lived in his
father’s house in Baroda and commuted to Ahmedabad for work.

His employer Atmaram Gajjar, however, was terminally ill

and six months after joining the firm, Hasmukh was asked to
take over the practice and complete ongoing projects. Though
unfortunate, this event jump-started his career in Ahmedabad.
Hasmukh and Bhakti moved into a one bedroom house in
Ahmedabad, their son Bimal was born in 1961 and daughter
Canna in 1963.

Simultaneously, Hasmukh also started teaching at the new

School of Architecture that was being set up in the city. He was
one among the small group of architects who helped nurture
Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT, as
it is now called) in its infancy. Students from those early years
remember him fondly for his down-to-earth approach to design,
his ability to laugh with them, often at himself, and his empathy
for the best and worst of them. Later, he served as Director,
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 School of Architecture, CEPT, from 1972 to 1981 and as Dean,
CEPT, from 1978 to 1981.
Hasmukhbhai’s practice grew over the years, but the first years
were a struggle. He recalls summer afternoons in his two
room office in the old city, where, after lunch, water would be
sprinkled on the Kota stone floor and he and his colleagues (four
in all) would spread out old blue-prints on their drafting boards
and take a nap. The first air conditioner he bought was installed
in the studio – not his own room. Hasmukhbhai has been a role
model for many a young architect, who identified with the self
made young man from a simple family who had the courage to
step out and find success in the fickle world of design. In 1974
he moved his office out of the old city to Ashram Road, the newly
developed commercial hub of modern Ahmedabad.
conditions for growth without being overbearing. Hasmukhbhai
now enjoys walking through the studios of HCPDPM, HCPIA,
EPC, TDW Furniture, all independent companies working in the
fields of architecture, project management, urban design, interior
design, city planning and furniture design, and continues to think
of what next!
Hasmukh Patel at 75, is still a student. He learnt to swim at the
age of 40, and his early morning swim is a daily ritual that he
practices till today. He started learning to play the piano at the
age of 70, alongside his grandchildren, and took up sketching
and painting again - a skill that had remained dormant for many
years. Technology fascinates him, and he spends a substantial
part of his day at the office, working on his computer, always
exploring what else it can help him do.

In 1969, Hasmukh, Bhakti and their two children moved into
their new house at 1, Friend’s Colony, Naranpura. The house,
which many regard as one of Hasmukhbhai’s finest designs,
remained the centre of their universe through the years that
followed. While Hasmukh’s practice took him to every corner
of the country, Bhakti remained the anchor that steadied their
lives.
Today Hasmukhbhai and Bhaktiben still live at “Bhakti” 1, Friend’s
Colony. The house has grown to include a beautiful extension that
Hasmukhbhai designed in 2005 and Bhaktiben’s garden is a joy
to behold. Their home remains the hub of their children, Canna
and Mukesh, Bimal and Ismet, and grandchildren, Akaash, Aara
and Shaan’s lives.

Through the 1970s and 80s, Hasmukhbhai’s practice grew rapidly.

He gave Ahmedabad iconic buildings that stood out in the city’s
skyline. His architecture forms part of the ‘gestalt” of Ahmedabad
today. The firm of M/s Hasmukh C. Patel, as it was called in those
days, was held in high regard by clients, colleagues and members
of the building trades for fairness, high standards of construction
and professionalism.

In 1990, both his children, now architects, joined the firm

bringing in expertise in city planning and interior design. The
practice became more multi-disciplinary and grew to a strength of
over 100 persons. As a parent Hasmukhbhai was ever aware of the
need to offer support, but more importantly to step aside and give
room for growth. He used his experience and vision to create the
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 Hasmukhbhai and Bhaktiben’s House

How should one live in order to live a genuinely good life? What
values should one espouse? Philosophers write books to pro-
pound their views on these questions. Architects design houses
to do the same. The architecture of Hasmukhbhai’s house speaks
of his views on these very important questions. I grew up in
Hasmukbhai and Bhaktiben’s house. I continue to go there
almost every day for lunch. Of course, the lunch that my mother
makes for my father and me is delightful and nourishing. But
so is the architecture of the house. It continues to educate and
nourish me on those most important questions and I want to
share some of what I have learnt.

