AR.RAJ REWAL Submitted by: Siddhant Tanvi Puri Rachit Gupta Born on 24, November 1934 in village Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He lived in Shimla and Delhi in 1939-1951. He attended Harcourt Butler Higher Secondary School In 1951-1954,he attended Delhi School of Architecture, New Delhi In 1955-1961, he moved to London and attended the Architectural Association School for one year. He completed his formal professional training at the Brixton School of Building, London He worked as an assistant stage manager for many avante grade theatre productions in London. He became an associate of Royal Institute of British Architects, London. He opened a second office in Tehran, Iran in 1974. In 1986, curator of the exhibition “Traditional Architecture of India” for the festival of India in Paris He completed his professional education in Europe. . before beginning his own architectural practice. he learnt that each dramatic work had a particular character which he interpreted as the rasa of the building. AWARDS: Gold Medal from Indian Institute of Architects Robert Mathew Award from the Commonwealth Associations of Architects. He developed his ideology and followed it for the rest of his life. As a set designer for the drama shows. he relates to his interest in structures during which he developed during the review of his diploma projects. he worked with Michel Ecohard in Paris. Second one accounts on his working experience that he gained while he was working as an assistant manager for several Avante Grade theatre productions in London. In this office. He met with 3 encounters which shaped his architectural ideology. First encounter. he learned the principles of Urban design and Planning. Third encounter. After studying the Projects of Le Corbusier. After the success achieved by him in the planning of Chandigarh City. City of Jaisalmer . Influenced by the typologies of traditional buildings and cities like Jaisalmer. it became evident to Raj Rewal that Modern means can be applied to build in India. He admits that those influences have helped him in his development as an architect. Humanyun’s Tomb a document for Hall of Nations Corbusier made contemporary designs. He developed a sense of Contemporary style as well as learned to retain the traditionalism of India. • • • When he became a Professor at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi.Influences of Raj Rewal The two major influence that he encountered is the time when he returned to India. “Breathing life and feelings into buildings. rasa of architecture comes alive most resoundingly in eminent architect Raj Rewal’s works” . and hot. But Rewal‟s work has its own range and grammar. Unlike the other architects. and like Joseph Allen Stein also in New Delhi. . Balkrishna V Doshi and Achyut Kanvinde— such as broken-up forms. open courtyards and sociable living or working environments.PHILOSOPHY Rewal‟s designs have some things in common with those of his contemporaries Charles Correa. Rewal has built largely in one place and climate — Delhi. dry north India. Rewal has turned the external wall of alternate floors into a special beam with holes in its sides. called a Vierendeel girder.Structural innovation • Rewal‟s oeuvre encompasses megastructures and microspaces. To a large extent it is so even today. But buildings like the State Trading Corporation tower (1976) in the heart of New Delhi turned that process around. Windows are placed in the little holes that this beam allows. • • • At the STC building. . as well as in small. mainly. Rewal‟s commitment to structural innovation was unusual for the 1970s in India. and the other from his memories of life in older settlements. Engineering was believed to serve the vision of the architect. He is interested in structural innovation in big buildings. One comes from his 1950s training in. Here Rewal used a structural concept as the basis of the architectural form. London and Paris. nurturing spaces for everyday living. This model has been replicated in Vasant Kunj by the Delhi Development Authority from the mid-1980s onward. Sheikh Sarai housing At the Asian Games Village. have given architects a useful way of designing low-rise housing. This has given the upper floors their own terraces. It has also created „gateways‟ over the pedestrian spaces around which the buildings are gathered.Liveable spaces Important as his structural innovations are. Rewal‟s housing and institutional complexes have had a greater impact on Indian modernism. . creating a safe and attractive outdoor space for residents. and before that the housing in New Delhi. Rewal stacked apartments so that the upper floor footprint was shifted by a module or two with respect to the lower floor. Car parking is kept to the periphery. The Asian Games Village. ” . Rewal has been able to combine the possibilities that each one offers with the least discord. This reflects a concern for climatic sensitivity and energy efficiency. Rewal has developed a distinctive grammar of his own. New Delhi He is pained to see developers investing in glass.Grammar of form • Rewal has helped transform a modernism learnt from the West. • This grammar reflects two apparently opposed value systems: the traditional one of the hot and dry parts of India. Delhi Metro Corporation Head Quarter. and the Western Modernist one of abstract expression. quietly. The continuities with Modernism in his best work balance some relatively radical departures from Modernist dogma. with its taste for pattern and ornament. into its very opposite. As you shut the door to nature. “Glass is for colder climates. the cost of air conditioning goes up substantially. Its transparency is nullified in hot weather