Habib Rahman was one of the first generation of Indian architects to introduce modernism. He brought the Bauhaus style to India while incorporating traditional Indian architectural elements. Some of his notable works include the Gandhi Ghat Memorial in Kolkata, the New Secretariat building in Kolkata, which was one of the first high-rise buildings in India, the UGC building in Delhi, and Rabindra Bhavan in Delhi. For Rabindra Bhavan, Rahman reinterpreted traditional Indian elements like chajjas and jalis in a modern form to create a building that belonged uniquely to India.

1. Ar. Habib Rahman
“A building becomes architecture when it not only
works effectively but moves the human soul.”

2. About
• Born in 1915 in Kolkata
• Habib Rahman - One of the first generation architects to bring in
Modernism to India
• Nehru was set to embrace modernism as the vehicle to represent the
agenda of the unfolding future
• Habib Rahman introduced the Bauhaus style in the Indian context
• He won Padmashri award 1955 and Padma Bhushan award in 1974

3. STYLE OF WORK AND ELEMENTS USED
• Flat roofs, smooth facades, cubic shapes favoring right angles
• The colors used are white, grey, black, or beige and other dull colors
• Open floor plans and functional furniture
• Use of steel frames, flat slab, concrete as construction material.
• the lack of ornamentation.
• Importance of function Radically simplified forms
• Rationality and functionality.

4. • Bauhaus style – Emphasized on the use of modern technology,
and mass production techniques and materials to design and
manufacture high quality and cheap goods which could be
accessible to many
• THE USE OF INDIAN ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS
• Jalis
• Chajjas
• Dome
• Overhanging roof
• Horizontal and vertical louvers

5. Gandhi ghat
KOLKATA

6. • The brief demanded the reflection of the personality and philosophy
of the Mahatma Gandhi
• There was a budgetary limit of five lakh rupees and the deadline
stipulated was January 30, 1949, Gandhiji's first death anniversary.
• This was the first structure to be built as a memorial to the Father of
the Nation.
• He had no contemporary example of such a structure to draw
inspiration from, and no one available to guide him.
• However, Gandhiji's respect and love for all religions inspired me to
conceive a structure that harmoniously and aesthetically reflected
and symbolized the three main religions in India – Hinduism, Islam
and Christianity.

7. • The result was a tower – a simplified profile of a temple shikhara,
• Capped with an Islamic dome.
• A horizontal cantilevered slab projecting from both sides appeared
in silhouette somewhat like a cross.
• Happily the first model was approved by the cabinet.
• The 40 ft cantilever was too difficult for the departmental engineers
to design, but a brilliant bridge engineer came to our rescue.
• In spite of various foundation problems, the structure – called
Gandhi Ghat – was completed well before the first anniversary and
was opened by Prime Minister on January 15, 1949.

9. NEW SECRETARIAT
KOLKATA

10. • The construction of the fourteen-story New Secretariat Building at
Calcutta marked the beginning of high-raise construction in India.
• Following Independence, new areas of administrative activity generated
an enormous demand for office space.
• The programme for the New Secretariat called for maximizing floor
space on a one-acre corner plot a kilometer away from the old
Secretariat.
• Introduction of steel framed structure resting on concrete piles .
• Introduction of horizontal and vertical concrete louvers as sun breakers.
• Building designed in 3 blocks – to take advantage of the site .
• 14 storey high – tallest at that time in India
• Rahman was the 1st architect to introduce skyscraper to India .
• To obtain uniform illumination and max. ventilation, the blocks have
been comparatively narrow.

