Joseph Allen Stein was an American architect who worked in India for over 50 years. Some key works include the Indian Habitat Centre in New Delhi, which features a continuous roof space frame and balances blue, green, and red colors. At the American International School, he used folded steel lattice vaulting at the classrooms. For Escorts Limited, he employed different shell configurations like barrel vaults and hyperbolic domes. Throughout his career, Stein aimed for an appropriate modern regionalism that considered the local environment, materials, and human scale.

1. JOSEPH ALLEIN STEIN
CONTEMPORARY
ARCHITECT
REF : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Allen_Stein
GARIMA BANSAL, 41

2. The path from United States to
California, India and beyond
• Early life : awarded in Yale University;
studied in Beaux Arts Institute, NY
worked with arch. Ely Jacques Kahn
and Richard Neutra
• His own office, 1942 in San Francisco.
• Came to India post-independence. Worked for half a
century.
• It was the same time when architects like Le Corbusier,
Louis Kahn, Charles and Ray Eames, Edward Durrel
Stone, Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew working in India.

3. 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 the nature of the
problem, as much as one possibly can.
- J A Stein

4. Design Features
• Interrelationships of site with landscape,
structure and materials; sun and shade.
• Horizontal and vertical Garden.
• Use of local material.
• Use of jali
• Use of courtyard. Blend of built and garden
that makes the space extended.
• Use of modern construction techniques.
• Shell geometries – Dome, Vault and factory
roof system

5. PRIMARY STUDY
INDIAN HABITAT CENTRE , 1986

6. GROUND FLOOR PLAN OF IHC

7. • The building has monumental
scale.
landscaping and texture bring it to
the human scale.
• Roof has continuous space frame of rotating
panels unite the whole space
• It has colour balance .
Blue colour of Rotating panels , green of
plantations and Earthy red of the bricks

8. AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL , 1970

9. CONICAL STEEL LATTICES AT CLASSROOM
REF : http://dglarchitects.com/projects/library-for-hs-ms-at-american-embassy-school-new-delhi

10. The FOLDED SHELL of the steel lattice vaulting at the classroom
Ref: American Embassy School 50th Aniversary Video
://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJXRRD_cnlQ

11. INDUSTRIAL BUILDING FOR ESCORTS LIMITED , 1988
Ref : http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-17980088

12. The Building features four different shell
configurations
• Barrel vault lattice shell,
Escorts plant I (1962)
• Hyperbolic parabolic lattice shell,
for Escorts II plant (1964)
• Concrete domes for storage facilities (1965)
• Octagonal steel lattice domes,
For plant at Surajpur (1988)

13. AKSHARA THEATRE, 1972
Designed by poet, director Gopal Sharman
Built by Stein.
Human Scale of the buildings, makes it
best for bringing human environment
- J A Stein
Ref : Joseph Stein and The Akshara Theatre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDcdBI5uHWg

14. • Thus, the modern style of architecture
designed by Joseph Allen Stein adapted to
varying geological and climatic conditions.
• Stein believed in using building materials in
their original form — like he never covered
stone with plaster.
• There is a strong relationship and harmony
between the immediate environment and the
buildings .