My first hazy memories are of the house being constructed on a

distant and barren plot surrounded by open fields. I was eight
years old. As the house neared completion, Sundays became
site visit days. I remember sitting and watching the carpenters
at work on the dark and hard rosewood, waiting for my father to
finish giving instruction to all the different people at work. The
rosewood was a subject of much discussion. The carpenters,
while admiring its dark beauty, kept complaining about how hard
and difficult it was to work on. It was also an unusually rich and
luxurious material – in a fairly modest house. It was possible to use
rosewood only because my maternal grandfather was a wealthy
wood merchant. Apart from providing the lovely rosewood,
he had also helped pay for the land, and though, as a whole,
the house venture relied primarily on my father’s courage and
earnings, with characteristic generosity he wanted the house to
be legally my mother’s property.

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 It was clear from the beginning that this was a ‘modern’ house
– unlike conventional houses. To start with, the choice of
exposed brick and fair face concrete on the exterior as well as
interior surfaces was an unusual deviation from the plastered
norm. The space planning confounded many – particularly my
paternal grandfather. He was a civil engineer who had worked
with many architects and supervised the construction of many
buildings and houses. But he simply couldn’t understand how
we were going to live in a house that lacked a proper living room
or a dining room. Instead, there was this large double-height
space in the middle of the house with a staircase in one corner,
a bridge spanning the width, and the whole space spilling out
onto a large verandah. In comparison to this large unwieldy space,
the kitchen was absurdly small – just 7 feet wide. The look of the
house from the outside, with its hard lines and interlocking cubic
forms added to the unconventional character of the house. Right
from the beginning then, the architecture of our house seemed
to proclaim that life was meant to be an open ended venture
- not bound by the confines of tradition but an opportunity to
explore and experiment. Once you have decided how you want
to live, it seemed to say, don’t worry about what the norm is.
But only after you have decided how you want to live! Do not
deviate from the norm merely for the sake of it – do so because
you have a well considered and meaningful reason to deviate.
As we watched our father explain the design to visitors, my
sister Canna and I understood early that every bit of the
architecture was deliberate and considered. Everything had a
reason, nothing was done on a whim and almost nothing was
left to chance. Very soon we ourselves became champions at
explaining the design to visitors or to our father’s prospective
clients: how the display tackboard next to the dining table was
actually a shutter for the crockery cupboard; how the crockery
cupboard was conveniently located right next to the dining table;
how backed up to it and opening onto the verandah was the
gardening cupboard; how it was just the right size to store our
old folding chairs; how easy it was to pull out the chairs and put
them out in the garden or the verandah; how the swing was
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positioned to divide the verandah into two unequal parts –
one for more intimate sitting and the other for larger groups;
how the south facing verandah was well located to catch the
southwest breeze; how the low cabinet on the bridge, which
had a small library cupboard and laundry store, served as
both a railing and a display for painting and prints; how the
slightly lowered ceiling of the central hall gave an appropriate
scale to that space and gave a clear storey window to bedrooms.
There was a clear reason for almost every aspect of the design.
To be more accurate, there were at least two reasons for every
aspect of the design, and, sometimes three. I say two or three
because one reason was taken for granted. Every feature of the
house had to look beautiful and provide sensuous delight. But
taking delight or titillating the senses was never sufficient reason
for making a design decision. To make the decision right, there
had to be another clinching reason that was anchored in solving
some ordinary functional problem; and if there were two such
additional reasons, even better. The architecture of the house
clearly rejected wastefulness, extravagance and licentiousness.
In its place, it advocated parsimony and prudence.
It was not a house to show off with. The front façade looked
like the back and both of them were no more elegant than
the sides. It was not that the façade had not been carefully
designed. In fact it was clear that they had been carefully
ordered. Canna and I were even childishly delighted when a
new house in the neighborhood copied our elevation! But it
was also clear that the elevations were not designed simply to
appeal to spectators but integrally connected with the interiors
and designed to make the interior function adequately. The front
and back façades were more or less the consequence of how
cupboards, alcoves, windows and balconies were arranged within
the bedrooms on the first floor – with a view to making them
work well from the inside. The resulting elevation was hardly
