Matharoo Associates

Philip Jodidio

Foreword by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara

Architectural Practice in India

Winners 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize

Philip Jodidio

Foreword by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara

Architectural Practice in India

Winners 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize

Contents 7 Foreword Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara Grafton Architects

8 Introduction Philip Jodidio

Early Works 1992–1996 18 Path In Between 18 Family Center 19 Home with a Hundred Columns 19 Cubes and Curves

126 Net House 132 Marbled House 136 Fountainhead School 144 Pool 152 Powerhouse 156 Urban Stitch 162 Embers and Ash 168 Open and Shut Case 170 Log(ical)-eco Housing 176 Fissured Living

Works Across Two Decades

182 Stripped Mobius

22 The Last Abode

186 Plain Ties

30 First Blood

192 House In-situ

40 Prime Minister Fund Schools

196 Shifting Domains

48 Inside Out

200 Notion of Motion

54 Random Order

202 Open Door

58 House with the Warped Court

212 Man-made God

66 Frugal Health

218 Cut Fold Bend Play

72 Queen Marys School 76 Track Record 82 House With Balls 90 House with the Wall of Light 96 Set in Stone 102 The Urban Cast 106 Urban Healer 114 Between the Waters 120 Moving Landscapes

Upcoming Works 228

Forest Lodge

229

Multi-use Development

230 Sikh Heritage Center

Appendix 232 Project Credits 237 Matharoo Team 239 Index of Projects

Foreword One of the benefits of being on Architectural Competition Juries is

because architects are space-makers, whether at the scale of the

that it provides the privilege of seeing submissions from all around

city, of landscape, or in the smallest enclosure. We were interested

the world, discovering names of architects you did not know,

in submissions to the Biennale that would go beyond the visual,

finding projects that are inventive, creative, and beautiful.

emphasizing the role of architecture in the choreography of life.

One such submission was from Matharoo Associates.

As a result of being on the Architectural Review Jury in 2009, we came across the architects Matharoo Associates for the first time.

Their work represented in the Biennale was a project which

One of the Emerging Awards Winners was the studio’s work for

concerned itself with the making of freespace within a tight urban

Curtain Door, located in Surat, India. This was a tall sinuous door,

plot, using economic means. The architects talked about liberating

made up of numerous timber pieces, transforming the familiar, a

structure from its load-bearing role, using it rather as a space-

tactile re-imagining of a threshold.

making element, forming a series of interlocking planes, bent and folded into each other. Their aim was to eliminate perceived

Over the years, we watched the work of this practice, enjoying

boundaries and allow small spaces to be perceived as being bigger

various aspects including crafted inventions embedded in and

than they actually are. The project was important because of its

transforming the work: dangling concrete spheres with counter-

focus on structure—one of the basic elements of architecture—

balanced shutters working on a system of wire pulleys, as part of

and also because it provided a sense of play and delight to what

the weekend house, which also contains tanks for breeding fish;

might otherwise be conceived as a mute and silent component.

moving marble walls, transforming the boundaries of a house, connecting and separating, orchestrating the changing aspects of

We see this quality in much of the work of Matharoo Associates,

contemporary communal and private lives.

seeming to be both serious and playful, such as the House With Balls or the Moving Landscapes house. They describe their aspiration

When we were the Curators of the 2018 Venice Architecture

for architecture and structure to be “liberated from this theoretical

Biennale, our manifesto was titled FREESPACE, where we set out

burden”. Their “Biennale” house has now been translated from idea

aspects of architecture that we wished to highlight and nourish. All

to reality, its folding concrete “ribbons” enclosing actual lives.

invited participants and every national pavilion was encouraged to bring to the Biennale their FREESPACE, so that we would reveal

We look forward to the monograph on the work of studio Matharoo,

the diversity, specificity, and continuity in architecture based

certain we will be encouraged and inspired by the work of such

on people, place, time, and history, sustaining the culture and

skilled colleagues.

relevance of architecture across the world. We emphasized space

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara

Opposite: The Biennale installation for FREESPACE translated from idea to reality in Cut Fold Bend Play (page 218).