as you have to cover it with heavy curtains. New Delhi World Bank Regional Mission. Rewal reinterprets traditional stone architecture in modern brick and RCC. jalis cut glare or improve a façade. but as cladding for RCC (reinforced cement concrete) and masonry structures rather than structural work. In effect. New Delhi .Rewal‟s grammar uses some of the principles of traditional architecture in Rajasthan — upper floors project outwards to shade lower walls. He uses the same material — sandstone — often. British High Commission Housing-New Delhi Engineers Indian House. the horizontal red sandstone bands interrupt the verticality of the columns. however. Central Institute for Educational Technology State Trading Corporation tower At the STC building. Thus the traditional affinity for breaking up large surfaces with pattern weakens the power of Modernist concept and . Rewal manages to sustain a delicate balance between the slenderness of the circular RCC columns and the visual weight of the red sandstone-clad walls. Massiveness and delicacy are held in fine counterpoint. This curtails the building‟s visual power. for example. Rewal‟s way of resolving these contradictions is what decides the success of his work. At CIET.Reconciling opposites Much of the time. 1 1. 3. 2. 5. 4. HALL OF NATIONS ASIAD GAMES VILLAGE PARLIAMENT LIBRARY GUJRAL HOUSE ISMAILI CENTRE 2 3 5 4 . thereby providing a vast capacity for items to be exhibited. from books to bulldozers •Exhibition space •To reflect symbolically & technologically India’s important place in the modern. AIM : PLAN SITE PLAN . industrializing community of nations. New Delhi BUILDING TYPE: EXHIBITION YEAR: 1972 LAND: 130 Acres The main pavilion has a clear span of 78 metres and a height varying from three metres to 21 metres.HALL OF NATIONS Pragati Maidan. . which rests Maidan fairground in on 8 pts around the Delhi in 1972.The depth of the structural system was utilized as a Sun breaker and conceived of in terms of he traditional 'jali'. planned and allows 11 this was the first mts wide opening construction of its kind between the supports in India. Built of essentially square reinforced concrete. Octahedral measuring 5 mts from joint to joint were employed as 3 The Hall of Nations dimensional unit of the being built at Pragati space frame. a geometrical pattern of perforation that serves to obstruct directs rays of the harsh Sun while permitting air circulation. Each of the halls was initially conceived as a full pyramid the truncated form was adopted in order to avoid unnecessary constructions. utilities. and other services are located under the ramps. toilets.m in a 82m x 82m x 27m high truncated pyramid supported on eight points.700 sq. Each of the four 'Halls of Industries' is similar in design and is 44m x 44 m x 16m high . thereby providing a vast capacity for items to be exhibited from books to bulldozers with an area of approximately 6.The main pavilion of the hall of nations has a clear span of 78 m and a height vary from 3 m to 21m . The hall of industries on the other hand is a combination of 4 smaller pavilions by ramps enclosing a central area for open air exhibits. designed and built in a period of fifteen months . The joint was modified to suit the adopted technique. The 'Halls of Nations' is supported on pile foundations tied together with post tensioned plinth beams stressed in stages.A special 9 member joint was evolved for precast construction but the builder preferred in-situ construction. . The entire complex was analysed. The 'Hall of Industries' rest on spread footings tied together with high tensile steel bars. . 1980 .ASIAN GAMES VILLAGE. NEW DELHI. . the open squares offer a sense of neighbourhood . An obvious source of inspiration for such narrow streets linking the housing units is the traditional street scale pattern found in many indian cities . shaded pedestrian streets and containing both residential and commercial activities the combination of various dwelling types into an urban pattern of unusual diversity (particularly in comparison to other DDA housing estates) makes asiad village quite remarkable.Concept is based on sequence of open spaces linked by narrow. where narrow paths become spaces for encounters between people. . which connects the entrance hall.The house was designed for corner plot in south delhi. The basement was designed to exhibit the ceramics work of KIRAN GUJRAL and adjoining garden was sunk to provide ample light for it . living areas and dining room to display paintings of this eminent Artist. A studio for the artist is located at the upper most level above the bedrooms. It explores fluid spaces. 19 14 15 12 3 5 8 4 11 10 18 1 17 19 19 20 21 14 17 15 16 18 6 7 3 9 2 13 . is one and a half meters from ground level and contains a workshop for ceramics joined to sunken open court. Moreover the concrete floor slabs and beams were left exposed. Designed for an artist. the marks of the wooden planks used for shuttering are still visible. A central staircase connects various levels of the dwelling which have the difference in height of one and a half meters. the basement. The Gujral house was constructed with exposed bricks. Large pivoting doors of teak and glass separate the living areas and the garden . Similarly the main living space at plus one and a half meters can be continued outwards on to the raised garden. for example. Certain interior spaces have direct access to outdoor gardens at differing levels. without surface treatment internally or externally. the Gujral house provided approximately 800sqm of living space also intended for the display of paintings and works of art. PEDESTRIAN ACESSS MAIN ENTRANCE I N T E R I O R E X T E R I O R .