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Since antiquity, Indian architecture has manifested two diametrically opposite forms that are at the root of this country’s historical art and culture. Understanding this dichotomy means comparing the concepts of “monumentality” and “frugality”. Monumentality is manifest in iconic architectures like the temples of Khajuraho and Brihadeshwara that capture the idea of eternity and celebrate permanence. Frugality is expressed in vernacular dwellings, often self-built from natural, short-lived materials. Many traditional Indian houses differ in the building materials used and the contextual climatic conditions: Rajasthan’s court houses (haveli) and the floating dwellings of Kashmir come to mind. These two examples of an ennobled tradition are flanked, however, by spontaneous or ad hoc shelters, temporary structures that bear witness to the sacrifice required to build and then inhabit what are accepted as ephemeral structures. Indeed, in contrast to the West’s prevailing concept of “permanence”, the ephemeral – expressed in a plethora of unusual theories – has been part of Eastern culture for millennia. The two projects considered here are examined as examples of the above-mentioned dichotomy, our analysis based on the five dual systems of opposites posited by Heinrich Wölfflin in his Principles of Art History (1915) as the key to the evolution of art down the centuries.
These two emblematic projects by the Indian firm BandukSmith Studio fit neatly into this theory of opposites. Founded in 2011 by Ahmedabad-based architects Sachin Bandukwala and Melissa Smith, the practice focuses on fostering local craftsmanship and recovering historical traditions for contemporary practice. Their two projects examined here are opposing entities: one, the House in a Mango Orchard, synonymous with “instability” and precarious balance, the other, the Arthshila Library of...
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The Architectures of Diversity
Durganand Balsavar
The editorial “Architectures of Diversity: Reinterpreting Practices in the Indian Subcontinent” by Durganand Balsavar...
Architecture as Gift Exchange
Peter Rich Architects
Introduction by the editor Peter Rich titled “Architecture as an Exchange of Gifts: Standing on the Shoulders of Past Generations.”...
a for architecture
a for architecture
a for architecture designs two villas in Nashik, Maharashtra state, India...
