Anant Raje also called the “Louis Kahn” of India took his master’s style in stride and integrated it with the traditional Indian architectural practices – passive cooling, vernacular as well as modern fusion and bold statements with negative and positive elements.
His style has a distinct identity that architects in the post-colonial era imprint on and have applied in the greatest institutions all over the country.
But Ar Anant Raje was known to be quiet and did not express much except in sketches. So, a major chunk of his work has been largely undocumented. Here is a list of 15 major buildings by him:
1. Management Development Center, IIM Ahmedabad | Anant Raje
Architects: Anant Raje and Louis Kahn
Features:
- Anant Raje designed this block during his time in Philadelphia with Louis Kahn.
- This is an independent block with is own hostel, dining, and administrative facilities.
- The free-flowing C shaped plan along with a basement encloses a courtyard in the center.
- The façade holds concrete and brick true to its characteristics complemented with landscaping elements.
2. NDDB, Galbabhai Training Institute
Features:
- Nestled amongst the vast croplands, this training center dominates the landscape with its numerous courtyards fortified by stone walls.
- The design explores light and shadow with the contrast of rough laterite stone masonry and smooth exposed concrete structural members.
- The building houses two classrooms and residential rooms, dining facilities for 24 students connected to a dairy plant.
- The buildings are made of locally mined stone along with deeply recessed fenestrations to provide shade against the hot sun.
3. Bhopal Development Authority Headquarters
Features:
- The building forms are oriented such that shadow pockets offer wide possibilities of openings.
- The openings are deeply recessed to minimize insolation.
- The buildings are made of Kotah stone or yellow sandstone and Jaisalmer yellow stone.
- The design focuses on economic space utilization, structural design, and overall expenditure.
4. A.F.C.O. Wholesale Market, Mumbai
Features:
- The planning distinctly segregates the vehicular and pedestrian flow within the complex.
- The complex houses several elements:
- Trading Cell along with office, go down and overnight stay
- Auction hall with an inclined roof with rainwater harvesting facility.
- The wholesale market comprises of several platforms for discussion, offices and extension facility along the central axis of the hall
- Three banks with thin shell roofs.
- The building is made of concrete spanning along a column grid of 9.14m by 13.1m.
5. Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal
Features:
- This 65-acre site lies on a heavily contoured site with a level difference of 50 meters from the lowest road.
- All the buildings are made of load-bearing stone masonry and RCC. The passive shading technique of recessed windows plays a major role in defining the scale and proportion of the façade.
- The areas around openings are clad in Kotah stone and slate which provide immersive contrasts in Bluish-green to purple hues.
- The orientation of all the buildings is such that the view of the southern lake is taken advantage of and the south-west prevailing wind flows unobstructed throughout the massing.
6. National Academy of Administration, Ghaziabad
- The Academic Complex houses conference rooms, lecture theatres, auditoriums, and several seminar rooms along with a library, a training block, and an administration center.
- The residential area has an accommodation facility for 750 probationers and housing for 1 40 faculty members along with 385 non-teaching staff.
7. Mines and Minerals Museum, Nagpur
- The complex consists of the main museum block, auditorium, and workshop
- Thermal comfort within the interior of the museum spaces is ensured through excavation and construction of the museum complex into the ground. This helps to cope with the extreme weather spectrum of Nagpur.
- The site has two major entrances along its north-west and south-east axis.
- The height of the museum complex facilitates interesting exhibit compositions through scales, levels, and proportions.
8. MICA, Ahmedabad by Anant Raje
Spread over 19 acres, the site includes the main academic block, dining and hostel facilities. The architecture follows a similar exposed concrete and brick construction technique with passive cooling strategies.
9. Ravi J. Matthai Centre For Educational Innovation
The center focuses on primary and secondary education and fulfills many government schemes in its purpose. The most prominent block houses the auditorium and is octagonal in its plan. The façade has circular apertures on its façade to facilitate the stack effect. The Comb like plan of the four-storeyed office complex in the vicinity promotes green buffer spaces between all the elements.
10. Bhopal Gas Memorial
- The planning emphasizes on the MIC and Sevin plants at both conceptual and functional levels.
- A set of immersive spaces reproduce the plight of the victims through exhibits.
- The main memorial walk acts as an architectural expression of linear progression towards the end of the complex.
- The plaza also hosts a sculpture of a lady and child.
- The memorial also attempts to promote awareness and research proposals.
Here are some more buildings designed by Anant Raje
11. Commissioner’s Offices and Walmi Subcentre, Morena
12. VPPPM, State Testing Board Offices
13. INTEC Polymer Factory and Laboratories
14. Mohanlal Someshwar School, Ahmedabad
15. The Indian Statistical Institute in New Delhi.
Image Source: www.merrchant.com/blog/top-10-business-schools-in-india/indian-institute-of-management-ahmedabad www.forbesindia.com/article/boardroom/iima-did-not-evolve-fast-enough/33747/1 archeyes.com/indian-institute-of-management-louis-kahn/ architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-187470 www.isid.ac.in/ www.quora.com/What-do-you-wish-you-had-known-before-enrolling-in-MICAs-PGDM-C www.pagalguy.com/colleges/mudra-institute-of-communications-mica-ahmedabad www.careers360.com/colleges/mica-ahmedabad www.archnet.org
