IIT KANPUR

BY - ACHUYT KANVINDE
 Padma Shri Achyut
Kanvinde occupied
unique position in the
history of contemporary
Indian architecture. He
was an Indian architect ,
teacher, writer and a
committed modernist as
he always desired to take
Indian architecture to be
global and to the height of
1916-2002 international style.
 ABOUT ARCHITECT

NAME ACHUYT KANVINDE

DATED 1916-2002
BIRTH PLACE Achare, in the Konkan region
of Maharashtra
GRADUATION(b.arch) Sir J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai in
1942.
HAVARD UNIVERSITY
TRAINING AND INFLUENCE UNDER WALTER GROPIUS.
CONTEXT MODERN INDIAN ARCHITECTURE
 BACKGROUND
• PARENTS: His mother died when he was two and his father was an
arts teacher in Mumbai. Kanvinde was also influenced by his father,
who was portrait and landscape painter.
• Career: When he returned to India in 1948 he joined the council for
“Scientific and Industrial Research”. In 1985, he
was the winner of IIA “Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal”.
• HIS FIRM: Along with his partner S. Rai, he opened
a firm Kanvinde, Rai and Chowdhury in
  New Delhi (which is currently run by Sanjay
Kanvinde, B.K. Tanuja and Murad Chowdhury).
• The University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore 
campus designed by Kanvinde and Rai
HIS WORKS
 DESIGN PHILOSPY
• FUNCTIONALIST STYLE OF DESIGN
FUNCTIONALISM WAS AN APPROACH TO DESSIGN AS PER THE
CONCEPT THAT THE SPACE AND FORM OF A BUILDING SHOULD
EMERGE OUT OF THE LOGICAL ARRANGEMENT OF SPACE INSIDE
AND NOT FROM ANY PREDETERMINED IDEA LIKE SYMMETRY.
FUNCTIONALIST BELIVED A BUILDING SHOULD ONLY HAVE
FEATURES THAT WERE FUNCTIONALLY NECESSARY AND NO NON-FUNCTIONAL
DECORATION.THEY LEAD TO HUMANE SPACE THAT IS SPACE WHERE YOU FELT
WELCOME AND COMFORTABLE. HE USED LASTEST TECHNOLOGY AND INDU-
STRIAL MATERIALS LIKE DOOR AND WINDOWS AND RCC.

•LOGIC OF LIGHTNESS
THE COMPLETE FOCUS ON THE MATERIALS TO BE USED IN
CONSTRUCTION KANVINDE ALWAYS TRY TO DEVELOP SUCH
AN ATHESTIC FOR A HAVEY MASS
CONSTRUCTION THAT LOOKS LIGHT.

NATIONAL INSURANCE
ACADEMY AT PUNE
 DESIGN PHILOSPY
• RATIONALIST
KANVINDE REVEAL THE INTERNAL FUNCTIONAL IIT
IN A BUILDING AS SEPARATE MASSES AND THEN KANPUR
ARRANGED IN A WAYS THAT WERE FUNCTIONAL
FROM INSIDE AND ELEGANT FROM OUTSIDE

•SENSE OF SPACE
HUMANESS IS ALL ABOUT SIZE AND SCALE,
KANVINDE ALWAYS TRIED TO BRING DOWN
BUILDINGS TO HUMANE SCALE AND A CONNECTION TO THE BUILT
HERITAGE IN A LOCALITY.

•KANVIDE WAS AN ARCHITECT OF SECOND GENERATION OF CONTEMPRY

INDIAN ARCHITECTURE ( 1950 - 1980) .

•DURING THIS ERA MODERNISM WAS ATTRACTIVE TO DEVELOPING NIBM

SOCIETIES TRYING TO BREAK FROM THE MEMORIES OF EUROPEAN
COLONIALISM THAT THE OLDER STYLE STILL CARRIED.

• KANVIDE INTRODUCE MODERN ARCHITECTURE TO HUMANE PATH AND

INNOVATIVELY BLEND TECHNOLOGY AND ATHESTICS
The various Bauhaus characteristics visible in
Kanvinde's works would be
• Asymmetry
• Blocky
Brick
• Cubic shapes
Cement
• Smooth, flat plain, undecorated surfaces
•‘Flat’ roofs
• Adoption of steel-framed or reinforced-concrete
post-and-slab.

Kanvinde played with space and form and much more importance to natural light.
He believed that “the relationships of the parts and materials of the building are a
working morality.

STYLE- BRUTALISM & REGIONALISM

By the end of 1960s Kanvinde’s expressive architecture was variously interpreted as
"an architectural expression that reflected the culture and aspirations" and "clearly
reflected the rise of the Brutalism polemic of architecture.” Expressed Concrete
structure in combination with brick became the dynamic determinant of form and
order. 
PRINCIPLES
 DESIGN CONCEPT
 He practiced perfectly for 55 years, he was considered the pioneer of what
may be termed the modern movement in architecture in India.
 An art can be to nourish the senses. Art is purely an aesthetic exercise.
 He believed that a grid of columns forming a matrix giving structural and
spatial aspect would turn a design to more sophisticated and faceted.
 He treated his building with “VASTUSHASTRA”.
 THE BAUHAUS STYLE: Studying under Walter Gropius, kanvind
developed a whole new outlook towards architecture. He was greatly
influenced by the Bauhaus style, which later on was adopted in his various
buildings.
 SPATIAL ORGANIZATION
• Kanvinde plays with space and forms. His designs are slender, balanced, proportionate,
neat and well crafted.
• The building is important but most important is the gate of the user.
• Example is “ISKCON Temple”. He gave much importance to natural light. He gave such
a form to the building that it can solve the problem of ventilation as
well as excessive heat.