a spectator’s delight. This, I guess, was the architect’s way of
saying: no masks! How others see you is of consequence, but not so
important as to compromise the life inside.
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12 HASMUKHBHAI - BHAKTIBEN RESIDENCE, Ahmedabad 13
 The house was designed to make the daily rituals of life
pleasurable. The large verandah and the exquisite garden that
envelopes it (a garden that my mother has lovingly tended for
forty years now) provide a beautiful setting for morning tea. The
pleasant sounds of birds, the fresh morning air, the scents of
the garden, and the light of the morning sun allow for a gentle
beginning to the day. For many years, summer dinners were in
the garden - four of us at a low slatted table with reclining chairs,
that made it possible to quietly take in the starry night after
dinner. On entering the house, the large glass doors along the length
of the living space provide a spectacularly arresting view of the
garden – erasing the memory of any outside unpleasantness. The
view, gradually altering through the day, also provides a delightful
backdrop to the living room and something to fleetingly
acknowledge as one moves around the house. The architecture
makes it very clear: weave your pleasures into the ordinary rituals
of life and you won’t have to spend your life searching for them
high and low.
In so many ways the architecture of the house makes one
attentive and mindful of beauty: the view from the dining
table of the myriad shades of the garden’s green; the
contrasting boldness of the yellow, red and blue on the walls; the
mild breeze on the verandah swing; the gentle warmth of the
winter sun soaked in on the verandah after lunch; the paintings and
sculptures that enrich the walls (modern, traditional and those made
by Canna and myself); the patch of sky visible from the upstairs
bathroom windows; the diffused morning light coming through
the clear storey windows; the intricate textures of the many
concrete surfaces; the subtle variations in the exposed brickwork
and the ever changing light through the central skylight. The
architecture also makes one partake in the sublime delight of
geometry. The realization that the dining bay is exactly three
fourths of the living room bay, that the width of the bedrooms is
exactly four times the width of the bridge-bay, that the rhythm of
the aluminum strips in the flooring unfailingly aligns with the
measure of the structure, that the shuttering pattern in the
concrete is rigorously ordered, all subtly enchant the intellect.
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Be subtly appreciative and mindful of beauty and the delights of
geometry, the architecture seems to be saying, for it is central to
a life lived well.
Anyone who has tried his hand at graphic composition or tried
to put a sculptural object together will immediately realize that
the formal structure of the architecture has been put together
very skillfully. All the surfaces and forms appear well-ordered
and deliberately composed. Moreover, individual elements in all
the compositions, be they two dimensional or three, clearly retain
their identity and integrity. Take for example, any internal wall;
each is a Mondrianesque composition of architectural elements
– walls, windows, doors, columns, beams, partitions, and so on.
Or take for example, the manner in which the staircase joins
the bridge; connected though they are, the stair stands apart
as an independent architectural element and so does the bridge.
Likewise, each of the rooms – large or small, is an integral
space. None looses its identity or integrity when assembled
together as a house. This aesthetic strategy too echoes an ethical
imperative: a part should not be required to subsume its
identity to the whole. Any organization of people – be it as large
as a nation or as small a family – shines all the better, if all the
individuals in it are able to retain their identity and integrity.
Three years ago, for the first time in his life, my father was forced
to stay at home for almost four months; his good leg had been
affected by a relapse of his childhood polio. This was upsetting
for him because, throughout his life, he had never let his disability
get the better of him. Never comfortable being idle, his way of
recuperating was to renovate the house and to improve it. By
altering the design of the doors between the living room and the
verandah and adding more glass shutters, he has now made it
possible for us to enjoy the entire stunning vista of the garden
throughout the day. It has made the house more beautiful.
The long stay at home also gave him time to rethink some
aspects of the design and to look at how the house should adapt
to changed circumstances. Two years ago, because he could no
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 longer climb to his bedroom on the first floor, he added a studio to
the little bedroom on the ground floor which he had started to use
as his own. The studio has a verandah and view of the garden.
It is a delightful room for him to paint in and, architecturally, a
perfect addition. Anyone who does not know that it was added
later, would think that it was always a part of the house. It is also
testimony to the fact that Hasmukhbhai has never made a fetish
of design and architecture. When something no longer serves its
purpose well, it should be suitably modified.