ST R I P P E D MO B I U S

7

Grafton Architects, Winners 2020 Pritzker Prize

With no background in Ahmedabad, the firm participated in and won a number of competitions in India, but for the most part, these projects did not advance. In the early years of the studio between 1991 and 1994, the first built work revolved around small houses in Ajmer.

Introduction

Between 1995 and 1998, Matharoo worked as an Associate on a caseby-case basis with the Ahmedabad firm Hasmukh C Patel Architects and Planners, gaining experience on large-scale industrial projects, and simultaneously working in his own two-person office. He won the competitions for his first large projects, the Ashwinikumar Crematorium (page 22) and Prathama Blood Centre (page 30), built

Breaking Down the Barriers

in 2000 and 2001 respectively. Although he has continued to build

Gurjit Matharoo was born in 1966 in Ajmer, Rajasthan. Originally

private houses, Gurjit Matharoo has also worked on large buildings

from Punjab, the Matharoo family relocated to Rajasthan at that time,

simultaneously, and spanned diverse scales of projects.

where his great grandfather worked for the British designing colonial buildings. The male family members of his father’s generation were

Raw Surfaces Washed with Light

more inclined toward engineering, but Matharoo decided to enroll in

Gurjit Matharoo and his team have been the winners of numerous

a five-year architecture program and received his diploma (equivalent

international awards, including several given by the Architectural

to a B.Arch.) in Architecture at the Center for Environmental Planning

Review (London)—for the Emerging Architecture Awards Cycle. The

and Technology (CEPT, Ahmedabad, 1989). When a Swiss friend drew

Ashwinikumar Crematorium, the first gas-fired facility in the country,

a sketch of Casa Kalman by Luigi Snozzi, Matharoo was so inspired

was the Editors Choice selected by Peter Davey in 2003 and Prathama

that he decided to work in his studio under one of the associates,

Blood Centre, the largest blood center in India, was the Recommended

Michele Arnaboldi (Locarno, 1989–90) in the Italian-speaking Ticino

Entry in 2005. In 2009, Curtain Door (page 90) was declared the Winner

region of Switzerland. Snozzi (b. 1932) is one of the best-known

of the Emerging Architecture Award and the following year House

and most influential figures in Swiss modern architecture. Shortly

With Balls (page 82) won the top prize in the AR 2010 House Awards.

thereafter, Matharoo worked with Giorgio Guscetti (Ambri, 1990–91)

Catherine Slessor, the Editor of the magazine commented, “The

on a competition entry for a TV tower in Berne, which took third

project exploits its economy and ease of construction, but Matharoo

place. From the jury description in French, Matharoo was able to

also clearly relishes concrete’s structural and expressive qualities. Here

recognize the word clarté. Matharoo’s diploma thesis, written the

the pours have a powerful artisanal quality that echoes the work of

previous year was incidentally titled “Clarity.” For his thesis, he studied

Corb and Kahn in the subcontinent, the universal material becoming

buildings such as Ando’s Chapel on Mount Rokko (Kobe, 1986),

intimate and particular, raw surfaces washed with light.”1 Matharoo’s

the Pompidou Centre by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers (Paris,

designs for ESIC Hospital (page 106) and Set in Stone (page 96) were

1977), Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion (1929) and

both nominated for the Aga Khan Awards. Net House (page 126) was

Le Corbusier’s Millowners’ Association Building (Ahmedabad, 1954)

awarded the 2011 International Architecture Award, given by the

and Notre-Dame-du-Haut Ronchamp Chapel (1955).

Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. In 2011,

In 1991, Matharoo began teaching at his alma mater CEPT

the ETH in Zurich selected Matharoo as one of seven promising

and

established

his

own

firm

Matharoo

Associates

in

Ahmedabad, in a space overlooking the city’s Sabarmati river.

The firm began functioning with two drawing boards in a 100-square-foot (9-square-meter) rented corner of an office, and eventually expanded to take up the entire space of 600 square feet Top: A 1904 pen and ink drawing of a door by Gurjit Matharoo’s great-grandfather, Thakur Singh Matharoo (an Arts graduate who worked for the British).

