Padma Shri Achyut P. Kanvinde is a quite known name in the list of contemporary Architects. He is considered as one of forefathers of modern Indian architecture. Kanvinde was born in 1916 in a small village on the Konkan coast raised in a joint family in the village. His mother died when he was two and his father was an arts teacher in Mumbai. Kanvinde was a influenced by his father, who was a portrait and landscape painter.

1. ACHYUT PURUSHOTTAM KANVINDE
(1916–28 DECEMBER 2002)

2. CONTENTS
• Life of Padma Shri Achyut P. Kanvinde
• Education and Career
• Influences
• Architectural Principles
• Concepts
• Philosophies
• Achievements
• Projects by A P Kanvinde

3. LIFE OF A P KANVINDE
• Padma Shri Achyut P. Kanvinde is a quite
known name in the list of contemporary
Architects.
• He is considered as one of forefathers of
modern Indian architecture.
• Kanvinde was born in 1916 in a small village on
the Konkan coast raised in a joint family in the
village.
• His mother died when he was two and his father
was an arts teacher in Mumbai.
• Kanvinde was a influenced by his father, who
was a portrait and landscape painter.

4. EDUCATION AND CAREER
• Kanvinde had the calling of a painter and did
enroll in an art school but the family decided
that architecture would be a better profession
for him.
• He entered the Architecture Department at Sir
J.J. School of Art in 1935 then headed by
Claude Batley, who was also the premier
architect of the country.
• He passed out in 1941. 1943, he joined the
newly formed Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research as architect.
• Achyut Kanvinde attended Harvard Graduate

5. EDUCATION AND CAREER
• In 1947 appointed as the Chief Architect of
CSIR.
• Formed Kanvinde and Rai with Shaukat Rai in
1955 which resulted in a unique and exemplary
partnership.
• He practiced perfectly for 55 years and was
considered the pioneer of what may be termed
the modern movement in architecture in India.
• 1974-1975 he was vice-chairman of IIA and
authored the book “Campus Design in India”.
• In 1985, He was the winner of IIA “BABURAO
MHATRE GOLD MEDAL”.

6. INFLUENCES
• Claude Batley – teacher 1941
 Batley in his teaching and his active practice maintained the new
ideal of Architecture: it was a universal craft tailored rationally to
regional parameters.
 In 1934, he published a volume of measured drawings of traditional
‘Indian’ building and in his lectures he tried for an informed
appreciation of the similarities and differences of Indian and
European classical buildings.
 In his practice he avoided the loud, revolutionary éclat of the
machine-age imagery popular in the west in favor of an
archeologically literate fusion of Western classical order with Indian
building traditions and coupled with sound climatological principles.
 His works and his thinking were obvious models for his students.
 Kanvinde remembers him as "a very important man in shaping the
outlook of many architects of my generation, also of the earlier
generation“

7. INFLUENCES
• Harvard Graduate school of Design- 1945
 Then had a reputation of being the new fountainhead
of functional and social promise of Modern
Architecture under its émigré director Walter Gropius.
 He graduated with a thesis on science
Laboratories, returned to India in 1947 as the Chief
Architect of CSIR.
 It is believed that Gropius’s insistence for using space
as a tool for expressing universal human values was
what left most lasting influence on his mind.

8. ARCHITECTURAL PRINCIPLES
• His buildings were simple and he used to tell the students
“ARCHITECTURE IS NOT A MUSEUM OF MATERIAL”
• The various principles reflected in most of Kanvinde’s
work would be:
 Asymmetry
 Blocky
 Cubic shapes
 Smooth, Flat, Plain, Undecorated surfaces
 Flat roofs
 Adoption of steel framed or reinforced concrete post and
slab.

9. CONCEPTS
• Kanvinde 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’.
• He also used maximum principles of vernacular
architecture.

10. PHILOSOPHIES
• 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 IskconTemple.
• He gave much more importance to the natural light.
• He would give forms to the building that could solve the
problem of ventilation as well as excessive heat.
• He believed in vernacular architecture.
• He believed that the image should be such that can set
the mood and interest for which the building stands for.
• Both inherent values and historical influences contribute
towards good architecture.

11. PHILOSOPHIES
• All his creations were in strict conformity with these
principles:
 FUNCTIONALISM
 LOGIC OF LIGHTNESS
 MODERN ARCHITECTUREAND BRUTALISM
 REGIONALISM
 RATIONALIST
 SENSE OF SPACE

12. PHILOSOPHIES
 FUNCTIONALISM
• The buildings were always conceived with first
priority given to its functions and the social values
when designing spaces.
• He rejected symmetry.
 LOGIC OF LIGHTNESS
• The complete focus on the materials to be used in
construction Kanvinde always try to develop such
an aesthetic for a heavy mass construction that’s
looks light.

13. PHILOSOPHIES
 MODERN ARCHITECTURE AND BRUTALISM
• Simplification of form and creation of ornament
from the structure.
• Elimination of unnecessary detail.
• Visual expression of structure, as opposed to
the hiding of structural elements.
• Brutalism is child of modern architecture.
• Developed to create functional structure at a low
cost, but eventually designers adopted the look
for other uses such as college buildings.

14. PHILOSOPHIES
 REGIONALISM
• Inevitability based on the exigencies of local climate,
social conditions, building materials and sound
climatological principles.
 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
• Kanvinde always tried to bring down buildings to
humane scale and a connection to the built heritage
in a locality.