Hasmukhbhai’s views on how one should live, in order to live

a genuinely good life, are eloquently expressed in his house. I
continue to be educated by its architecture.
- Bimal Patel

SELECTED WORKS

16 17
18 INDIAN STUDENTS CENTRE, New York 19
20 SOCIAL AND WELFARE CENTRE, Mokasan 21
22 NEWMAN HALL, Ahmedabad 23
24 PREMIBEN RESIDENCE, Ahmedabad 25
26 ST XAVIER’S LIBRARY, Ahmedabad 27
28 ST XAVIER’S TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, Sevasi 29
30 ST XAVIER’S PRIMARY SCHOOL, Ahmedabad 31
32 USHA TALKIES, Rajkot 33
34 STATE BANK OF INDIA, Ahmedabad 35
36 READERS’ QUARTERS, Ahmedabad 37
38 NAZARETH HOSPITAL, Mokama 39
40 BHAIKAKA BHAWAN, Ahmedabad 41
42 SIR SAYAJIRAO TRUST HOSTEL, Ahmedabad 43
44 CHINUBHAI CENTRE - PATANG, Ahemadabad 45
46 SHYAMAL ROW HOUSES, Ahmedabad 47
48 RESERVE BANK OF INDIA, Ahmedabad 49
50 DENA BANK, Ahmedabad 51
52 EDEN GARDENS, Kolkata 53
54 ST XAVIER’S HIGH SCHOOL, Gandhinagar 55
56 CENTRE POINT, Ahmedabad 57
58 INTERNATIONAL STADIUM, Cochin 59
60 BIRLA CELLULOSIC TOWNSHIP, Bharuch 61
62 CANNA - MUKESH RESIDENCE, Ahmedabad 63
 Canna and Mukesh’s House
When a client, who is an architect and interior designer, and one who
knows her mind, engages a senior architect to design her house the
process is unlikely to be a smooth one, and the outcome not entirely
predictable either. This was my predicament when my father, the
architect, and I, the client, started on the design for my new home.
My initial brief to my father was indeed very brief. The house,
had to have two floors and had to accommodate the lifestyle
requirements of a professional couple. As might be expected,
my father started with something that was loosely based on the
house in Naranpura that I grew up in, and which we all loved.
I, and to some extent my husband Mukesh, had other
requirements too, which we expressed as the design
process evolved over more than two years.
• The house had to be open to, and integrated with the
garden. I wanted to move away from the usual lawn and
bungalow format and instead have a house surrounded by trees.
• I wanted to use modern materials, for instance,
aluminum frames for doors and windows, rather
than wood, which my father preferred.
• The house had to reflect modern changes in the Indian
lifestyle. I wanted a kitchen in which we could socialize,
not just a place to cook in.
Many of my requirements were also influenced by my extensive
experience as a practicing Interior Designer and the work
I had done on numerous interiors for houses designed by
Hasmukhbhai. While his houses are celebrated for their
wonderful treatment of living spaces that so effortlessly combine
functionality with modern aesthetics, they sometimes fall short
of meeting a client’s specific requirements. Having worked
closely with his clients I often felt that these shortcomings were
usually because Hasmukhbhai’s clients were unable to articulate
their needs clearly. So, while I did want my father to
design the house, I also wanted to ensure that I got what I wanted.
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What was really fun and exciting for me, was the design and
development process. It was my first experience of actually
working with my father right from development of conceptual
designs based on a client brief to working drawings, and it proved
to be a revelation. We worked our way through fourteen different
layouts! Hasmukhbhai never lost his patience. Yes, we disagreed,
but he always listened, and gave thought to whatever I felt should
be changed or done differently. Some of these changes went
totally against the grain for him. Like a projected veranda that I
wanted, so that we could sit “in” the garden rather than on one
edge of it, or, like breaking the overall symmetry of the layout
and the façade to enable us to have a library and a single height
dining area. However, nothing was changed or added at will or
as a mere fancy. Each and every change went through a due
process of careful consideration. Not only did the changes have
to fit into the conceptual design framework, but they also had to
be logical in terms of function and overall treatment of space.
Coming through this often trying process made me realize
how much patience and perseverance went into all his designs;
and, how he managed to so completely satisfy clients – on account
of which they kept returning to him with new work. To me
this is the mark of a great architect! If an architect fails to