Bottom: The design for an art center, in pencil on parchment; a fifth-semester drawing (1985) by Gurjit Matharoo at the School of Architecture, CEPT, Ahmedabad.

(56 square meters). In 2011, A+U (Japan) covered it as one of fifty

architectural practices worldwide. In 2012, Matharoo was shortlisted for the BSI Swiss Architectural Awards and invited to present his work at the 2017 Bienal De Chile and twice consecutively at the Venice Architecture Biennale curated by Alejandro Aravena in 2016 and

Top: Ink on Tracing by Gurjit Matharoo; competition entry for a TV tower at Berne, Switzerland, which secured third place with Flli Guscetti Architects, Ambri, Switzerland, 1990.

Grafton Architects in 2018. Both curators went on to become winners of the 2016 and 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize(s), respectively.

selected architectural offices in the world. Subsequently, the studio moved to its own 7,910-square-foot (735-square-meter) building

Middle: Matharoo Associates’ first studio (1991–2015) overlooking the Sabarmati River; selected as

called the Pool (page 144).

1 https://www.architectural-review.com/buildings/ar-house-2010-winner-house-with -balls-by-matharoo-associates/8603598.article, accessed June 29, 2019.

9

one of fifty architectural studios from around the world by A+U in 2011.

Bottom: The winning entry for the Invited Competition (1991) by the Jain Vishwa Bharati Institute, a university project that was shelved before construction.

In the Footsteps of Le Corbusier and Doshi

Giuseppe Terragni (1904–1943) and Carlo Scarpa (1906–1978), and

makes them unnatural—disconnecting them from self as

Ahmedabad is the fifth most-populous city of India but more

among more recent figures Bernard Khoury and Ensamble Studio

well as surroundings.

important in this instance, it is known as an architectural capital. This is where Le Corbusier built Villa Sarabhai (1955) and Villa Shodhan (1956). The Swiss-French master worked in Ahmedabad after having been called in 1950 to complete the master planning and much of the governmental architecture of Chandigarh, today the capital of Punjab and Haryana. Frank Lloyd Wright created an unbuilt design for the administrative office for Calico Mills, and Buckminster Fullers Calico Dome was erected in Ahmedabad in 1962. Louis Kahn built the Indian Institute of Management (IIM-A) in the city, which he

(Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa) among his favorites.

3

Holy Cows and Succulent Thighs At a presentation in February 2012 for the NZIA Conference in Auckland, New Zealand, Matharoo laid out his themes related to the contemporary architecture of India under the typically humoristic

follow an austere approach where the only embellishment is light falling on materials we use in their natural form—much like carvings do to a temple.

Continuing analogies that might be considered a shade too

what can be termed a certain modesty or calmness, in contrast to any

cosmetic if not sexual, Gurjit Matharoo refers to the popular use

agitated effort to be noticed.

of botulinum toxin to chide colleagues who privilege façades too

A. Succulent Thighs, Juicy Breasts, Great Legs

the influence of two major Indian modern architects has been felt.

Before it descends into something scandalous, we’re only

The first of these is Balkrishna Doshi (b. 1927), founder-director of CEPT, School of Architecture (1962–72), who became the first Indian winner of the Pritzker Prize in 2018. Charles Correa (1930– 2015), recipient of the Royal Gold Medal for architecture (1984) contemporary of Doshi and designer of the museum at Gandhi Ashram (1963) in Ahmedabad. Among other achievements, Doshi

typical character of our cities where spaces scream for

Buildings are literally only skin deep, and where curiosity

attention; one louder than the other.

and interest ends with the special “façade,” while the Our take: There are intangible factors in a building, and there

and form cocoons away from the hustle-bustle of the city.

are questions of whether you are psychologically comfortable

of Le Corbusier. As it happens, in 2014, Gurjit Matharoo was the

on contemporary architecture to his own work, pleading for the

third Indian architect to become an International Fellow of the

presence of wit and innovation in an environment that he judges

Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) after Doshi and Correa.

devoid of substantive originality.

the death of Charles Correa. He wrote “I am saddened by the death of Charles Correa; so highly talented and a nice man as well. His example is a good one—for I have never subscribed to the idea that there is a ‘Utopian’ architecture and then a ‘normal’ architecture. I believe that the mainstream (philistine) world likes to use the idea

structural frames and the walls remain anonymous within.

consciously create spaces that are subdued in their context,

Matharoo also relates his humorous approach to commenting

architecture was highlighted by Sir Peter Cook on the occasion of

truth in contemporary architecture.

