The Building of a Modern India

How India forged a modern identity with its architects staying true to the country's ethos and values of an ancient civilisation

Aug 15, 2017, 06:31 IST4 min

<div><strong>Golconde </strong></div><div><em>Puducherry</em></div><div> </div><div>Hailed as the first modernist structure in India, this dormitory at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram was designed by architects <strong>Antonin Raymond and George Nakashima</strong>, and built between 1937 and 1945. The building comprises two long, horizontal wings, joined by a stairwell in the middle. The length of each wing is lined with single rooms along a corridor. The most remarkable features of the structure are its front and rear facades, which are fitted with wooden louvres that can be opened and closed, allowing residents to control the amount of light and breeze coming in. The door to each room is made of perforated teak, which provides for further ventilation in the hot climate.<br /><br /><em>(Continued on next slide...)</em> </div>

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Golconde Puducherry Hailed as the first modernist structure in India, this dormitory at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram was designed by architects Antonin Raymond and George Nakashima, and built b...

Image by Komal Sharma

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GolcondePuducherry The dormitory was built by devotees of the ashram, some of whom also donated brass utensils, which were then melted and recast as fixtures. Nakashima, who was highly infl...

Image by Komal Sharma

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Centre for Development StudiesThiruvananthapuramThe Centre for Development Studies (CDS) is an eloquent testimony to the cost-effective and environment-friendly architecture popularised by ...

Image by Vineet Radhakrishnan

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Vidhan BhavanBhopal The government of Madhya Pradesh commissioned the building of the state assembly in Bhopal in 1980, with Charles Correa as its designer. Construction began in 1983, and ...

Image by Charles Correa Associates

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High Court and Palace of JusticeChandigarh Designed by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, the structure is defined by its parasol-like roof and the three giant 60-feet tall columns in bri...

Image by Dinodia Photo

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Jawahar Kala KendraJaipur In the 17th century, Maharaja Jai Singh designed and built Jaipur based on the Vedic concept of vaastu-purush-mandala—a square, subdivided into identical squares. ...

Image by Deepshikha Jain/ Studio Soul

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India Habitat Centre New Delhi India Habitat Centre (IHC) was conceived by the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (Hudco) and architect Joseph Stein as a space that would bring t...

Image by Madhu Kapparath

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Lotus Temple New Delhi The Bahá’í House of Worship, popularly Lotus Temple, was designed by Iranian architect Fariborz Sahba and completed in 1986. The international governing body of the B...

Image by Madhu Kapparath