Kanvinde was an influential Indian architect known for introducing modernism and functionalism to architecture in India. He designed several notable buildings at IIT Kanpur using a Bauhaus and Brutalist style featuring cubic shapes, flat roofs, and exposed concrete. The IIT Kanpur campus features academic buildings arranged around a central green area, with residential halls surrounding it to promote interaction. Kanvinde emphasized functionality, use of local materials like brick, and bringing buildings to a human scale with consideration of light, ventilation and connection to the landscape.

1. IIT KANPUR
BY - ACHUYT KANVINDE

2. Padma Shri Achyut
Kanvinde occupied
unique position in the
history of contemporary
Indian architecture. He
was an Indian architect ,
teacher, writer and a
committed modernist as
he always desired to take
Indian architecture to be
global and to the height of
international style.1916-2002

3. ABOUT ARCHITECT
NAME ACHUYT KANVINDE
DATED 1916-2002
BIRTH PLACE Achare, in the Konkan region
of Maharashtra
GRADUATION(b.arch) Sir J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai in
1942.
TRAINING AND INFLUENCE
HAVARD UNIVERSITY
UNDER WALTER GROPIUS.
CONTEXT MODERN INDIAN ARCHITECTURE

4. BACKGROUND
• PARENTS: His mother died when he was two and his father was an
arts teacher in Mumbai. Kanvinde was also influenced by his father,
who was portrait and landscape painter.
• Career: When he returned to India in 1948 he joined the council for
“Scientific and Industrial Research”. In 1985, he
was the winner of IIA “Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal”.
• HIS FIRM: Along with his partner S. Rai, he opened
a firm Kanvinde, Rai and Chowdhury in
New Delhi (which is currently run by Sanjay
Kanvinde, B.K. Tanuja and Murad Chowdhury).
• The University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
campus designed by Kanvinde and Rai

5. HIS WORKS

6. DESIGN PHILOSPY
• FUNCTIONALIST STYLE OF DESIGN
FUNCTIONALISM WAS AN APPROACH TO DESSIGN AS PER THE
CONCEPT THAT THE SPACE AND FORM OF A BUILDING SHOULD
EMERGE OUT OF THE LOGICAL ARRANGEMENT OF SPACE INSIDE
AND NOT FROM ANY PREDETERMINED IDEA LIKE SYMMETRY.
FUNCTIONALIST BELIVED A BUILDING SHOULD ONLY HAVE
FEATURES THAT WERE FUNCTIONALLY NECESSARY AND NO NON-FUNCTIONAL
DECORATION.THEY LEAD TO HUMANE SPACE THAT IS SPACE WHERE YOU FELT
WELCOME AND COMFORTABLE. HE USED LASTEST TECHNOLOGY AND INDU-
STRIAL MATERIALS LIKE DOOR AND WINDOWS AND RCC.
•LOGIC OF LIGHTNESS
THE COMPLETE FOCUS ON THE MATERIALS TO BE USED IN
CONSTRUCTION KANVINDE ALWAYS TRY TO DEVELOP SUCH
AN ATHESTIC FOR A HAVEY MASS
CONSTRUCTION THAT LOOKS LIGHT.
NATIONAL INSURANCE
ACADEMY AT PUNE

7. • RATIONALIST
KANVINDE REVEAL THE INTERNAL FUNCTIONAL
IN A BUILDING AS SEPARATE MASSES AND THEN
ARRANGED IN A WAYS THAT WERE FUNCTIONAL
FROM INSIDE AND ELEGANT FROM OUTSIDE
•SENSE OF SPACE
HUMANESS IS ALL ABOUT SIZE AND SCALE,
KANVINDE ALWAYS TRIED TO BRING DOWN
BUILDINGS TO HUMANE SCALE AND A CONNECTION TO THE BUILT
HERITAGE IN A LOCALITY.
•KANVIDE WAS AN ARCHITECT OF SECOND GENERATION OF
CONTEMPRY INDIAN ARCHITECTURE ( 1950 - 1980) .
•DURING THIS ERA MODERNISM WAS ATTRACTIVE TO DEVELOPING
SOCIETIES TRYING TO BREAK FROM THE MEMORIES OF EUROPEAN
COLONIALISM THAT THE OLDER STYLE STILL CARRIED.
• KANVIDE INTRODUCE MODERN ARCHITECTURE TO HUMANE PATH
AND INNOVATIVELY BLEND TECHNOLOGY AND ATHESTICS
IIT
KANPUR
NIBM
DESIGN PHILOSPY