D. Botoxed Set

and Correa are credited with giving an Indian spirit to the modernism

His connection to the earlier important figures of modern Indian

much, suggesting instead that there must be a deeper internal

talking about the sign board on a chicken shop. Now a

Our take: Instead of participating in this one-upmanship, we

and the 1998 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, was a long-time

or enjoy being in it. We try to create buildings with a high emotive content, that are meant to be discovered; unfolding around one’s body as one moves through them, revealing their secrets and meanings; over time and over spatial layers.

It is said that India is a country of followers, and as long as one

The integration and optimization of structure and architecture are

is following the other, no questions are asked and everybody

seen in his works as well. In the five-story-high Rajasthan Hospital

is content. Perhaps the same holds true for its architecture—

(page 66), the walls and slab are just 6 inches (150 millimeters) thick.

unity handling architecture, interiors, product and structural design

leaving little scope for innovation or wit. Architecture that tries

This resulted in a reduction in building costs to a mere INR300 (US$4)

as a wholesome one.” Matharoo’s interest in designing automobiles

to question the norm faces acute resistance in our society.

per square foot, slashing what was considered a low cost in India in

as a hobby is another influence he traces to his father, who often

2005 by 50 percent. The use of integration permits the creation of a

dismantled his BSA Twin motorcycle and put it back together. From

minimal wall footprint, with an extra usable area of 8 to 10 percent

renowned motorcycle journalist Sir Alan Cathcart:

builders, so as to keep them out of the action and not show the

buildings are not sterile, but fun to be in. They add a degree

mainstream for what it often is—lacking in wit and invention. Charles

of playfulness in an otherwise monotonous environment.

when compared to a conventional framed structure with infill walls.

Matharoo identifies Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier as his

(page 102), this is the equivalent of an additional room. The architect’s

the architect decries superficial embellishment and forcefully

sources of inspiration. Of the latter, he says, “Architecture at our studio

father, Rajendra Singh Matharoo, who trained as a structural engineer,

argues for a more natural and reduced approach.

took voluntary retirement from being the Principal at Government

C. Sweet Boxes Often buildings are dressed in unnecessary ornamentation

reason and emotion. His forms are not only protected from, but come

that is not suited to our times. Covered by flashy coating

alive with the harsh tropical sun playing on them.” Matharoo also cites

2

Peter Cook, Domus India, vol. 4, issue 10 (September 2015).

3

Home Review India, vol. 15 (December 2016).

4

Ibid.

I N T RO D U C T I O N

“I compliment Mr. [Gurjit] Matharoo on his imaginative

In small homes, such as Inside Out (page 48) and The Urban Cast

Referring still to his ideas about the situation in India in particular,

and place—low cost, rough and labor-intensive, filled with both

Bottom: The Bestiale 2019—based on a 1979 Suzuki GSX 750, a custom-designed motorcycle by Gurjit Matharoo.

Evocative Space that you can Dwell In

Our take: To inject projects with a potent dose of wit, so

is a fallout of his principles, which I think are best suited to our culture

Top: Text source extracted for “Succulent Thighs, Juicy Breasts, Great Legs” presentation at the New Zealand Institute of Architects Conference, Auckland 2012.

