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Contemporary Architecture

Architectural Styles of India

MODERNISM (Lighthouse cinema, Kolkata/ STC Building, New Delhi)Modernismisanattitude.Anattitudeiscomposedofabeliefandavalue.Amodernistissomeonewhobelievesthattherearebetterwaysofdoingthings.Westernisationisoftenconsideredasynonymformodernisation,andcertainly,manyideasfromtheWesthaveflowedintoIndia.Inarchitecture,amodernistisoftenconsideredtobesomebodywhosimplysupportsanybreakwiththepast.Oftenitisapersonwhoadvocatesanewlookforbuildingsanewstyle. Architectsmaybemoreconcernedwiththespatialorganisationofbuildingstheway

spacesareenclosedandrelatedtoeachother,theircompositiongeometricallyand/orintheirsequenceasanobservermovesthroughthem.Morebroadly,amodernistarchitectbelievesthatarchitectureisamediumforimprovingthelivesofpeople.

Modernistarchitectureisalso,despitemanyprotestationstothecontrary,asetof

styles;waysofsolvingproblemsusingparticularsetsofpatterns.Modernarchitecture,andwhatweacceptasbeingmodern,hasbeenshapedbythedebatebetweenthosewhodesignbuildingsbasedonmethodsprovensuccessfulinthepastandthosewhoseeksomethingcompletelyfreshbasedonaperceptionofbrave

newworlds.Inarchitecture,a

modernistisoftenconsideredtobesomebodywhosimplysupportsanybreakwiththepast.Oftenitisapersonwhoadvocatesanewlook

forbuildings — 

anewstyle. Architectsmaybemoreconcernedwiththespatialorganisationofbuildings — thewayspacesareenclosedandrelatedtoeachother,theircompositiongeometricallyand/orintheir

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sequenceasanobservermovesthroughthem.Morebroadly,amodernistarchitectbelievesthatarchitectureisamediumforimprovingthelivesofpeople.ManybuildingsinIndiahavecontinuedtobedesignedwithintheartisticparadigmsestablishedduringthefirsttwodecadesafterIndependence.Someofthem

havebeendesignedbythesamearchitectswhoexecutedtheearlierworkbutthereisothersuchworkbyagenerationentirelynewintermsofage,ifnotarchitecturalideology.ChangestookplaceinModernistdesigneverywhere — forinstance,itbecamemorevisuallylively — buttheworkwascarriedoninthesameintellectualveinasinthepast.

DeconstructivismDeconstructivisminarchitecture,alsocalleddeconstruction,isadevelopmentofpostmodernarchitecturethatbeganinthelate1980s.Itischaracterizedbyideasof

fragmentation,aninterestinmanipulatingideasofastructure'ssurfaceorskin,non-rectilinearshapeswhichservetodistortanddislocatesomeoftheelementsofarchitecture,suchasstructureandenvelope.Thefinishedvisualappearanceofbuildingsthatexhibitthemanydeconstructivist"styles"ischaracterizedbyastimulatingunpredictabilityandacontrolledchaos.Originally,someofthearchitectsknownasDeconstructivistswereinfluencedbytheideasoftheFrenchphilosopherJacquesDerrida.EisenmandevelopedapersonalrelationshipwithDerrida,butevensohisapproachtoarchitecturaldesignwasdevelopedlongbeforehebecameaDeconstructivist.ForhimDeconstructivismshouldbeconsideredanextensionofhisinterestinradicalformalism.Somepractitionersofdeconstructivismwerealsoinfluencedbytheformalexperimentationandgeometric

imbalancesofRussianconstructivism.Thereareadditionalreferencesindeconstructivismto20th-centurymovements:themodernism/postmodernisminterplay,expressionism,cubism,minimalismandcontemporaryart.Theattemptindeconstructivismthroughoutistomovearchitectureawayfromwhatitspractitionersseeastheconstricting'rules'ofmodernismsuchas"formfollowsfunction,""purityofform,"and"truthtomaterials."

