History

1. An urban legacy
Joseph Allen Stein, 1912-2001
SUBMITTED By
Karishma sawhney
Jayant singh chundawat
III yr. B.arch.

2. Life & Time
Born :April 10 , 1912
Omaha , U.S.A
• Died :October 06 , 2001
At the age of 89 in Raleigh , N.Carolina
•Family : Married to margaret Suydam 1937 in N.York.
Had 2 children, David & Ethan.

3. Education :
• B.Arch , University of Illinois, 1934.
• Diploma, Ecole des Beaux Arts, Fountainbleu,
France,1933.
• M.Arch. , University Of Illinois.
• fellowship, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan,
1935-36.
• Certificate, Beaux Arts Institute of Design, New
York,1938.

4. Profession
• 1937-39 Offices of William Gehron, Ely Jacques Kahn, New
York.
• 1939-41 Office of Richard Neutra, Planning Consultant to
theLos Angeles Housing Authority, California , USA.
• 1945-51 Joseph Allen Stein , architect , San Francisco,
California.
• 1957-77 Joseph Allen Stein And Associates, New Delhi.
• 1977 Senior partner, Stein, Doshi & Bhalla, Architects,
Engineers, Planners, New Delhi and Ahmedabad.
• Fellow, Indian Institute of Architects.

5. Influences
• Cranbook Academy designed by Saarinen &
filled with sculptures by Carl Milles.
• Works and teachings of Wright & Sullivan in
American midwest which was also the centre
of regional Modern movement.
• Richard Neutra
• Rich traditions of Delhi.

6. Philosophy
• ‘To seek the character of the solution in the nature of the
problem.’
• Stein had idealistic social aims of simplicity surrounded by
landscaped beauty in post war peace.
• Joe’s legacy is that of living architecture – Human in scale
with spaces that soothe and inspire.
• Stein tried to bring his ‘California Modern’ into an Indian
context (Regional Modernism).
• His interest in environmental issues and crisis of de-
forestation in himalayas led him to become an advocate of
sustainable development in ecologically fragile areas.
• Steins buildings embody the humanist and social idealism
of design seer.

7. • Famous Quote:
"Two things have essentially guided my work. One
is what you might call an
interest in and search for an appropriate modern regionalism.
I would put equal emphasis on both words, 'regional' and
'modern', because regional
without modern is reactionary, and modern without regional
is insensitive, inappropriate. The second one is to seek the
character of the solution in nature of the problem, as much as
one possibly can."

8. WORKS
• LOCATION : Lodhi Estate,
N.Delhi
• BUILDING TYPE : Public/
Cultural Conference Centre,
Research Centre
• MATERIAL : Concrete and local
stone, Blue and green ceramic
tiles.
• TECHNOLOGY :
* Poured-in concrete
frame structure
* Precast concrete roof
and floor
* Bearing walls of local
stone where feasible
1.0 INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE ,
1952-62

9. • CONTEXT :
Urban
The centre was originally conceived
by Dr.S.Radhakrishanan of India &
John Rockfeller of US along the lines
of other international house facilities.
The centre was to be a forum for the
exposition of the cultural pattern
prevailing in different parts of the
world.
• CONCEPT
The Architectural scheme is
characterized by the careful relation
of indoor & the outdoor spaces and
finely detailed , expressive
construction.

10. DESIGN & PLANNING:
• Designed as a composition of closely
integrated buildings, grouped around
two courts.
• The Ford Foundation offices are
connected to the main building by a
bridge.
• Created as a conference and research
center, the IIC has become much
much more -
Rooms are the rooms of choice for the
transient academic traveler
Tea room and elevated dining room,
overlooking the Gardens, are the
place in Delhi to meet, to talk, and to
dine.
Looking over the pool to the curved
guest room blocks, with dining and
lounge in the foreground.