B. Holy Cows

of the ‘Utopian’ to pigeon-hole the more creative architects as non-

Correa spanned all. So too does Gurjit Singh Matharoo, I think.”

doubt, reduce; when not in doubt, surely reduce”. We try to

title “Succulent Thighs and Other Stories”.4 His first theme underlines

worked on until his death in 1974. Ahmedabad is also a city where

2

Our take: We work with our internal philosophy of “when in

ideas. Though some appear to have been born more from a desire to be different than for practicality of purpose, examples like the Irarei (Integrated Ram Air, Radiator, Exhaust Induction) are a different matter. I believe this

Polytechnic College, Udaipur, and joined the firm at its inception. His

design needs to be taken further. It’s a pity Bimota aren’t in

wife, Komal Matharoo, also an architect joined him from 1996 to 2001,

business anymore, otherwise I’d suggest he contact them to

and again from 2013 onwards. Gurjit Matharoo explains, “My father’s

see if they’d like to put it into metal.” 5

contribution as a structural designer made our firm an integrated 5

11

Alan Cathcart in “Bricks and Motor,” Autocar India, 2001. Bimota, a motorcycle manufacturing company, was founded in 1973.

Although Matharoo makes clear his fascination with the closely

The unexpected approach and innovative work of Gurjit Matharoo

design process with local sensibilities.” Another recurring aspect

connected mechanics of vehicles, in an interview with the Japanese

is perhaps best explained in his own words. He is lucid about his

in his work is the use of materials in their natural form, be it

magazine Global Architecture, he stated, “I think the spaces that

own place in the world of Indian architecture, and clear in his

concrete, steel, brick, or stone. These materials age well, are low

you make in architecture have no parallel. The creation of evocative

reasoning. When asked why surprises and mechanisms figure

maintenance, and come alive in the tropical sun. “I do not know if

space that you can dwell in is the ultimate joy of architecture. This

prominently in his work, he states that the idea of surprise has

this can be called a style,” says Matharoo, “but, looking back, I find

is missing in automobiles.”

been in his work since the beginning. He refers to the crypt of Le

that these different elements combine in a way that has produced

Corbusier’s Convent of La Tourette (Eveux, France, 1961) or the

a great diversity of designs.”

6

Fissures and Shells The work of Gurjit Matharoo often takes on fundamental issues of

being spaces that are mysterious, and which draw people toward

contemporary architecture, dealing along the way with the powerful

them.” It is this quality that we seek in our buildings—they must

changes that have occurred in Indian society since the heyday

elevate you emotionally and also intellectually; they must create

of Doshi and Correa. The house he calls Fissured Living (page

delight. This is what I would call the prime purpose of architecture,”

176), for example, proposes a solution for the rising dissolution of

he says. He feels on the other hand that mechanisms are added

multi-generational families that now tend to live more and more

to his buildings for reasons of functionality, for example, walls

apart because of the increased accessibility of individual houses.

that open out and claim margins add another room to a house.

This 14,000-square-foot (1,300-square-meter) residence provides

Opening and closing walls are used as a climate device as movable

private areas for the families of two brothers and their parents,

brise-soliel, to modulate privacy, or for security in other projects. A

calling on “the essence of the vernacular settlement” in India, and

mundane element like a door that pivots in an unexpected way

uses local stone in a composition “reminiscent of ancient ruins

is functional art—an embodiment of a mathematical equation or

with its blocks shifted over time.” Despite these references to

a mental construct that actually moves. Playing on words as he

Indian architecture, the will of the architect (and of course the

often does, Matharoo says, “We sometimes interpret our ‘building

client) is to suggest a modern way for families to remain together

that moves’ as a ‘building that moves you,’ making it one of the

without jettisoning the older generation as is the case in so many

important tools in the creation of delight.”

Western countries.

Top: Mathematical derivation and intricate detailing of hardware is done in-house at the Matharoo studio.