ISKCON TEMPLE, DELHI

• He also believed in Vernacular
Architecture.
• Both inherent values and
Historical influences contributed
towards good architecture.
 IIT KANPUR
• IIT-Kanpur is located on the Grand Trunk Road, 15 km west of Kanpur
City and measures close to 420hectares. This land was gifted by the
Government of Uttar Pradesh in 1960 and by March 1963 the Institute had
moved to its current location.
IITK
 FEATURES

• The IITK campus occupies a 1055 acre area.

• The Academic Complex is located centrally at the site and free from traffic noise.
• Academic buildings: 13 departments, PK Kelkar Library, Computer Centres faculty
offices, laboratories and administrative buildings
• Around 7000 students, 390 faculty, and 1000 staff members (and their families)
reside on campus
• No. of buildings: 108
• 10 boys hostel and 2 girls hostel
• With Sports complex, Housing for faculty
• The site is flat with the canal on one side and transportation route on the other
side.
• Pedestrian and vehicular traffic are completely segregated.
CONCEPT AND IDEOLOGY
• The residential campus is planned and landscaped with a hope for
environmental freedom.
• Halls of residence, faculty and staff houses and community buildings surround
the central academic area to provide flexibility in movement and
communication.
• Core Pedestrian island which consist of lecture halls surrounded by
landscaping and water body forming the main focus of the campus.
• The academic area is well connected by a long corridor which links all the
major buildings
• The academic area is set up in vicinity of Hostels to provide quick accessibility
to students
• Conventional type of buildings were designed as isolated islands
of departments
• Activities which students and faculties share are designed to encourage
meeting and interaction
 Academic Area
• Institute's Academic Area comprises academic buildings and facilities including
the PK Kelkar Library, Computer Centre, National Wind Tunnel Facility and
SIDBI Innovation and Incubation Centre. It also houses faculty offices,
laboratories and administrative buildings. The academic area is connected by a
long corridor which links all the major buildings.

SIDBI INNOVATION & INCUBATION CENTRE

 P.K. KELKAR LIBRARY
• Established in 1960 as Central Library. Established in 1960 as
Central Library. „ Renamed as P.K. Kelkar Library in 2001.
Renamed as P.K. Kelkar Library in 2001. „
• Four-storied building (covered area: 5730 sq. m.)
• Basement - 700 sq m
• Ground floor - 700 sq m
• First floor -1630 sq m
• Second floor - 2700 sq m
• Staff strength – 40
• Exposed brickwork:
reduces maintenance
costs and enhances
aesthetic appeal
 P.K. KELKAR LIBRARY
 The library forms an important part of the whole complex.
 It is a framed structure based on grid.
 The whole building is built in R.C.C with a brick facade.
Structural design
Of library Connecting corridors
P.K. Kelkar library
 IIT-K
• The residential campus is planned and landscaped with a
hope for environmental freedom.
• Halls of residence, faculty and staff houses and community
buildings surround the central academic area to provide
flexibility in movement and communication.
• Taking into consideration the reality that research work in
the present time is a collaborative work of varied
disciplines, curriculum of studies is worked out, with that
goal in mind.
HALL OF RESIDENCE
Kanvinde’s expressive architecture
was variously interpreted as "an
architectural expression that
reflected the culture and In retrospect, that style shows a
aspirations“.
remarkable similarity with the
brute morphology of vernacular
architecture in parts of India.

Expressed Concrete structure in

combination with brick became the
dynamic determinant of form and
order. 
 SPLIT LEVEL CORRIDOR SYSTEM
•Minimize the walking distance, improving connectivity
•Create spatial expansion
•Give the impression of one large space hence space is used as a tool
 IIT KANPUR

• Elevated pedestrian walkway

• Sheltered and yet openness
• Protection from hot sun yet
allowing breezes
VISUAL EXPRESSION OF
THE STRUCTURE RATHER
THAN HIDING ITS
STRUCTURAL
COMPONENTS
ORIENTATION

VISITORS HOSTEL
LIBRARY
STUDY OF BUILDINGS
 THE NATIONAL WIND TUNNEL FACILITY(NWTF)
OPEN AIR THEATER established in 1999 at IITK to meet the national needs in
areas of aeronautical and non -aeronautical R and D
activities, houses the most versatile and effective wind
tunnel in India. It has various simulation and
measurement systems, interchange able test sections
and is capable of testing at wind speed up to 80 m/s

VIEW
COMPUTER CENTER
SECTION
IITK
The Bauhaus influence in
Kanvinde’s style is clearly
visible in the buildings of IIT
Kanpur.

•cubic shapes
•smooth, flat plain, undecorated
surfaces
•complete elimination of all
mouldings and ornament
•‘flat’ roofs
 IITK
• Reveals the internal functions in a building as separate masses.
• Arranged in ways that were functional from inside and elegant from
outside.
• Kanvinde strongly believed that the elevation of a structure should be
defined by the functions inside.

Terrace
Research Research
Conference
Computer
Research Compute
r
Terrace
 MATERIALS
• In Kanpur, the local availability of high quality brick and the
prevalent labour and construction practices made Kanvinde go for
reinforced concrete for structural frames and brick as infill's .
• reinforced-concrete post-and-slab construction, with a series of flat
slab-floors and a flat roof-slab carried on concrete columns or posts

bricks
 CONCLUSION
• His works are generally raw and unemotional. Yet he
managed to make his designs appealing and welcoming.
• His designs were distinct and unique yet having one thing
similar- functionalism.
• His designs appear to be built with a large amount of thought
having been given to making them functionally efficient and
practically feasible. 
• Conventional type of buildings were designed as isolated
islands of departments.
• Activities which students and faculties share are designed to
encourage meeting and interaction.
THANK YOU
BY
YESHASWINI