understand and appreciate a client’s lifestyle and functional
requirements no matter how aesthetically pleasing or bold the final
structure, he has, in my opinion, not delivered. Despite his years
of experience and expertise Hasmukhbhai was totally immersed
in the process. He went through each and every drawing with
the same dedication that I had seen as a child and a young adult.
This came as a big surprise. For example, once he decided to
use aluminium instead of wood for the windows and doors, he
identified a supplier who would custom-make them and even
assisted him in setting up his production process which now forms
the basis of a flourishing new line of products for his business.
What we have today at the end of this process, is a wonderful
house for me and my family. An exquisitely balanced living space
between the “inside” and the “outside”.
- Canna Patel
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 Bhaikaka Bhawan, Ahmedabad 40 Premiben Residence, Ahmedabad 24
Client: Institution of Engineers Client: Smt Premi Patel
Year of completion: 1977 Year of completion: 1968
Birla Cellulosic Township, Bharuch 60 Readers’ Quarters, Ahmedabad 36
Client: Grasim Industries Limited Client: Gujarat University
Area: 22,140 sq m (housing) 13,420 sq m (public buildings) Year of completion: 1973
Year of completion: 1998
Reserve Bank of India, Ahmedabad 48
Canna - Mukesh Residence, Ahmedabad 62 Client: Reserve Bank of India
Client: Canna Patel Area: 17,330 sq m
Area: 810 sq m Year of completion: 1982
Year of completion: 2005
Shyamal Row Houses, Ahmedabad 46
Centre Point, Ahmedabad 56 Client: Hasmukh Shah
Client: Hasmukh Shah Area: 400 units -140 sq m (Type1), 280 sq m (Type2)
Area: 17,400 sq m (60 apartments, shops & offices) Year of completion: 1981- 85
Year of completion: 1987
Sir Sayajirao Trust Hostel, Ahmedabad 42
Chinubhai Centre - Patang, Ahmedabad 44 Client: Sir Sayajirao Diamond Jubilee & Memorial Trust
Client: Hasmukh Shah Area: 1,010 sq m
Area: 7,890 sq m (Chinubhai Centre) - 640 sq m (Patang) Year of completion: 1980
Year of completion: 1980-87
Social and Welfare Centre, Mokasan 20
Dena Bank, Ahmedabad 50 Client: St Xaviers Group
Client: Dena Bank Area: 755 sq m
Area: 6,800 sq m Year of completion: 1964
Year of completion: 1982
State Bank of India, Ahmedabad 34
Eden Gardens, Kolkata 52 Client: State Bank of India
Client: Cricket Association of Bengal Year of completion: 1973
Capacity: 94,000 seats
Year of completion: 1985 St Xavier’s High School, Gandhinagar 54
Client: St Xavier’s Group
Hasmukhbhai - Bhaktiben Residence, Ahmedabad 8 Year of completion: 1985
Client: Smt Bhakti Patel
Area: 375 sq m St Xavier’s Library, Ahmedabad 26
Year of completion: 1969 Client: St Xavier’s Group
Year of design: 1968 (Unbuilt)
Indian Students Centre, New York 18
M Arch Thesis, Cornell University, 1959 St Xavier’s Primary School, Ahmedabad 30
Client: St Xavier’s Group
International Stadium, Cochin 58 Area: 5,300 sq m
Client: Cochin Muncipal Corporation Year of completion: 1973
Year of design: 1996 (Unbuilt)
St Xavier’s Technical Institute, Sevasi 28
Nazareth Hospital, Mokama 38 Client: St Xavier’s Group
Client: Miseror Mozartstrasse Area: 7,500 sq m
Area: 10,570 sq m Year of completion: 1972
Year of completion: 1975
Usha Talkies, Rajkot 32
Newman Hall, Ahmedabad 22 Client: Indubhai Sheth of Krishna Group
Client: St Xavier’s Group Area/ Capacity: 1,000 sq m/1040 seats
Area: 3,795 sq m Year of completion: 1973
Year of completion: 1965
66 67
Hasmukhbhai’s Collaborators
Over the last forty years, Hasmukhbhai has worked with a large
number of people to realise his projects – too many to acknowledge
them all here. His key collaborators have been : Jayant Gunjaria,
Kamlesh Mehta, Leo Pereira, Arvind Patel, A Delhiwala,
Ramesh Desai, Dr. Mahendra Mehta and S K Murthy.

HCP Design and Project Management Pvt. Ltd.

Paritosh, Usmanpura,
Ahmedabad 380 013, Gujarat, India
Ph: +91 79 27550875, 27552563, 27552442
web: www.hcp.co.in

Copyright (c) 2008 HCPDPM. All Rights Reserved.

Concept and Guidance

Anand Patel
Bimal Patel
Ismet Khambatta
Jayant Gunjaria
Qamar Shaikh

Design, Coordination and Production

Preeti Goel Sanghi

Layout
Samantha Amy George

Drawings
Rakesh Rajput

Photo Credit
HCPDPM Archive

Technical Support
Amit Pandya, Krupa Chokshi, Sanjeev Suman
and student trainees (Devanshi, Jiya, Madhur, Maneka, Mihika,
Namrata, Neha, Renuka and Sharanya)

Photo-processing and Printing

Aalap Patel, Combination, Ahmedabad