Bottom: Unbuilt project for the Ordos 100 Museum of Houses, where Matharoo Associates was the only Indian architect to be handpicked by architects Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with artist Ai Weiwei.

steps of Adalberto Libera’s Casa Malaparte (Capri, Italy, 1937) as

work does not always appear to have a recognizable “style.” There

question—that of “shedding all baggage, leaving the city behind”

is clearly an effort to avoid thinking about trends and to focus

to be at one with the sea. Calling on the evanescent imagery of

instead on each particular case and how it differs from any other.

marooned ships, aquatic animals, and old forts, Matharoo uses a

The context and peculiarities in the brief are exaggerated and

long curving wall in basalt to represent a threshold between one

become the starting points. The architect has the consistent idea

world and another, where views of the sea are omnipresent. The

of connecting to nature—the nature that is outside, but also our

idea of “blurring the lines between illusion and reality” is also very

own nature—that which is within us. In this relation, according to

present in the Moving Landscapes house (page 120). Calling on his

Matharoo, the building is a kind of catalyst that is not consumed by

fascination for mechanical or moving features, here the architect

the reaction it engenders.

walls of local stone, whose imposing blocks pivot “at the touch of a button” to “reveal a transparent, cocooned interior.” In a similar case, the CREDAI Corporate Headquarters (page 202) took into account the need for exhibition space and banquets that are often required by the developer group. The building literally opens out to the public, with its manually operated three-story-high walls moving away to connect the inside to the road during events.

6

was chosen by Herzog & de Meuron for the Ordos 100 project in Inner Mongolia. At the presentation, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei commented that his design was very sensitive to Chinese culture, and later wrote of the relevance of Matharoo within the Indian context: “While the works resonate with the scale and material qualities of early Modernism, they retain a distinctly Indian flavor in their rudimentary palette of materials … With scale, texture, and basic materials, he stamps his character onto the buildings and instils an aroma of India into the design. He is able to direct social needs with his powerful forms.”7 Gurjit Matharoo was born in Rajasthan, which is about 350 miles (565 kilometers) from Punjab, where his family came from. He set up his practice in Ahmedabad, which is another 300 miles (480 kilometers) away, after training in Bhutan and Switzerland.

His projects have a wide geographic spread within India.” So, if you

The approach of Gurjit Matharoo implies almost directly that his

Between the Waters (page 114) addresses another modern

created an “impregnable shell” with 15-foot-high (4.5-meter-high)

Although the great majority of Gurjit Matharoo’s work is in India, he

ask me where I am from,” he says, “I would have to say that I cannot pinpoint one place, so I would assume that our work method is applicable almost anywhere.”

Although recognition for Indian architects seems to have come very slowly, Gurjit Matharoo does not believe that there is conscious bias against India, but rather that the architecture media were not focused on this part of the world until recently.

He points out that other very good architects have practiced in India. Achyut Kanvinde (1916–2002) and Anant Raje (1929–2009) are significant figures who may not be as well-known as they

In India, Matharoo seeks to produce architecture locally in a

deserve. When Le Corbusier came to India, he saw a building

labor-intensive way. Other countries would clearly require a

by Kanvinde and commented “Modernism is already here.”

different approach. He states, “We attempt a balance of industrial

Global architecture events and the internet have of course played

and handcrafted manual construction, and varying proportions

a big role in putting countries such as India on a more level

between the two could work in any environment. In other words,

playing field.

the design process and meticulous detailing remain the same. It is the context, resources, and problems to tackle that render the

7 10 x 10_3, Phaidon, London, 2009.

Yoshio Futagawa (ed.), GA Houses 109: Project 2009.

I N T RO D U C T I O N

13

Concrete Jungles and Turquoise Buildings

The process of Gurjit Matharoo also involves the names given to

the cartel.” Matharoo nonetheless has worked both on a larger scale

In reference to the work of the environmentalist Steward Brand,

buildings. They tend to represent a core idea while also having a

and on smaller private houses. As he says, the impact of architecture

literal meaning. For example, the Net House is covered entirely in

is not directly related to size and building type. “For us,” he says, “the

mosquito net as a direct reaction to the brief, but the dictionary

stronger the challenges of the economy, climate, and society, the

meaning of net is “clear of all else, subject to no further deductions,”

stronger are the reactions to them. Hence, bolder the designs.”8

Gurjit Matharoo has written and spoken frequently about what he calls “turquoise” architecture as opposed to green design. In reality, he has some objections to generally accepted views about green architecture. Invited to present a paper called “Of Guzzlers, Polysters

which may best describe the house. House With Balls gets its name not just from the custom-made concrete spheres used as