11. Taking the greatest
advantage of the site and
orientation the building
has been designed in
three blocks to create a

12. UGC BUILDING
New Delhi

13. • Rahman was inspired from the Bauhaus ideology and building forms.
• He used R.C.C framed structure the grid was simple and thus, the
linear form
• The columns are either visible as ribs or are free standing
• Free standing columns are rectangular In shape with semi circular
ends giving the illusion of slenderness-heavy structure resting on
very little support
• A free-standing open RC staircase has been placed at the end of the
north block.
• To cut down the heat load on air-conditioning, chhajjas and louvers

14. The UGC building is much like a box shape in
overall form Being a Modernist building, it
was designed for a functional purpose
(classification of spaces being rational)
Rahman broke the building into two blocks, to fit the site.
FORM AND ORIENTATION

15. • The facades were divided into horizontal chajjas n vertical louvers -
almost like a skin protecting the building
• Rather than using the same articulation on back façade of the
building, he provided two continuous overhangs on the windows-
this expression was something new that any architect had used
during that time - this would protect rooms from direct sunlight and
also help cut down the heat load on ac system
• he has protected the building from extreme climate of the regions by
creating surface of smaller units consisting vertical and horizontal
louvers and hangovers. Closely placed vertical louvers and thin
hangovers with cut-outs at every interval space create the perfect
play of mass and voiding the façade of the building.
FAÇADE TREATMENT

16. Façade detail
of front
elevation
Façade detail
of rear
elevation

17. Not much ornamentation is done
except the use
of concrete jaali. Rather than going
overboard
with it, Rahman has used very limited
amount of
this expression at few places - end of
corridors
and at the ground floor parking of the

18. RABINDRA BHAWAN
New Delhi

19. • Rabindra Bhavan was built to mark the birth centenary ofTagore, who in addition to
being a poet and novelist, was an artist, playwright and composer.The building is
thus the home of three National Academies: Lalit Kala (Plastic Arts), Sangeet Natak
(Dance, Drama and Music) and Sahitya (Literature).
• “Rabindra Bhawan, which was nominated for the Aga Khan award in 1980, was the first
building where I could free myself from the influence of Walter Gropius. This building belongs to
India. Here I used traditional Indian elements such as chajjas , jalis and overhanging roof. It was
the first functional building to give me aesthetical satisfaction. Maybe it was Rabindranath’s
artistic genius that inspired me to give unemotionally moving quality to the building. I feel proud
to have been able to design memorials to both the Mahatma and Gurudev.” Rahman Habib 1965

20. ELEMENTS
• The building is divided into three major blocks-
administrative building, exhibition gallery and
theatre.
• The administrative block, which is the biggest
of all, occupies prominent amount of space on
the site.
• TheY - shape is chosen very thoughtfully to
cover the maximum area on the site
Reinterpreted form of chajjas in continuous
horizontal louvers.
• Composite structure of the building of brick

21. Shape and positioning of the
wings follows the shape of
the site
Use of pure geometry in overall form of the
building. Rahman created an interconnected
structure free from Gropius’s box shapes and
the Bauhaus factory aesthetics.

22. • The administrative block, which is the biggest of all, occupies
prominent amount of space on the site.The architects vision was to
make a bold statement and hold itself on the huge site- hence the
monumental scale of the block
• TheY - shape is chosen very thoughtfully to cover the maximum area
on the site. Not only that, the shape of the block creates different
sizes of pockets where other two blocks are placed
• Unlike other modernists, who tried to design their building like a
piece of art and created large open spaces to view the building,
Rahman broke his building into different blocks to create gali-like
greets – which he borrowed from Indian architecture.
• Basic layout of the building having service core in the Centre and
functional spaces around

23. BASIC LAYOUT
FUNTIONAL
TRANSITIONAL
VERTICALTRANSITIONAL
OFFICE
CORRIDORS
SERVICE CORE

24. FACADE
• Reinterpreted form of chajjas in continuous horizontal louvers
• the louvered rows are placed on cantilevered brackets

25. • RCC sun shades in two continuous
rows over all the windows have
been provided, the lower row in
each case being placed on
cantilevered brackets so that it is
away from the wall and is no
obstruction to breeze.
The administration block
View of the Academy building, showing the
use of stone, jalis

26. Academy building (left)
viewed from the
exhibition block lawns
Free-standing spiral
staircase in the
exhibition gallery
Use of random rubble
masonry on the wall

27. Thank you