Indian architect BV Doshi becomes first to win ‘Nobel for architecture’

Washington: Indian legendary architect Balkrishna Doshi is being honoured with Nobel equivalent, the Pritzker Architecture Prize, an announcement was made on Wednesday. The Pune based architect will be the first Indian to get the honour.

“Balkrishna Doshi has always created an architecture that is serious, never flashy or a follower of trends. With a deep sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute to his country and its people through high quality, authentic architecture, he has created projects for public administrations and utilities, educational and cultural institutions, and residences for private clients, among others,” the Pritzker jury said.

Previous winners include world-renowned architects like Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, IM Pei, and Shigeru Ban. Studied in JJ School of Architecture in Mumbai, Doshi worked with the architect Le Corbusier in Paris in 1950. Also known as an institution builder, he designed Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad with Louis Kahn and Anant Raje.

Doshi also designed IIMs in Bangalore and Lucknow, the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Tagore Memorial Hall, the Institute of Indology in Ahmedabad to name a few besides many low-cost housing projects.

“My works are an extension of my life, philosophy and dreams trying to create treasury of the architectural spirit. I owe this prestigious prize to my guru, Le Corbusier. His teachings led me to question identity and compelled me to discover new regionally adopted contemporary expression for a sustainable holistic habitat,” Doshi said in response to the honor.