Why was Anant Raje called Louis Kahn of India? Louis Kahn personally invited him to work in his office in Philadelphia. From 1964 to 1969, Raje collaborated with Kahn on notable projects such as the Indian Institute of Management, the Indian Institute of Forest Management, the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology University, and the National Dairy Development Board. Beyond the collaboration, the design works of Anant Raje speak more than his words.
On 17th September 2024, we celebrate the 95th birthday anniversary of a well-known architect and teacher in post-independence India who attended the Sir J.J. School of Art and graduated in 1954. Drawn to Ahmedabad by his colleague Balkrishna V. Doshi, who influenced his career in a variety of ways. Collaborated with Doshi on a variety of projects, including rural housing studies and bids for the Toronto City Hall competition. Further, His legacy on the subcontinent focuses on improving institutions.
An interpreter and introvert partly, Anant Raje’s growing detachment from public recognition made him a happy misfit, distancing his work from mundane vocabulary. Over fifty years, he became comfortable with his methods and explorations.
This staff housing development emphasizes a layout that maximizes tree preservation, with a concrete frame structure for terraces. Rooms are individually distinct, featuring open corners. Detached stairs and building setbacks create courtyards that integrate existing trees seamlessly.
A 450-square-meter single-family, three-bedroom house, built on a square lot, features deep verandahs for sun protection and cool breezes. Built after the Indian Institute of Forest Management in Bhopal, MP, it is the beginning of architectural thoughts based on plinths, superstructures, and roofs. The house’s horizontal thrust creates shadow pockets for interior window openings.
In a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony, her family receives the bridegroom in a compound. Wedding Wall, Anant’s temporary installation at Le Corbusier’s Villa Shodhan, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad. In the folk culture, singing and storytelling accomplish everything. For this event, local women built the walls instead of ordinary contractors and laborers. They arrived with sun-dried bricks and mud plaster and began singing at the same moment.
The building features two dining halls with separate kitchens for non-vegetarian and vegetarian meals. The dormitory is positioned away from the promenade, while the classroom porch connects the dining areas and auditoriums, opening to the porch, lower gardens, and a space for future activities across the street. Pilasters and hollow beams support the roof, and the faculty dining spaces are situated above the porch.
A school within a school that trains managerial personnel in public and private enterprises. The building is an enlarged house, similar to a mahal, with a central court, rooms, corridors, classrooms, dining halls, and a lounge. An open-to-sky court indicates the centrality, surrounded by rooms, lounges, and concourses. The architecture follows Kahn’s previous order, with exposed brick masonry-bearing walls and reinforced concrete ties. Concrete aprons with clerestory light bring light to the basement, while strict geometry regulates elements and creates a tighter composition of spaces.
The Ravi Mathai Centre is a ‘C ‘-shaped structure with administrative offices forming a linear building connected to the auditorium via a circular corridor. The complete composition includes a court facing the Kahn-designed portion of the building, leaving a narrow linear area of approximately 10 meters wide. The courts connecting the Mathai Center Plaza to the Louis Kahn Plaza are formed by broken margins of faculty offices.
The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has established an institute in Palanpur, Gujarat, aimed at providing basic training in cooperative dairy farming to rural farmers. The institute, located in wheatfields, features courtyards enclosed by stone walls, two classrooms with residential rooms for 24 students, dining facilities, and a dairy plant. The builders use load-bearing stone for the buildings, install concrete lintels, and create deeply recessed openings for shade.
Raje’s Mafco dairy in Bombay reflects the productive cycle and emphasizes the importance of tradition in his work. However, Raje’s approach to tradition is not nostalgic or stylistic, but rather meaningful and meaningful use of each material. He seizes the expressivity of each material and discovers new potentialities, making it a great edifice in the history of construction. Raje’s focus on tradition is not about using futuristic materials or referencing “poor” technologies, but rather about meaningfully using each material and discovering new potentialities.
The hot and dry climate of Nagpur forces him to dig museum spaces into the ground to protect exhibits from extreme temperatures. The museum offers a unique experience by showcasing underground mine conditions. Raje conceived various scales and sizes, with each floor being a horizontal section. The building is linear, with one entrance for the museum and another for the auditorium. Stairs and an elevator connect the auditorium to the lower part of the museum. A nine-story office building is under construction, with two additional entrances.
