Achut Kanvinde was an Indian architect born in 1916 who is considered one of the forefathers of modern Indian architecture. He studied architecture at JJ School of Art in Mumbai and Harvard, and was influenced by Walter Gropius. Kanvinde designed many notable buildings in India like the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, the National Science Center in Delhi, and the Institute of Rural Management in Anand. Throughout his prolific 50-year career, Kanvinde's works showcased modernist influences while responding to local contexts and traditions. He received several honors for his contributions to Indian architecture.

1. ACHYUT P KANVINDE

2. INTRODUCTION
•He was born in 1916 in a small
village named achare on the
Konkan Coast of Maharashtra.
•He is considered as one of
forefathers of modern Indian
Arhitecture.
•He entered JJ School of Art
(University of Mumbai) in 1935
to study Architecture under
Claude Batley.
•He later studied design at
Harvard in 1945 and was
influenced by the work of
Walter Gropius.

3. WORKS
•Physical Research
laboratory,Ahmedabad
•Ahmedabad textiles Industries
research association
•Harivallabdas
house,Ahmedabad
•Gandhi krishi Vigyan Kendra,
Bangalore
•PK Kelkar library, IIT Kanpur,
•Dudhsagar diary,Mehsna (
national diary development
board)
•Institute of rural management,
Anand
•Nehru Science Center, Mumbai
•National Science Center, New
Delhi
•National insurance academy,
Pune
•ISKCON temple, East of
Kailash, Delhi
Dudhsagar Diary, Mehsana (1973)

4. LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENTS
•Awarded Padma Shree in1976
•President IIA
•Co-Authored book “Campus
Design in India”
•IIA’s Babu Rao Mhatre Gold
Medal for life time achievement in
1985
•Great Masters Award from JK
Industries Ltd. in 1993.
Institute of Rural Management, Anand (1979)
National Insurance Academy, Pune
(1992)

5. The institutional buildings he designed in the first five years, are conservative.
All
having:
•similar facades.
•Horizontal, clean volumes,
•aesthetically pleasing proportions of fenestration.
•Ribbon windows.
•A grid frame structure- unexposed, and plastered exterior finish.
Followed by an experimental phase- in the course of the next five years he
designed:
(i) Harivallabdas House (ii) IIT Kanpur (iii) Doodhsagar Dairy
PK Kelkar Library, IIT KANPUR
(1966)

6. NATIONAL SCIENCE CENTER, NEW
DELHI (1991)

7. PLAN

8. •Situated in the vicinity of old monuments of Delhi providing a new fabric to
the city and at the same time feeling of the ancient building.
•A set of vertical volumes that rise gradually- this buildings is visually
appealing, and unimposing. It has a large grand flight of steps on its
entrance.
• The skylights- which are the dominant highlight of the design are a
common repeating element in many of his works- such as the Doodhsagar
Dairy, and the Nehru Science Center, Mumbai.
•The building seems to have a simple & efficiently designed structural
system, and a functional approach in its layout
•The building accommodates a complex of workshops, library, lecture halls
and observatory.
• Site Location- Bhairon Road, Adjacent Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
•Site Area- 7000m2
• Materials Used: RCC frame, brick infill plastered in a fine stone grit finish.

9. HARIVALLABDAS HOUSE
AHEMDABAD (1964)

11. •Distinct living modules are arranged under a sweeping parasol and
sensitively sited in a garden setting. We can clearly understand the
internal functions of this building by observing it from the outside- as
they appear as separate masses. These are arranged in ways that are
functional from inside and elegant from outside.
•Site Location- Ahemdabad.
•Site Area- 1200m2
•Materials Used: RCC frame, brick and grit finish.
•Modern for its time- built in 1964

12. CONCLUSION
•Kanvinde’s career spanned a period of about 50 years.
•It was a prolific career in that the scale and number of projects he worked on
from the beginning are incomparable.
•There are infinite number of concerns, influences and traditions that have shaped
Kanvinde’s works.
• A much deep-probing understanding of his life and his work responsive to his
larger interests and concerns seems important to clarify the important phase of
the political and social process in the creation in the new country which he shaped
and guided.
•Humility and reticence are acclaimed hallmarks of his persona, which is probably
one of the reasons his works have not been as widely known as they could have
been.