Comments on: Architecturally lagging: India

By: Tarun Choppra

Tarun Choppra — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 09:45:26 +0000

I am anguished to see a country like ours, which has world’s greatest architectural heritage, is blindly going through the glass malls syndrome.
The fact is more glaring in the city of Jaipur. Every effort should have been taken to make sure all new construction blended with the architectural heritage of the city/ country

By: Soham

Soham — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 04:05:31 +0000

India just doesn’t have good architects (bad shcools? small fragmented consultants?). And despite all the criticism, Hafeez is probably the best one around currently along with a couple more like Raja Aederi or Khareghat. Correa is overrated – maybe he is such a big name that people get overawed. Just go to City Centre Kolkata and you realize that the good man has lost it.

BTW what Hafeez is saying is pretty much true when it comes to residential buildings. Show us a city with residential highrises each of which looks unique or stands out in a sea of highrises. Take a close look at Manhattan’s new apartments or Miami’s new ones. They are in no way any better than the current Mumbai crop.
A city’s unique skyline usually comes from commercial highrises.

Unfortunately Mumbai or any other Indian city will not have commercial skyscrapers dotting the skyline in the near future. Kolkata New Town may be a surprise in the future with some commercial skyscrapers in the pipeline (funding – market etc being the issues now). Gurgaon has some unique buildings but they make no impression on the total skyline because of lack of density. Bangalore has a paltry two skyscrapers in the pipeline. UBcity is a ripoff but doesn’t look too bad – kind of the NewYork NewYork hotel in Las Vegas. Mumbai has no future – but it will get hundreds of new residential scrapers. Navi Mumbai may give us a Pudong if Ambanis manage to deliver whatthey promise and today’s half informed Indian environmentalists (yesterday’s sloganeering socialists) succesfully stall it. Chennai is still in the mid scale. Hyderabad’s lanco heights is just plain..

By: New York, Dharavi and Art Deco at news views and analysis

New York, Dharavi and Art Deco at news views and analysis — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:12:46 +0000

[...] It brings back the point I make last week about how we are slowly and steadily lagging architecturally. [...]

By: Sunil

Sunil — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:01:52 +0000

Very good points Arzan.

Usually, I find the sameness of glass buildings that are sprouting all over most cities in India (for most offices) rather annoying. Not to mention the absolute inefficiency of the buildings (for a typically hot “spring”, summer and “fall”). Energy costs must be horribly high here.

It also seems like the worst material to use when a strike can break out at any time, and some stones WILL be thrown )

Always look forward to your posts on architecture (though I don’t visit as often as i’d like).

By: DesiPundit » Archives » Architecturally lagging

DesiPundit » Archives » Architecturally lagging — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:05:49 +0000

[...] Arzan at News Views and Analysis asks if India is lagging architecturally as compared to other rapidly developing countries like China. Bringing in foreign architects that might lead to infusion of fresh ideas might be one way to go. [...]