Charles Correa: Iconic architect, urban planner

Born on September 1, 1930, in Secunderabad, Correa enrolled at the St Xavier’s College in the University of Mumbai. He also studied at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 1958, he returned to India and began his career in Mumbai. His initial works had a traditional touch in which he tried to combine local cultural values. While designing buildings, he gave the local landscape a lot of importance.

“Traditional symmetrical spaces, the modernist use of materials, exemplary concrete forms and sensitivity towards the site were major characteristics of his work,” says the website famous-architects.org.

Master Urban Planner

In 1960s, Correa began working as an urban planner and built Navi Mumbai, which is an urban centre that caters to two million people. Unlike several other urban planners, Correa adopted low-rise solutions instead of high-rise buildings. The structures he designed also facilitated community life.

Correa also discouraged the use of mechanical methods for heating or cooling buildings. Instead of air-conditioning, he used smart shading, intelligent use of building orientation, controlled breeze and methods to enhance the abilities of building materials to absorb heat.

He used these techniques not only in small houses but also for large structures such as the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, the British Council in Delhi and some high-rise buildings. Interestingly, he ensured that even high-rise residential towers had courtyards.

Maker of Landmarks

His later works included the Surya Kund in Delhi, the Inter-University Centre for Astrology and Astrophysics in Pune, and the Jawahar Kala Kendra arts complex in Jaipur. From 1985 to 1988, he served as chairman of the National Commission on Urbanisation. He was also a consulting architect to the Goa government. He founded the Urban Design Research Institute in Mumbai in 1984.

Correa had taught in several universities including MIT, Harvard and the University of London. He loved cities and once said, “Our cities are among the greatest things that we have; they are part of the wealth of India. They are places of hope. The skills we need are urban skills – we never have to ask the World Bank to send us an expert because our cities already provide them.”

He tried to keep his cities away from miserable conditions and designed paved paths, reasonable living conditions, a sense of community, and controlled the increasing growth rate, said the famous-architects.org.

Correa died in Mumbai on June 16, 2015, aged 84, following a brief illness.

He will be remembered not just for having designed numerous important buildings, but also for his role in providing low-cost shelter and in resolving housing issues in developing countries.

Awards

He is the recipient of the Padma Shri (1972) and Padma Vibushan (2006); the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture from the Royal Institute of British Architects; the Praemium Imperiale Prize for architecture awarded by the Japan Art Association and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Interesting Facts

1. A Royal Institute of British Architects retrospective called him ‘India’s Greatest Architect.’ Correa responded to it saying: “’The most innovative’ might have been better. Greatest is so definite. It leaves no room.”

2. Correa wrote in his book titled Housing and Urbanisation: “To work in India is the great advantage of life in the Third World. The issues are so much bigger than you are; they give you a chance to grow”.

3. While designing buildings, he took into account the climate in India. The concept of a ‘tube house’, the Ramkrishna House and the Parekh House in Ahmedabad were built to cater to the climate.

4. Correa counted the famous French architect Le Corbusier, who designed Chandigarh, among the main influences in his life. He was also influenced by other greats such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Buckminster Fuller.

5. The museum spaces of Bhopal’s Bharat Bhavan and Jawahar Kala Kendra, two buildings designed by Correa, feature red sandstone that was part of Mughal architecture as well as the use of open-air terraces.

Sources: famous-architects.org, wikipedia