Decoding the Pritzker Prize : Understanding B.V. Doshi.

Sharing by Rahul Ajit Kadam, at the Wide Angle Forum -13th April2018

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1) Decoding the Pritzker Prize :
This quest for me started about 7 years back , when a group of like-minded friends at Edifice felt that the projects that we were creating and building did not have a
global edge of excellence. So we felt that each year we must invest time and money in visiting the works of the best projects that have been built internationally. As
part of this quest we decided to start by seeing works of Pritzker Laureates in the West and East coast of the USA, as the USA has one of the largest collection
of projects designed and built by Pritzker Laureates .

I, must say that the 10 days we invested in these trips, each year were like virtual lessons in contemporary history of architecture and we were able to see works
of IM Pei, Richard Meier, Frank Gehry, Rafael Moneo, F Maki, Renzo Piano, Norman Foster , Tom Mayne , Jean Nouvel , etc and many architectural stars. What ,
I have been learning from these trip is what , I try to practise in my work, these profound learnings are :

a) Their projects are a positive contribution to society , considering Urban Design and Socio-Economic and Political considerations.

b) Most projects demonstrate the application of a robust Green Agenda, that is Sensitive.

c) The spatial effect created has a soul in it and it touches the human senses… (Refer Slide overleaf).

d) There is definitely a timeless quality to these projects as these projects age very gracefully.

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Spaces that have a Soul in them.
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I would add that Doshi sir’s work in addition to the above has a very different dimension , and that is most of his work is also done with limited resources and demonstrates incremental
growth that is in synergy with the environment. Given this context, I would now like to share the valuable lessons I have learnt from Doshi sir.

2) Valuable lessons learnt from Doshi Sir:

These can be summarised through three experiences that have been lessons for life :

A)A Student like inquisitive mind and down to earth nature:

I recall in 2001, I was fortunate to be awarded a commendation prize at the A+D forum in Delhi, Doshi sir was the chief guest and as a part of the agenda he saw the work of Award
winners and interacted with them on a one to one basis. Our project that was honoured was a courtyard we had designed in Ahmedabad for an Institute and the same was Inspired by Dali’s
Surreal way of thinking. When Doshi sir saw the project panels , he was extremely curious to know how we had done the China mosaic work, what were the challenges we faced , etc. He also
shared how the Surreal Snake on the Gufa was done. In the end he advised all of us to design with a lot of passion and sensitively for whatever we do in the future. Also, our work
should have a positive impact on society. (Refer Next Slide).

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We Focus on the ‘Why’ a space is created as opposed to What to do ? This helped transform a dump yard into a Tranquil Court Yard.
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This memory has lived with me as these are great words of wisdom coming from one of India’s most respected and reputed architects to me ,when I was 30, and from a very senior Mentor
who was 70+, but extremely young at heart!

B)A very Kind Persona:

I recall in 2013, after a wonderful talk by Charles Correa Sir, at the Nehru Auditorium in Mumbai, at the 361 Degree conference, me and a few friends from Edifice had gone to meet
Correa sir back stage in one of the Green room lounges. When we asked him what -was his advice for large architectural firms doing PAN India work , he was furious and said ideally we
ought to be checking every drawing that goes out from our studio! and a large scale firm model is not suited to create sensitive work as one cannot exercise control. So we were a bit
dejected , and we started walking out of the Green room. Doshi sir who was seated next to Correa sir -told him that he needs to explain us properly how a sensitive approach and control on
design detailing can also be brought in a large firm too. So, then Correa sir called us back and like a teacher explained us , what we should be doing. So ,had it not been for Doshi sir, we
would not have got great insights from Correa sir then.

C)Thought process like an artist :

In many of Doshi sirs writings and discourses that I have attended , he has explained the importance to draw with Pencils and Charcoal, and this he explains leads to creating spaces ,that
have a honest expression and a very different spatial quality, like a black and white photograph v/s a coloured one. There have been references of L. Kahn’s way of sketching and
drawing and I feel this is exactly how an artist thinks as exploration is key to space creation. (Refer Next Slide)

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Sketch explorations by us in a monochromatic way to understand the honesty of the materials and the spatial experience.
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In the end, I must say that Doshi sir’s learning's are a rich guiding force in the way our studio approaches design of projects.
I shall always cherish these treasures for years to come…… Thank you.

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