CubismCubismwasa20thcenturyavant-gardeartmovement,pioneeredbyPabloPicassoandGeorgesBraque,thatrevolutionizedEuropeanpaintingandsculpture,andinspired

relatedmovementsinmusicandliterature.Thefirstbranchofcubism,knownas AnalyticCubism,wasbothradicalandinfluentialasashortbuthighlysignificantartmovementbetween1907and1911inFrance.Initssecondphase,SyntheticCubism,themovementspreadandremainedvitaluntilaround1919,whentheSurrealistmovementgainedpopularity.EnglisharthistorianDouglasCooperdescribesthreephasesofCubisminhisseminalbook,TheCubistEpoch.AccordingtoCoopertherewas"EarlyCubism",(from1906to

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1908)whenthemovementwasinitiallydevelopedinthestudiosofPicassoandBraque;thesecondphasebeingcalled"HighCubism",(from1909to1914)duringwhichtimeJuanGrisemergedasanimportantexponent;andfinallyCooperreferredto"LateCubism"(from1914to1921)asthelastphaseofCubismasaradicalavant-gardemovement.

 Art Deco (Imperial Hotel, New Delhi) ArtDecoisaneclecticartisticanddesignstylewhichhaditsoriginsinParisinthefirstdecadesofthe20thcentury.Thestyleoriginatedinthe1920sandcontinuedtobeemployeduntilafterWorldWarII.Ledbythebestdesignersinthedecorativeartssuchasfashion,andinteriordesign,ArtDecoaffectedallareasofdesignthroughoutthe1920sand1930s,includingarchitectureandindustrialdesign,aswellasthevisualartssuchaspainting,thegraphicartsandfilm.Atthetime,thisstylewasseenaselegant,glamorous,functionalandmodern.

 ArtDecowasanopulentstyle,anditslavishnessisattributedtoreactiontothe

forcedausterityimposedbyWorldWarI.Itsrich,festivecharacterfitteditformoderncontexts. ArtDecomadeuseofmanydistinctivestyles,butoneofthemostsignificantofitsfeatureswasitsdependenceuponarangeofornamentsandmotifs. ArtDecoischaracterizedbyuseofmaterialssuchasaluminium,stainlesssteel,lacquer,Bakelite,Chromeandinlaid

wood.Thebolduseofsteppedformsandsweepingcurves(unlikethesinuous,naturalcurvesoftheArtNouveau),chevronpatterns,theziggurat,thefountain,andthesunburstmotifaretypicalofArtDeco.Thehotelwasopenedin1931,designedinmixofVictorianandcolonialarchitecturewithahintofArtDecostylebyarchitect,D.J.Bromfield,anassociateofEdwin

Lutyens,whointurndesignedthenewcapitalofBritishRaj,NewDelhi,alsoinauguratedinthesameyear,and

containedinLutyens'Delhi.TheImperialwasbuiltbyS.B.S.RanjitSingh,sonofR.B.S.NarainSingh,honouredbytheBritishRaj,attheCoronationDurbarof1911,whereinNewDelhiwasdeclaredthenewCapitalofIndiafromCalcutta.

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 Art Noveau (Espalnade Mansions, Kolkata) ArtNouveauisaninternationalmovementandstyleofart,architectureandappliedart — 

especiallythedecorativearts — thatpeakedinpopularityattheturnofthe20thcentury(1890 – 1905).Thename"ArtNouveau"isFrenchfor"newart".Areactiontoacademicartofthe19thcentury,itischaracterizedbyorganic,especiallyfloralandotherplant-

inspiredmotifs,aswellashighlystylized,flowingcurvilinearforms.ArtNouveauisanapproachtodesignaccordingtowhichartistsshouldworkoneverythingfromarchitecturetofurniture,makingartpartofeverydaylife. AlthoughArtNouveaufelloutoffavourwiththearrivalof20th-centurymoderniststyles,itisseentodayasanimportantbridgebetweenthehistoricismofNeoclassicismandmodernism. ArtNouveauisnowconsidereda'total'style,meaningthatitencompassesahierarchyofscalesindesign — architecture;interiordesign;decorativeartsincluding jewellery,furniture,textiles,householdsilverandotherutensilsandlighting;andtherangeofvisualarts.Inthephilosophyofthemovement,art