11. And the conference center has become the site for a running series
of symposia, seminars and colloquia spanning the full range of the
visual and performing arts.
The construction was a concrete frame with stone and concrete block
infill.
View to public plaza
View to courtyard garden

12. DETAILS
Coffered ceiling
Auditorium Roof Dome composed
of precast Y-shaped elements.

13. INDIA HABITAT CENTRE, 1988-93
Location :Delhi,India
Building type :
commercial(office
complex)
education( library)
Public
/cultural(auditorium)

14. • MATERIALS:
Reinforced concrete frame with an infill
of concrete block and brick.
Carefully conceived paving patterns in
courtyards and variegated brick
coursing in the buildings vertical piers.
• CONTEXT: Urban
• CONCEPT:The centre hopes to achieve
a holistic approach to problem solving.
in the complex, an effort has been
made to weave urban design into a
synergetic interrelationship between
institutions working in diverse habitat-
related fields to optimize their total
effectiveness, bringing together such
institutions in an interrelated urban
physical form, with common facilities
for information & dissemination.
View to central courtyard

15. SHER-i-KASHMIR CONFERENCE CENTRE,
1977-84
• LOCATION:
Near Srinagar, Jammu &
Kashmir
• BUILDING TYPE:
Commercial (hotel),
public/cultural (conference
centre)

16. PLANNING & DESIGN
• A complex of six-to-seven-storey
structures in a campus-like plan
grouped around interlinked plazas
and courtyards.
• The construction is a concrete
frame with brick infill.
• It is planned as a moderately dense
complex of institutional and office
workspaces, & conference and
library facilities for groups involved
with environment and habitat
issues.
• The buildings are grouped with
climate –tempered courts, shaded
with overhead screens and
enlivened by vertical gardens.
• The courts are elevated on a plinth
over car parking, so that series of
pleasant civic spaces for
pedestrians are created.
View to central patio

17. • MATERIALS:
Concrete frame
Concrete blocks
Green colour aggregate
crushed from local stone.
• CONTEXT:
Built in the valley of
Kashmir for upto 1000
visitors at international
standards.

18. • CONCEPT:
The idea was to create buildings
and gardens that would merge
into the surroundings, add focus
upon a lovely scene and bring
sympathetic attention to this
gravely threatened place of
natural beauty.
Main approach plaza

19. • PLANNING & DESIGN:
It was developed along 2 axes – one leads visitors eye from entrance through
high ceiling roofs, to a sweeping view of terraced gardens to the lake beyond.
Second axes leads in one direction to the conference facilities with the 650
seat auditorium at its focus.
• The complex comprises a conference center and a hotel.
• The hotel is composed of long narrow blocks, one room deep, grouped
around open courtyards.
View to
conference
centre

20. The conference facilities are
grouped in several blocks
organised into a structurally
symetrical arrangement of
seperated blocks supported by
8 massive piers and interlocked
beams.
• The exterior is a precisely
articulated concrete frame,
expressive of the structural
scheme.
• The walls are clad with
concrete blocks of exposed
green colour aggregate,
crushed from local stone.
• The roof is clad with blue-grey
local slate. View over water basin

21. DETAILS
• INTERIORS AND FINISHES
Stein’s characteristic total design
is most evident in the
relationships of the space’s
sculpted form , its furniture ,
light fixtures and textiles. All
are taken to a more intricate
level presented by detailing in
wood in Kashmir.
Inlaid floors, wood walls &
ceiling paneling were used
extensively.
A combination of warmth and
grandeur emanates from the
space.
Interior corridor at reception

22. Auditorium - interiors

23. Achievements
• Padamashri Award, 1992
• J.K. cement Award
• University of Madras conferred an honorary degree on him.
• A book on Stein’s Work, Design Philosophy , Teachings and Writings by
Stephen White: BUILDING IN THE GARDEN- THE ARCHITECTURE OF
JOSEPH ALLEN STEIN IN INDIA AND CALIFORNIA.

24. THANK YOU