IIT KANPURBY - ACHUYT KANVINDE

Padma Shri Achyut Kanvinde occupied unique position in the history of contemporary Indian architecture. He was an Indian architect , teacher, writer and a committed modernist as he always desired to take Indian architecture to be global and to the height of international style.

1916-2002

ABOUT ARCHITECT

NAME ACHUYT KANVINDE

DATED 1916-2002

BIRTH PLACE Achare, in the Konkan region of Maharashtra

GRADUATION(b.arch) Sir J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai in 1942.

TRAINING AND INFLUENCEHAVARD UNIVERSITY

UNDER WALTER GROPIUS.

CONTEXT MODERN INDIAN ARCHITECTURE

BACKGROUND

• PARENTS: His mother died when he was two and his father was an arts teacher in Mumbai. Kanvinde was also influenced by his father, who was portrait and landscape painter.

• Career: When he returned to India in 1948 he joined the council for “Scientific and Industrial Research”. In 1985, he

was the winner of IIA “Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal”. • HIS FIRM: Along with his partner S. Rai, he opened

a firm Kanvinde, Rai and Chowdhury in

  New Delhi (which is currently run by Sanjay

Kanvinde, B.K. Tanuja and Murad Chowdhury). • The University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore 

campus designed by Kanvinde and Rai

HIS WORKS

DESIGN PHILOSPY

• FUNCTIONALIST STYLE OF DESIGN FUNCTIONALISM WAS AN APPROACH TO DESSIGN AS PER THE CONCEPT THAT THE SPACE AND FORM OF A BUILDING SHOULD EMERGE OUT OF THE LOGICAL ARRANGEMENT OF SPACE INSIDE AND NOT FROM ANY PREDETERMINED IDEA LIKE SYMMETRY. FUNCTIONALIST BELIVED A BUILDING SHOULD ONLY HAVE FEATURES THAT WERE FUNCTIONALLY NECESSARY AND NO NON-FUNCTIONAL DECORATION.THEY LEAD TO HUMANE SPACE THAT IS SPACE WHERE YOU FELT WELCOME AND COMFORTABLE. HE USED LASTEST TECHNOLOGY AND INDU- STRIAL MATERIALS LIKE DOOR AND WINDOWS AND RCC.

•LOGIC OF LIGHTNESS THE COMPLETE FOCUS ON THE MATERIALS TO BE USED IN CONSTRUCTION KANVINDE ALWAYS TRY TO DEVELOP SUCH AN ATHESTIC FOR A HAVEY MASS CONSTRUCTION THAT LOOKS LIGHT.

NATIONAL INSURANCE ACADEMY AT PUNE

• RATIONALIST KANVINDE REVEAL THE INTERNAL FUNCTIONAL IN A BUILDING AS SEPARATE MASSES AND THEN ARRANGED IN A WAYS THAT WERE FUNCTIONAL FROM INSIDE AND ELEGANT FROM OUTSIDE

•SENSE OF SPACE HUMANESS IS ALL ABOUT SIZE AND SCALE, KANVINDE ALWAYS TRIED TO BRING DOWN BUILDINGS TO HUMANE SCALE AND A CONNECTION TO THE BUILT HERITAGE IN A LOCALITY.

•KANVIDE WAS AN ARCHITECT OF SECOND GENERATION OF CONTEMPRY INDIAN ARCHITECTURE ( 1950 - 1980) .

•DURING THIS ERA MODERNISM WAS ATTRACTIVE TO DEVELOPING SOCIETIES TRYING TO BREAK FROM THE MEMORIES OF EUROPEAN COLONIALISM THAT THE OLDER STYLE STILL CARRIED.

• KANVIDE INTRODUCE MODERN ARCHITECTURE TO HUMANE PATH AND INNOVATIVELY BLEND TECHNOLOGY AND ATHESTICS

IIT KANPUR

NIBM

DESIGN PHILOSPY

The various Bauhaus characteristics visible in Kanvinde's works would be• Asymmetry• Blocky• Cubic shapes• Smooth, flat plain, undecorated surfaces•‘Flat’ roofs• Adoption of steel-framed or reinforced-concrete post-and-slab.

Kanvinde played with space and form and much more importance to natural light.He believed that “the relationships of the parts and materials of the building are a working morality.

STYLE- BRUTALISM & REGIONALISMBy the end of 1960s Kanvinde’s expressive architecture was variously interpreted as "an architectural expression that reflected the culture and aspirations" and "clearly reflected the rise of the Brutalism polemic of architecture.” Expressed Concrete structure in combination with brick became the dynamic determinant of form and order. 

Brick

Cement

PRINCIPLES

DESIGN CONCEPT He practiced perfectly for 55 years, he was considered the

pioneer of what may be termed the modern movement in architecture in India.

An art can be to nourish the senses. Art is purely an aesthetic exercise.

He believed that a grid of columns forming a matrix giving structural and spatial aspect would turn a design to more sophisticated and faceted.

He treated his building with “VASTUSHASTRA”. THE BAUHAUS STYLE: Studying under Walter Gropius,

kanvind developed a whole new outlook towards architecture. He was greatly influenced by the Bauhaus style, which later on was adopted in his various buildings.

SPATIAL ORGANIZATION• Kanvinde plays with space and forms. His designs are slender, balanced,

proportionate, neat and well crafted. • The building is important but most important is the gate of the user. • Example is “ISKCON Temple”. He gave much importance to natural light. He gave

such a form to the building that it can solve the problem of ventilation as

well as excessive heat.