shouldbeawayoflife.FormanyEuropeans,itwaspossibletoliveinanartnouveau-inspiredhousewithartnouveaufurniture,silverware,crockery,jewellery,cigarettecases,etc.Artistsdesiredtobreakallconnectionstoclassicaltimesandbringdownthebarriersbetweenthefineartsandappliedarts.ArtNouveauwasunderlinedbyaparticularwayofthinkingaboutmodernsocietyandnewproductionmethods,attemptingtoredefinethemeaningandnatureoftheworkofartsothatartwouldnotoverlookanyeverydayobject,nomatterhowutilitarian.HencethenameArtNouveau-"NewArt".

International Style (Ahmedabad Museum)

TheInternationalstylewasamajorarchitecturalstylethatemergedinthe1920sand1930s,theformativedecadesofModernistarchitecture.ThetermhaditsoriginfromthenameofabookbyHenry-RussellHitchcockandPhilipJohnsonwrittentorecordtheInternationalExhibitionofModernArchitectureheldattheMuseumofModernArtinNewYorkCityin1932whichidentified,categorizedandexpandeduponcharacteristicscommontoModernismacrosstheworld.Asaresult,thefocuswasmoreonthestylisticaspectsofModernism.Hitchcock'sandJohnson'saimsweretodefineastyleofthetime,whichwouldencapsulatethismodernarchitecture.Theyidentifiedthreedifferent

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principles:theexpressionofvolumeratherthanmass,balanceratherthanpreconceivedsymmetryandtheexpulsionofappliedornament.Alltheworkswhichweredisplayedaspartoftheexhibitionwerecarefullyselected,asonlyworkswhichstrictlyfollowedthesetofrulesweredisplayed.

Thecommon

characteristicsoftheInternationalstyleinclude:aradicalsimplificationofform,arejectionofornament,andadoptionofglass,steelandconcreteaspreferredmaterials.Further,thetransparencyofbuildings,construction(calledthehonestexpressionofstructure),andacceptanceofindustrializedmass-productiontechniques

contributedtotheinternationalstyle'sdesignphilosophy.Finally,themachineaesthetic,andlogicaldesigndecisionsleadingtosupportbuildingfunctionwereusedbytheInternationalarchitecttocreatebuildingsreachingbeyondhistoricism.InternationalModernism,bornoftheRationalistspiritofcontinentalEurope,wasthecoreofavant-gardeinternationalarchitecturalpracticefrom1920to1960.Ithasremainedthebasisformuchsubsequentwork.

Rationalism (Shodhan House, Ahmedabad)Theintellectualprinciplesofrationalismarebasedonarchitecturaltheory.VitruviushadalreadyestablishedinhisworkDe Architecturathatarchitectureisasciencethatcanbecomprehendedrationally.

ThisformulationwastakenupandfurtherdevelopedinthearchitecturaltreatisesoftheRenaissance.Progressivearttheoryofthe18th-centuryopposedtheBaroquebeautyofillusionismwiththeclassic

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beautyoftruthandreason.Twentieth-centuryrationalismderivedlessfromaspecial,unifiedtheoreticalworkthanfromacommonbeliefthatthemostvariedproblemsposedbytherealworldcouldberesolvedbyreason.Inthatrespectitrepresentedareactiontohistoricismandacontrast

toArtNouveauandExpressionism.TheEffectofRationalistThoughtManyIndianarchitectsoftheerawereinspiredbythespiritofIndependenceandsetouttoexploreallthepossibilitiesforarchitecturethatRationalistthinkingopenedup.AssuchtheywerefollowingNehruinhisefforttoshapeIndiatohisownimageofwhatthecountryshouldbe.ModernistarchitecturalthoughtparalleledNehru'spoliticalideology.By1980,asubstantialbodyofarchitecturalworkhadbeenproducedinIndiabyagrowingnumberofarchitectsworkingwithintheRationalisttradition.Theirarchitecture,nevertheless,hadanempiricalcon-tentthatgrewfromthe1950sonwardsastheyincreasinglypaidattentiontotherealityofcontextualconcerns.

