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Ar. Achyut P. Kanvinde: Father of Indian Contemporary Architecture

Ar. Achyut P. Kanvinde was an influential Indian architect known for his modern yet culturally-inspired designs. He emphasized simplicity, proportion, natural light, and passive cooling. Some of his key projects analyzed in the document include the ISKCON Temple in New Delhi built in 1998 using a geometric mandala plan, the IRMA Library in Anand from 1979 which transformed a Mughal-inspired plan, and the IIT Kanpur campus from 1966 organized around a central courtyard within a 2:3 rectangular proportion. Kanvinde's designs skillfully incorporated geometric principles and cultural references while addressing functional and climatic concerns.

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Abhishek Agrawal
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614 views32 pages

Ar. Achyut P. Kanvinde: Father of Indian Contemporary Architecture

Ar. Achyut P. Kanvinde was an influential Indian architect known for his modern yet culturally-inspired designs. He emphasized simplicity, proportion, natural light, and passive cooling. Some of his key projects analyzed in the document include the ISKCON Temple in New Delhi built in 1998 using a geometric mandala plan, the IRMA Library in Anand from 1979 which transformed a Mughal-inspired plan, and the IIT Kanpur campus from 1966 organized around a central courtyard within a 2:3 rectangular proportion. Kanvinde's designs skillfully incorporated geometric principles and cultural references while addressing functional and climatic concerns.

Uploaded by

Abhishek Agrawal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Ar. Achyut P.

Kanvinde
Father of Indian Contemporary Architecture
With Architecture, Comes Enlightenment.
1-ABHINAV AGARWAL

2-AKSHAT AGARWAL

3-ABHISHEK AGRAWAL

4-

FIRST IDEA

PHILOSOPHY

Kanvinde plays with space and forms.


His designs are slender, balanced and proportionate, neat and
well-crafted.
He gave much importance to natural light.
The building is important but the most important is the gate of the
user and not the accessible or used spaces.
He used passive cooling techniques in a way that could solve the
problems of ventilation as well as excessive heat.
He combined the flair of the designer with rational of the scientist.

PRINCIPLES

His buildings were simple and he always told his students ,

Architecture is not a Museum of materials.

Various principles reflected in most of Kanvindes work would be:


Asymmetry
Blocky
Cubic Shapes
Smooth, flat plans, undecorated surfaces
FLAT roofs
Adoption of steel frames and reinforced concrete post and slab

ISKCON Parthsarthy Temple,


New Delhi

It was built in 1998.


The project is situated on a
sloping site and covers and
area of three acres with the
slope of 8 meters in relation
to road level
Deity spaces are located at
the highest level.
It has an assembly hall for
400 people.
The building has been
constructed in Reinforced
Cement Concrete framing
and sandstone plastering
with red and white wash to
maintain the monotony.

ANALYSIS
The plan for ISKCON starts with the
nine-square mandala which is
then geometrically exploded.

The corners of this geometrically


exploded mandala when joined
gives the by now ubiquitous
rectangle of mathematical 2:3
Proportions.

The base geometry is further


subdivided to aid in formulation
of irregular octagons. The
vertices of these octagons help
in organizing the structural
system and alignment of various
spaces.

Institute of Rural Management


(IRMA),
Library Building,
Anand

ANALYSIS
The plan begins with irregular
geometrical octagons arranged in one
square of size 10 modules X 10 modules.
The next formal organization gives five
served spaces and four servant spaces.
The plan at this stage bears a strong
resemblance with the plan of Humayuns
Tomb at Delhi.
The next transformation rotates the four
peripheral octagons around the central
octagon in an anticlockwise direction by one
module each.
This gesture brings in a lot of movement in
the static Mughal composition. The result is
also an increase in the servant areas without
loosing the spatial organization.
Extension of one side of each octagon further
aids in articulating the plan on upper levels.

1-ENTRANCE
2-LOBBY
3-READING AND
STACKS
4-CIRCULATION DESK
5-OFFICE
6-PUNCHING ROOM
7-COMPUTER ROOM

FINAL EVOLVED
PLAN

Indian Institute of Technology,


Kanpur

It was one of the 5 technical


institutes established by the
indian government with assistance
from the US to provide high
quality education.
The firm of Kanvinde and Rai from
Delhi was selected for the master
plan as well as the detailed design
of the campus spread over 800
acre agricultural site.
The academic complex located
centrally in the campus and
oragnised within the quadrangle of
50 acres.
With the university officials a new
concept was evolved where in
indivudal disciplines were
integrated.
This integration of sorts led to
developing the central idea of his
design in the form of linkages
which broadly defined functions
like laboratories workshops and
libraries

ANALYSIS
The entire plan is in the
ratio of 2:3. a proportion
extensively used by the
renaissance architect
Alberti.

The lan is oragnised as two


blocks connected by an
atrium.

Even with such a


composition, Kanvinde
attempts to retain the
identity of the original square
by aligning the edge of the
courttyard to the implicit
square.

1-JOURNALS AND PERIODICALS


2-READING AREAS
3-SUNKEN GARDEN BELOW

Nehru Science Centre

Built in 1992 by Ar. Achyut Kanvinde.


It is a science museum with working exhibits of large scale.
A large number of student visitors visit this museum.

ANALYSIS
The entire plan is based on
a module derived from a
rectangular proportion 2:3
The modules placed next to each
other and separated by a quarter
module, gives the planning unit.
The junctions of these become the
structural pivots which double as
ventilation shafts. An arrangement of
four such units on the site completes
the built footprint.
These modules are scultped by the
iterative form generated from the
parent form.
The resulting configuration is further
detailed using the moudlar grid laid
on the plan

1-ENTRANCE
2ENTRANCE HALL
3-DISPLAY AREA
4-AUDITORIUM
5-LIBRARY

PARAMETER ISKCON
Temple
S

IRMA, Anand

IIT Kanpur

Nehru
Science
Centre

Used Ratio-

2:3

10x10
modules

2:3

2:3

Climate in
which
structure has
been built-

Composite

Hot and Dry

Hot and Dry

Hot and
Humid

Material-

RCC
Washed and
plastered in
Red and
White
Sandstone

RCC
Cladding

Plain Cement
Concreteexposed

PCC and RCC


Exposed and
plastered
(composite
structure)

Built in-

1998

1979

1966

1992

WHAT DID WE KNOW?


WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT?

Kanvinde manages to ingeniously weave his concerns for


clarity in structures, distribution of functions and response
to climate In to his plans without compromising the
geometrical clarity or rather to highlight the geometrical
anchors
From his early and recurring use of Albertis 2:3 rectangle
( Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur), to his use of the
irregular octagon plan (used widely by Mughals) and the
interesting use of the Vastupurush Mandala(ISKCON
Temple, New Delhi)
Kanvinde builds in subtle cultural codes into his plans with
increasing rigour.

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