“The design sense is nurtured by what we see but also by how we see it.” – Didi Contractor
In the realm of architecture, the traditional pathways of formal education and degrees are often esteemed, yet not essential. This notion, while perplexing to many contemporary practitioners, stands as an enduring reality. There exists a cohort of architects who have forged their craft through self-instruction, devoid of conventional scholastic pursuits. Among these luminaries, familiar names such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Buckminster Fuller, Luis Barragan, and Tadao Ando command reverence. Amidst their celebrated ranks lies a figure equally profound: Didi Contractor.
Her Life Before Architecture
Didi Contractor, born Delia Kinzinger on October 12, 1929, in the pre-World War II United States, grew up in a household brimming with lofty artistic and cultural expectations.
Her German father, Edmund Kinzinger, and American mother, Alice Fish Kinzinger, were both Expressionist artists affiliated with the Bauhaus group in the 1920s. Despite her natural affinity for architecture, as a young woman approaching adulthood in the mid-twentieth century, she was not encouraged to pursue it, therefore she followed an education in art.
Didi grew up in and amid inspirational debates about painting, sculpture, literature, and architecture in the breathtaking high desert vistas of Texas and New Mexico. She was heavily influenced by the region’s pueblo adobe (sun-dried mud brick) buildings, as well as the work of famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, whom she first met as an adolescent.
In 1951, while attending the University of Colorado, she fell in love with Ramji Narayan, an Indian-Gujarati civil engineering student. They married, returned to India, and had three children. During their early marriage, the couple resided in Nashik as a combined family for a decade before moving to Mumbai in the 1960s to dwell in a property on Juhu beach. After separating from her spouse, she relocated to Sidhbari, a tiny town near Dharamshala.
‘Marrying the Earth to the Building’ – Her Design Philosophy
A film by Steffi Giaracuni, “Didi Contractor – Marrying the Earth to the Building” is a poetic documentary about an elderly artist and architect, the landscape of North India, the buildings and the people for whom she designed her homes, that awakens us to her vision and global issues affecting our ongoing relationship with mother earth.
Didi’s construction appears to sprout from the earth and blend seamlessly with nature. This contrasts with modern constructions that appear to be in confrontation with nature.
Contractor adhered to her ideals of sustainability in all aspects of design. She felt that buildings grew from the land and should coexist with nature. According to Contractor, landscape is an important design element that combines buildings and nature. As a result, a building should be designed with a landscape-integrated approach, serving as a bridge between the constructed and unbuilt environments. She was inspired by the design of traditional and vernacular buildings, which included a nice balance of constructed and unbuilt spaces.
Safekeeping Local Traditions Through Architecture
Didi’s architecture features imaginative use of local resources including mud, bamboo, river stone, and slate. She successfully mastered the technique of using these objects to evoke feelings of togetherness, happiness, and humility.
Didi elaborates on this aspect as, “I would like to emphasise playfulness, imagination, and celebration. By celebrating materials, by noticing their qualities, and celebrating them as you put them into a building, celebrating the quality or the plasticity of the mud, celebrating the inherent, innate and unavoidable qualities of each material. What the slate does to light, how the materials play within nature. I try to create something that is as quiet as possible. What works, should just look natural, as if meant to be.” [1]
Didi has developed a unique method to eco-friendly construction by following the ‘rhythm of the universe’ or ‘cycles of nature’. She aimed at harmonizing construction processes with natural cycles, resulting in a cohesive end product.
Didi explained this approach as an issue with today’s society – the lack of adaptability to the natural rhythms of life. She believed that technology should align with a humanistic goal of promoting self-awareness, connection, and harmony with nature. She emphasized that modern living has led to a loss of connection with natural cycles.
In her words, “When I take something out of natural cycle, I think how it affects that cycle, and whether it can be replaced, or reused – earth from an adobe building can be reused in a vegetable garden.” [2]
An Oeuvre of Delight
Didi, who was initially an artist, had developed a really unique and artistic approach to dealing with natural light in interiors. An overview of her buildings illustrates the importance she places on this crucial aspect of design. For her, light had always been the essence of a building.
Didi was particularly captivated by another crucial aspect of architectural design: the ‘staircase’. In all of her structures, this element is used quite creatively in terms of placement, direction, and design. She persists, “In the stairs, the architect has authority. I adore planning the experience of what you will pass, what you will have on both sides, and what you will descend or ascend to. The staircase is frequently the key to arranging space in each design. In the stairs, I feel like I’m directing someone’s emotional entry.” [3]
Her reputation extended beyond mere enthusiasm; Didi was renowned for her unconventional methods, often seen on horseback en route to construction sites, where she’d personally lay the foundation stones, underscoring her hands-on approach to her craft. This distinctive style caught the attention of many, leading to a steady stream of architectural commissions that sought her unique touch.
A Timeless Vision of Ecological Legacy
As many contemplated the quiet life of retirement by 60, Didi launched herself into the world of architecture with an infectious zeal that seemed impervious to the passage of time. She held an unwavering commitment to precision, greeting each day at the crack of dawn to delve into new design endeavors, showcasing a vitality that made her younger interns blush in comparison.
Didi Contractor’s architectural works provoke thought on crucial matters: How can future architecture tackle the pressing ecological issues of our time? Through the utilization of locally sourced materials and a deep reverence for both nature and cultural heritage, Didi Contractor’s adobe structures not only serve as sources of inspiration but also foster a profound reconnection with our roots.
Didi’s legacy, both in her life and her creations, will forever serve as a wellspring of inspiration for architects, artists, environmental advocates, and all those engaged in the realm of construction.
References:
- 2W. (2018) Didi contractor: A self-taught architect who builds in mud, Bamboo & Stone, World Architecture Community. Available at: https://worldarchitecture.org/article-links/ehegh/didi_contractor_a_selftaught_architect_who_builds_in_mud_bamboo_stone.html
- Bahga, S. (2019) Didi contractor: A self-taught architect who builds in mud, Bamboo & Stone, Academia.edu. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/38737856/Didi_Contractor_A_Self_Taught_Architect_Who_Builds_In_Mud_Bamboo_and_Stone.
- Rao, P. (2017) Meet the octogenarian architect who speaks the language of mud and Clay, Architectural Digest India. Available at: https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/meet-octogenarian-architect-speaks-language-mud-clay/
- Matter (2020) In Focus: The Architecture of Didi Contractor, MATTER. Available at: https://thinkmatter.in/2019/12/03/didi-contractor/.
- Didi contractor – leben im lehmhaus (2017) First Hand Films. Available at: https://firsthandfilms.ch/de/didi-contractor/