FunctionalismFunctionalism,inarchitecture,istheprinciplethatarchitectsshoulddesignabuildingbasedonthepurposeofthatbuilding.Thisstatementislessself-evidentthanitfirstappears,andisamatterofconfusionandcontroversywithintheprofession,particularlyinregardtomodernarchitecture.TheplaceoffunctionalisminbuildingcanbetracedbacktotheVitruviantriad,where'utilitas'(variouslytranslatedas'commodity','convenience',or'utility')standsalongside'venustas'(beauty)and'firmitas'(firmness)asoneofthreeclassicgoalsofarchitecture.Functionalistviewsweretypicalofsomegothicrevivalarchitects,inparticularAugustus

WelbyPuginwrotethat«thereshouldbenofeaturesaboutabuildingwhicharenotnecessaryforconvenience,construction,orpropriety»and«allornamentshouldconsistofenrichmentoftheessentialconstructionofthebuilding.Thedebateaboutfunctionalismandaestheticsisoftenframedasamutuallyexclusivechoice,wheninfacttherearearchitects,likeWillBruder,JamesPolshekandKenYeang,whoattempttosatisfyallthreeVitruviangoals.

Neo-Modernist Architecture (IIT Kanpur)Neomodernismisatermthathasattimesbeenusedtodescribeaphilosophical

positionbasedonmodernismbutaddressingthecritiqueofmodernismbypostmodernism.

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Neo-ModernistarchitectureinIndiacouldwellberegardedasthethirdgenera-tionofpost-Independencemodernarchitectureinthecountry.ForIndianarchitectswhowere

educatedintheUnitedStatesinthe1940sand1950sitshowsathirdstageintheirevolution,amaturationoftheirworkintowhatcouldeasilybecalledtheIndianSchoolofModernistArchitecture.FormanyyoungerIndianarchitectsitisaproductoftheireducationsandtheinfluenceofcontemporarywork,notonlyoftheirIndianpredecessors,butalsoofthosearoundtheworld.

WhatoccurredinIndiaisthattheideasandthoughtbehindModernistarchitecturepersistedbuttheformsassociatedwiththearchitectureincreasinglybegantobeadaptedtolocalconditions.Somecriticscallthisworkthe'SecondModernism'becauseitrepresentsanefforttocreatearegionalarchitecturewithintheModernistfold(Pallasmaa,1988).ThedebttotheModernistmastersisfullyacknowledgedbuttheirimplicitapproval,frombeyondthepyreorgrave,isnotsought.

Post Modernist Abstractionism (School for Spastic Children, New Delhi)Postmodernartisatermusedtodescribeanartmovementwhichwasthoughttobeincontradictiontosomeaspectofmodernism,ortohaveemergedordevelopedinitsaftermath.Ingeneral,movementssuchasIntermedia,

Installationart,Conceptual ArtandMultimedia,particularlyinvolvingvideoaredescribedaspostmodern.Thetraitsassociatedwiththeuseofthetermpostmoderninartincludebricolage,useofwordsprominentlyasthecentralartisticelement,collage,

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simplification,appropriation,areturntotraditionalthemesandtechniquesasarejectionofmodernism,depictionofconsumerorpopularcultureandPerformanceart.IfoneacceptsPost-Modernistarchitectureasonlythatinvolvingtheapplicationofabstractedtraditionalbuildingdesignmotifsandpatternsinnewarchitecture,inIndia,thiskindofworkbeganindependently.Thegoalwastomakebuildings

meaningfultolaypeople.OthereffortshavebeenmadetoachievethisendbuttheyhavetakendesignelementsfromthepastliterallyasintheearlierIndo-SaracenicworkofBritisharchitectsandthatadvocatedbytheModernIndianArchitecturalMovementduringthe1930sand1940s.Inthoseworkslittleeffortwasmadetotransformhistoricshapesintoabstractrepresentationsofthem.ThedifficultyPost-Modernistarchitectshavehadisinmakingtheabstractionsrecognizabletoothers.

SubmittedByVishalChouhan

1stsemM.Arch(B.S.)