Achyut Purushottam Kanvinde was an Indian architect. Practically raised by his father, his foray into architecture was inspired by his father who was a portrait and landscape artist. In 1942, he graduated with a degree in architecture from Sir JJ School of Arts. He pursued further education at Harvard, working under the tutelage of German-American architect Walter Gropius. Kanvinde served as the President of the Indian Institute of Architects from 1974 to 1976. He was the recipient of the 1974 Padma Shri.
Apart from being an accomplished architect, he has also been written about, extensively. The book, titled, ‘Campus Design in India: Experience of a Developing Nation’ is a book on campus planning by Achyut Kanvinde and James Miller. He also has a dedicated biography, titled, ‘Achyut Kanvinde: Ākār,’ written by Tanuja and Sanjay Kanvinda.
Achyut Kanvinde Architect Philosophy
Achyut Kanvinde’s designs boast of an exquisite mix of functionality and brutalist architecture. His expertise lies in manoeuvring space (especially geometrical) and forms, for example, ISKCON Temple in New Delhi. In this project, he played with natural light, without compromising on the ventilation or the excessive heat. Achyut Kanvinde buildings are a testament to vernacular architecture, as he envisioned his projects as a mix of culture, heritage, and utility. He thought that adding a matrix of columns to a design would give it a more structural and spatial aspect, making it more intricate and multifaceted.
Achyut Kanvinde Famous Works
Along with Shaukat Rai, Achyut Kanvinde architect firm, namely ‘Kanvinde and Rai’ was established in New Delhi in 1955. Through his firm, Kanvinde took on numerous projects of national significance. Let us discuss a few of them.
IIT Kanpur
Amongst many Achyut Kanvinde works IIT Kanpur stands as a forerunner of his architectural sensibilities. The institution was built over a flat area of 1055 acres, with a canal on one side and a transportation route on the other. While Kanvinde was undoubtedly the master of Brutalist architecture, he incorporated elements of Bauhaus architecture into the building. These included cubic shapes, smooth & undecorated surfaces, absence of embellishments and mouldings, and flat roofs.
The area has been planned and landscaped to ensure mobility and access. The academic block is centralised, with the hostel, faculty & staff houses, and community halls surrounding it. All the major units were connected to the academic unit via long corridors for accessibility. He used Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) based floats with a brick facade. The split-level corridor creates an illusion of a larger space.
Dudhsagar Dairy Complex
Another among Achyut Kanvinde projects, which herald the postmodern brutalist architecture as supreme is the Dudhsagar Dairy Complex. He devised the plans for the building to keep the milk receiving and the processing plant separate. Using the site’s slope to his advantage, Kanvinde designated the upper levels milk receiving station. From here, the milk flows to the pasteurization plants, followed by the condensation plant, and the powdering plants, which are located on the lower levels. This eliminates the need for a pumping system, bringing gravity into the fold, making it energy-efficient and a cost-saving plan.
This Achyut Kanvinde work boasts numerous orthogonal spaces formed by a seven-meter-long concrete square grid. The plant machinery is fixed within these grids and can be reached by bridges, stairs, and walkways. The ventilation ducts, which run around the perimeter of both buildings are built as shafts, which expel the air at the roofs. This saves the cost of expensive exhaust fans. The slit windows bring in the natural light and help ventilation too. However, artificial lights are included around the machinery to maintain benchmark hygiene.
Image Courtesy – Archgyan