• He also believed in Vernacular

Architecture.• Both inherent values and

Historical influences contributed

towards good architecture.

ISKCON TEMPLE, DELHI

IIT KANPUR• IIT-Kanpur is located on the Grand Trunk Road, 15 km west of Kanpur

City and measures close to 420hectares. This land was gifted by the Government of Uttar Pradesh in 1960 and by March 1963 the Institute had moved to its current location.

IITK

FEATURES

• The IITK campus occupies a 1055 acre area. • The Academic Complex is located centrally at the site and free from traffic noise.• Academic buildings: 13 departments, PK Kelkar Library, Computer Centres

faculty offices, laboratories and administrative buildings• Around 7000 students, 390 faculty, and 1000 staff members (and their families)

reside on campus• No. of buildings: 108• 10 boys hostel and 2 girls hostel• With Sports complex, Housing for faculty• The site is flat with the canal on one side and transportation route on the other

side.• Pedestrian and vehicular traffic are completely segregated.

CONCEPT AND IDEOLOGY• The residential campus is planned and landscaped with a hope for

environmental freedom.• Halls of residence, faculty and staff houses and community buildings surround

the central academic area to provide flexibility in movement and communication.

• Core Pedestrian island which consist of lecture halls surrounded by landscaping and water body forming the main focus of the campus.

• The academic area is well connected by a long corridor which links all the major buildings

• The academic area is set up in vicinity of Hostels to provide quick accessibility to students

• Conventional type of buildings were designed as isolated islands of departments

• Activities which students and faculties share are designed to encourage meeting and interaction

Academic Area• Institute's Academic Area comprises academic buildings and facilities including

the PK Kelkar Library, Computer Centre, National Wind Tunnel Facility and SIDBI Innovation and Incubation Centre. It also houses faculty offices, laboratories and administrative buildings. The academic area is connected by a long corridor which links all the major buildings.

SIDBI INNOVATION & INCUBATION CENTRE

P.K. KELKAR LIBRARY• Established in 1960 as Central Library. Established in 1960

as Central Library. Renamed as P.K. Kelkar Library in 2001. �Renamed as P.K. Kelkar Library in 2001. �

• Four-storied building (covered area: 5730 sq. m.)• Basement - 700 sq m• Ground floor - 700 sq m• First floor -1630 sq m• Second floor - 2700 sq m• Staff strength – 40• Exposed brickwork: reduces maintenance costs and enhances aesthetic appeal

The library forms an important part of the whole complex. It is a framed structure based on grid. The whole building is built in R.C.C with a brick facade.

P.K. KELKAR LIBRARY

Connecting corridorsP.K. Kelkar library

Structural design Of library

IIT-K• The residential campus is planned and landscaped with a

hope for environmental freedom.

• Halls of residence, faculty and staff houses and community buildings surround the central academic area to provide flexibility in movement and communication.

• Taking into consideration the reality that research work in the present time is a collaborative work of varied disciplines, curriculum of studies is worked out, with that goal in mind.

HALL OF RESIDENCE

In retrospect, that style shows a remarkable similarity with the brute morphology of vernacular architecture in parts of India.

Expressed Concrete structure in combination with brick became the dynamic determinant of form and order. 

Kanvinde’s expressive architecture was variously interpreted as "an architectural expression that reflected the culture and aspirations“.

SPLIT LEVEL CORRIDOR SYSTEM•Minimize the walking distance, improving connectivity•Create spatial expansion•Give the impression of one large space hence space is used as a tool

• Elevated pedestrian walkway

• Sheltered and yet openness• Protection from hot sun yet

allowing breezes

IIT KANPUR

VISUAL EXPRESSION OF THE STRUCTURE RATHER THAN HIDING ITS STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS

ORIENTATION

LIBRARY

VISITORS HOSTEL

STUDY OF BUILDINGS

OPEN AIR THEATER

COMPUTER CENTERVIEW

THE NATIONAL WIND TUNNEL FACILITY(NWTF) established in 1999 at IITK to meet the national needs in areas of aeronautical and non -aeronautical R and D activities, houses the most versatile and effective wind tunnel in India. It has various simulation and measurement systems, interchange able test sections and is capable of testing at wind speed up to 80 m/s

SECTION

The Bauhaus influence in Kanvinde’s style is clearly visible in the buildings of IIT Kanpur.

•cubic shapes•smooth, flat plain, undecorated surfaces•complete elimination of all mouldings and ornament•‘flat’ roofs

IITK

Terrace

Terrace

Computer

Research

Research

• Reveals the internal functions in a building as separate masses.

• Arranged in ways that were functional from inside and elegant from outside.

• Kanvinde strongly believed that the elevation of a structure should be defined by the functions inside.

ResearchConferen

ce Computer

IITK

MATERIALS• In Kanpur, the local availability of high quality brick and the

prevalent labour and construction practices made Kanvinde go for reinforced concrete for structural frames and brick as infill's .

• reinforced-concrete post-and-slab construction, with a series of flat slab-floors and a flat roof-slab carried on concrete columns or posts

bricks

CONCLUSION

• His works are generally raw and unemotional. Yet he managed to make his designs appealing and welcoming.

• His designs were distinct and unique yet having one thing similar- functionalism.

• His designs appear to be built with a large amount of thought having been given to making them functionally efficient and practically feasible. 

• Conventional type of buildings were designed as isolated islands of departments.

• Activities which students and faculties share are designed to encourage meeting and interaction.

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