8. The various Bauhaus characteristics
visible in Kanvinde's works would be
• Asymmetry
• Blocky
• Cubic shapes
• Smooth, flat plain, undecorated surfaces
•‘Flat’ roofs
• Adoption of steel-framed or reinforced-concrete
post-and-slab.
Kanvindeplayed with spaceand form and much moreimportanceto natural light.
Hebelieved that “therelationshipsof thepartsand materialsof the building area
working morality.
STYLE- BRUTALISM&REGIONALISM
By theend of 1960sKanvinde’sexpressivearchitecturewasvariously interpreted as"an
architectural expression that reflected thecultureand aspirations" and "clearly reflected
theriseof theBrutalism polemic of architecture.” Expressed Concretestructurein
combination with brick becamethedynamic determinant of form and order.
Brick
Cement

9. PRINCIPLES

10. DESIGN CONCEPT
 He practiced perfectly for 55 years, he was considered the pioneer of
what may be termed the modern movement in architecture in India.
 An art can be to nourish the senses. Art is purely an aesthetic exercise.
 He believed that a grid of columns forming a matrix giving structural
and spatial aspect would turn a design to more sophisticated and
faceted.
 He treated his building with “VASTUSHASTRA”.
 THE BAUHAUS STYLE: Studying under Walter Gropius, kanvind
developed a whole new outlook towards architecture. He was greatly
influenced by the Bauhaus style, which later on was adopted in his
various buildings.

11. SPATIAL ORGANIZATION
• Kanvinde plays with space and forms. His designs are slender, balanced,
proportionate, neat and well crafted.
• The building is important but most important is the gate of the user.
• Example is “ISKCON Temple”. He gave much importance to natural light. He
gave such a form to the building that it can solve the problem of ventilation as
well as excessive heat.
• He also believed in Vernacular
Architecture.
• Both inherent values and
Historical influences contributed
towards good architecture.
ISKCON TEMPLE, DELHI

13. IIT KANPUR
• IIT-Kanpur is located on the Grand Trunk Road, 15 km west of Kanpur
City and measures close to 420hectares. This land was gifted by the
Government of Uttar Pradesh in 1960 and by March 1963 the Institute had
moved to its current location.

16. IITK

17. FEATURES
• The IITK campus occupies a 1055 acre area.
• The Academic Complex is located centrally at the site and free from traffic
noise.
• Academic buildings: 13 departments, PK Kelkar Library, Computer Centres
faculty offices, laboratories and administrative buildings
• Around 7000 students, 390 faculty, and 1000 staff members (and their families)
reside on campus
• No. of buildings: 108
• 10 boys hostel and 2 girls hostel
• With Sports complex, Housing for faculty
• The site is flat with the canal on one side and transportation route on the other
side.
• Pedestrian and vehicular traffic are completely segregated.

18. CONCEPT AND IDEOLOGY
• The residential campus is planned and landscaped with a hope for
environmental freedom.
• Halls of residence, faculty and staff houses and community buildings surround
the central academic area to provide flexibility in movement and
communication.
• Core Pedestrian island which consist of lecture halls surrounded by
landscaping and water body forming the main focus of the campus.
• The academic area is well connected by a long corridor which links all the
major buildings
• The academic area is set up in vicinity of Hostels to provide quick accessibility
to students
• Conventional type of buildings were designed as isolated islands
of departments
• Activities which students and faculties share are designed to encourage
meeting and interaction