15. ACHIEVEMENTS
 Recipient of Padmashree – National Honour
from Govt. of India 1975
 Recipient of Gold Medal of the Indian Institute of
Architects 1985
 National Award for Institution of Engineers for
Architectural Engineering 1990
 Great Master National Award by J.K. Industries
Ltd in 1993
 Outstanding Konkan Award in 2003

16. PROJECTS BY A P KANVINDE
• COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH
(1947)
• AHMEDABAD TEXTILE INDUSTRIES RESEARCH
ASSOCIATION (1953)
• PHYSICAL RESEARCH LABORATRY, AHMEDABAD (1953-54)
• DARPANA DANCE ACADEMY (1963)
• HARIVALLABDAS HOUSE, AHEMDABAD (1964)
• GANDHI KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRA BANGALORE (1965)
• IIT KANPUR CAMPUS (1966)
• RESIDENCE OF A P KANVINDE (1967)
• DOODHSAGAR DAIRY ,MEHSANA (NATIONAL DAIRY
DEVELOPMENT BOARD) (1973)
• INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT, ANAND (1979)
• NEHRU SCIENCE CENTER, MUMBAI (1985)
• NATIONAL SCIENCE CENTER, NEW DELHI (1991)
• NATIONAL INSURANCE ACADEMY, PUNE (1992)
• ISKCON TEMPLE, EAST OF KAILASH, DELHI (1998)

18. DETAILED PROJECTS
 Dudhsagar dairy complex, Gujarat (1973)
 IIT Kanpur campus (1961-1965)
 Nehru Science Centre, Bombay (1980)

20.  National Dairy Development Board built in 1973
 One of the largest Milk processing unit in Gujarat
STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE :
BRUTALISM
 Monstrous and raw
 The form is very
rough and blocky
 Cold character
 Fortress like
structure
 One of the first
outburts of
kanvinde’s brutalism
FEATURES

21.  The natural slope of
the site utilized to
advantage of a multi
level processing
system
 Milk receiving is done
at the roof
 Processing is done at
the second level
 The third and the lower
most level
accommodate the

23.  Ventilation points are expressed as large shafts that
rise above the roof level
 They evacuate the hot air by natural convection
eliminating the need for mechanical exhaust system

24.  Walls and structure are more theatrical than
technical in their function of containing and
supporting the process within
• Banding of
the exterior
finish helps
articulate the
muscular
feature of the
building

25. IIT KANPUR

26. • Central deemed University located in Uttar
Pradesh, about 15 km north-west of the city of
Kanpur in the Kalyanpur suburb
• Constructed during 1960-1965

27.  Total area 1000 acres
 Academic buildings: 13 departments, PK
Kelkar Library, Computer Centres faculty
offices, laboratories and administrative
buildings
 10 boys hostel and 2 girls hostel
 Sports complex
 Housing for faculty
FEATURES

29. FEATURES
 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.

30. LECTURE
HALLS
DEPARTMENTS AND
LABS
CANTEEN
FACULTY
OFFICE
AND
LIBRARY
COMPUTER
DEPTT AND
LABS

31. • 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

32. 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

33.  Conventional type of buildings were
designed as isolated islands of departments
 Activities which students and faculties share
are designed to encourage meeting and
interaction

34. HOSTELS QUIET AND PRIVATE HOSTELS
Hostels to create some sort of family
feeling in the students living in them.

35. VISUAL
EXPRESSION OF
THE STRUCTURE
RATHER THAN
HIDING ITS
STRUCTURAL
COMPONENTS

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

37. Exposed brickwork:
reduces
maintenance costs
and enhances
aesthetic appeal
P.K. Kelkar Librar

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

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

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

41. Location:
G. Babu Sakpal
Marg Mumbai,
Maharashtra
400018
NEHRU SCIENCE CENTRE, BOMBAY (1980)

42. THIS COMPLEX houses; a variety of activities and exhibits
intended by the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research) to popularize science and technology
chiefly, a Children's Museum with, demonstration hall and
facilities for education
extension activities, a Museum of the history of science, a Hall
of Industry, and an outdoor science park .
 This complex has Discovery of India expositions, Art Gallery,
Auditorium and Exhibition Halls.
FUNCTION

43. Need artificial lighting for effective presentation of exhibits, the idea
of forced ventilation emerged.
At the same time the idea of creating spaces of a certain quality
which helps receptivity of mind.
Apart from spatial organization, the main design problem was to
establish circulation of movement.
The topography of the decisively sloping site.
A series of multidirectional units was created with large column for
free spaces.
CONCEPT

44. It is in the cylindrical form.
The service zone is located at the
lowest level, accessible to vehicles.
The main entry is 18-20m wide & like a tunnel
shaped.
somewhere the dome is provided for showing
the entry.
The sunshade in a n elliptical manner.
FORM AND FUNCTION

45. Circulation has been defined so that visitors return to the entry
level and can proceed to the cafeteria and other social facilities at
ground level.
Ventilation to all areas is ensured by a blower system.
The structural system is in waffle slab
and the structural columns at 12m centers
house the ventilation shafts.

46. “In each of his buildings, whether residential,
commercial or government complexes, one can see an
attempt to break away from traditional architectural
design and yet, design them keeping in mind all the
aspects conducive to a great building (such as climate,
use of space, orientation and aesthetics) his ultimate
concern was for his profession and for society and that
came through quite effortlessly in all his works.
Kanvinde traveled extensively across the country and
always made it a point to carry books and magazines
along. He used to say the long travels gave him time
to read, reflect and introspect. Kanvinde’s stellar
contribution can be summed up succinctly as that
depicting plasticity, humility and humanity”
-B.V Doshi

47. Thank
You…