The institute’s plan aims to create a homogenous, cohesive structure for various activities. It avoids isolationist tendencies and promotes academic and social interaction. It aims to create a sense of community without contradicting the need for students to feel independent, ensuring a successful and flexible institute that promotes academic and social interaction. The academic area consists of faculty and research offices, student dormitories, a kitchen, dining areas, and group meeting spaces. The living zone includes student dormitories, kitchens, dining areas, and other spaces for group meetings. Each unit has a terrace-level living room, a terrace-level terrace view, and a bedroom/study room for individual students.
Ahmedabad is predominant, correct? Yes, Anant Raje designed several private dwellings in and around Ahmedabad that highlight his interest in the link between shape and void, as well as the permeable boundary between interiors and exterior areas. In the last essay, Anant Raje wrote, “Kahn would often talk about light, how light defines and characterizes space. Light itself would say ‘This is the domed room and not a flat-roofed room’, or an arch, or a vault. Light could enhance the character of a particular space or structure that encloses this space. These preoccupations of Louis Kahn were the lessons learned.”
This sums up Raje’s commitment to light and shadow!!
Content Writing And Research By: Ar. Baarat Krishna
Editors’ Note – This colonial house in Delhi carries an ambience of grandeur, infused with the elegance of Victorian-style colonialism. Expansive living, dining, and kitchen areas open into light-filled spaces framed by large glazing that connect seamlessly to the surrounding landscape. Inside, tropical interiors with bold geometry add a contemporary layer of comfort. The residence […]
“Hilltop House” is envisioned as a contemporary yet context-sensitive residential project that harmonizes architecture and interior design to create a sanctuary perched on a scenic elevation. The design will respond directly to the topography, climate, and panoramic views, while delivering a highly functional, comfortable, and aesthetically refined living environment. This Hilltop House in Indore Is […]
In the layered urban grain of Manjeri, the Timeless House reimagines a 1970s sloping roof residence through careful transformation. It’s a home that doesn’t shout for attention, but quietly repositions itself within its time and place, a sensitive reinterpretation of memory, material, and movement. Originally built in 1972, the house was structurally sound, featuring load-bearing […]
Editor’s Note: There’s something truly special about homes crafted with thought and care—where every corner and detail speaks to its users, becoming part of their memories. For siblings Akhila and Kaushik, Sona Reddy Studio brought this vision to life in One Summer House, a rustic farmhouse tucked within the vibrant city of Hyderabad. Designed with […]
This southwest-facing bungalow, with golden accents in its interiors, is a refined expression of contextual and climate-responsive modern architecture. The home embraces its orientation with an intelligent façade design that balances aesthetic appeal and environmental performance. With the sun’s harshest rays hitting the structure in the latter half of the day, the architects incorporated a […]
This North Facing villa opens towards the East to always soak in the cool and diffused light. Its orientation is mindful of the adjoining clubhouse and its expansive garden. The planning allows the villa’s private lawn to visually merge with it, creating a larger and cohesive space. With a connection to the open space at […]
An Urban Sanctuary Woven with Craft, Warmth, and Light Explicitly tucked into a quiet residential pocket, this home with a jaali facade is a thoughtfully layered expression of calm, character, and craftsmanship. Every surface and corner is rooted in intention — where light, material, and memory meet. The Jaali Design in this Layered Home Exudes […]
Set in the serene landscape of Nashik, the Dabholkar Residence by GDA is a home, embracing stone clad walls. Here, tradition and contemporary design exist in harmony. Designed to reflect the family’s deep connection to tradition and art while embracing the style of contemporary living, it is a space where architectural details, heritage furniture, artwork […]
The Indian farmhouse accommodation goes on to capitalize on a mature evolutionary synthesis of ancestral aesthetics and contemporary features. With this, the outside and the inside of farmhouses became places of comfort with nature. In this blog, we delve into 15 incredible farmhouse designs that entail a harmonious blending. While they exhibit different spaces in […]
Aangan is a modern residence that seamlessly integrates with the lush environment of Kerala, showcasing a tropical home design. Designed to embrace the region’s warm climate, the house features a striking sloped terracotta roof at varying levels, enhancing both its aesthetic appeal and functional efficiency. The structure is enveloped in a vibrant tropical landscape, adorned […]