19. Academic Area
• Institute's Academic Area comprises academic buildings and facilities including
the PK Kelkar Library, Computer Centre, National Wind Tunnel Facility and
SIDBI Innovation and Incubation Centre. It also houses faculty offices,
laboratories and administrative buildings. The academic area is connected by a
long corridor which links all the major buildings.
SIDBI INNOVATION & INCUBATION CENTRE

20. P.K. KELKAR LIBRARY
• Established in 1960 as Central Library. Established in 1960
as Central Library. „ Renamed as P.K. Kelkar Library in
2001. Renamed as P.K. Kelkar Library in 2001. „
• Four-storied building (covered area: 5730 sq. m.)
• Basement - 700 sq m
• Ground floor - 700 sq m
• First floor -1630 sq m
• Second floor - 2700 sq m
• Staff strength – 40
• Exposed brickwork:
reduces maintenance
costs and enhances
aesthetic appeal

21.  The library forms an important part of the whole complex.
 It is a framed structure based on grid.
 The whole building is built in R.C.C with a brick facade.
P.K. KELKAR LIBRARY

22. Connecting corridors
P.K. Kelkar library
Structural design
Of library

23. IIT-K
• The residential campus is planned and landscaped with a
hope for environmental freedom.
• Halls of residence, faculty and staff houses and community
buildings surround the central academic area to provide
flexibility in movement and communication.
• Taking into consideration the reality that research work in
the present time is a collaborative work of varied
disciplines, curriculum of studies is worked out, with that
goal in mind.

24. HALL OF RESIDENCE

27. In retrospect, that style shows a
remarkable similarity with the
brute morphology of vernacular
architecture in parts of India.
Expressed Concrete structure in
combination with brick became the
dynamic determinant of form and
order.
Kanvinde’s expressive architecture
was variously interpreted as "an
architectural expression that
reflected the culture and
aspirations“.

28. SPLIT LEVEL CORRIDOR SYSTEM
•Minimize the walking distance, improving connectivity
•Create spatial expansion
•Give the impression of one large space hence space is used as a tool

29. • Elevated pedestrian walkway
• Sheltered and yet openness
• Protection from hot sun yet
allowing breezes
IIT KANPUR

30. VISUAL EXPRESSION OF
THE STRUCTURE RATHER
THAN HIDING ITS
STRUCTURAL
COMPONENTS

31. ORIENTATION
LIBRARY
VISITORS HOSTEL

32. STUDY OF BUILDINGS

33. OPEN AIR THEATER
COMPUTER CENTER
VIEW
THE NATIONAL WIND TUNNEL FACILITY(NWTF)
established in 1999 at IITK to meet the national needs in
areas of aeronautical and non -aeronautical R and D
activities, houses the most versatile and effective wind
tunnel in India. It has various simulation and
measurement systems, interchange able test sections
and is capable of testing at wind speed up to 80 m/s

34. SECTION

35. The Bauhaus influence in
Kanvinde’s style is clearly
visible in the buildings of IIT
Kanpur.
•cubic shapes
•smooth, flat plain,
undecorated surfaces
•complete elimination of all
mouldings and ornament
•‘flat’ roofs
IITK

36. Terrace
Terrace
Compute
r
Research
Research
• Reveals the internal functions in a building as separate masses.
• Arranged in ways that were functional from inside and elegant
from outside.
• Kanvinde strongly believed that the elevation of a structure should
be defined by the functions inside.
Research
Conference
Computer
IITK

37. MATERIALS
• In Kanpur, the local availability of high quality brick and the
prevalent labour and construction practices made Kanvinde go for
reinforced concrete for structural frames and brick as infill's .
• reinforced-concrete post-and-slab construction, with a series of flat
slab-floors and a flat roof-slab carried on concrete columns or posts
bricks

38. CONCLUSION
• His works are generally raw and unemotional. Yet he
managed to make his designs appealing and welcoming.
• His designs were distinct and unique yet having one thing
similar- functionalism.
• His designs appear to be built with a large amount of thought
having been given to making them functionally efficient and
practically feasible.
• Conventional type of buildings were designed as isolated
islands of departments.
• Activities which students and faculties share are designed to
encourage meeting and interaction.

39. THANK YOU
BY
YESHASWINI