A Free Spirit

counterweights that inform the appearance, but also refers to a

Matharoo touches lightly on one of the reasons for which his work is

as bad in ecological terms as they appear be. Concrete and steel

simple brief and frugality taken to its extreme.

important in the context of contemporary architecture. As information

are stronger and with their lesser quantum used, he concludes,

“I was born Sikh Punjabi,” explains Gurjit Matharoo, “a 500-year-

consume less energy than other materials. They are more durable

old warrior clan that represents less than 2 percent of the Indian

and occupy less dead footprint area than other building materials.

population. ‘Warriors’ and ‘few’ is a lethal combination and maybe

Clearly, building materials that may be considered “green” in

that is why we have a view of life that is more jovial and light-

other countries do not necessarily make sense in India—where

hearted than many other religions. Most of the songs that you hear

cost is also an extremely important criterion. Matharoo says, “Just

in Bollywood are actually Sikh Punjabi songs, and in India a joke

following the past is not the way forward, we need to look in a

becomes funnier just by using Sikh characters!”

and Concrete Jungles” at the New York Material Formations Conference in 2010, he argued that some building materials are not

critical way at the green phenomena and see what is best for us.

about all parts of the world becomes more readily available, it becomes more obvious that a country like India faces many of the same challenges as other areas, which are somewhat rapidly called the developing world. While the Western media, including broad swathes of the internet, continues to focus on a limited number of countries, including the United States, Western Europe, and Japan, significant figures have emerged from other regions. The Pritzker Prize has acknowledged this obvious fact with some recent awards,

The architect’s spontaneous reference to his religion might indicate

including those given to Wang Shu (2012), Alejandro Aravena (2016)

that this is another significant element in his creativity. He comments,

and of course the Indian Balkrishna Doshi (2018), but there is still

“India is a traditional society where each state is like a different

much to be done to underline the presence and inventiveness of

country. Outside of my state, I am usually not the natural choice.

architects from other parts of the world, including Africa. Matharoo

At the beginning we got our projects through competitions. Today,

underlines a form of bias that he does not call out as such when he

clients come to us mainly because they have seen our work. In the

says that standards for the future of architecture like conventional

final analysis though, I feel we have been fortunate to have clients

green ratings may not be all that well suited to countries such as

from all sections of Indian society and been able to deliver buildings

his own. Even in this, Matharoo is a proponent of free thinking,

that are truly secular in character.” Aside from his Sikh origins,

of openness, and inventiveness, which actually knows far fewer

Matharoo clearly feels that inventive and interesting contemporary

boundaries than almost any accepted norm. In his mind and his

architecture is more the exception than the rule in India, even more

buildings, solid stone walls miraculously fold and open to bring

so than in other countries. He states that it is much more frequent for

nature into a house. Focusing on projects that help large numbers

architecture to follow established trends—what he jokingly calls “Holy

The creative process of Matharoo starts with charcoal or

of people, he has designed a blood center and blood-donation vans

Cows.” The moment architects try to break away from these norms,

pen sketches where instinct plays the lead. Architects in the

in a country that has had a psychological reticence to give blood.

even if it makes perfect sense, it is not easily accepted. Matharoo

studio are also urged to come up with overnight reactions to

Intent on meeting the needs of his clients he has privileged context

also finds that the present political situation of his country is not most

each site and brief. “It is important for me,” says Matharoo, “to

and individual requirements as opposed to any more-staid concept

favorable. “There is a certain manner in which intellectuals are now

foster a collaborative culture, while being involved personally

of style. In this he is like other architects currently practicing all over

treated,” he states. “They have less value in society than they may

through all stages of the rigorous development process.

the world, but few can lay claim like he can to an acceptance of

have had otherwise. The overall atmosphere results in people not

Architects seem to have taken it upon themselves to solve all

humor and openness to such a high degree. He does not pretend to

wishing to step outside of their conditioned responses. You clearly

the problems of the world. I tell my students to leave that job

have founded a school or started a movement, and yet, in his words

need to have an open mind to accept new ideas. The economy

to Superman and James Bond—just focus on making buildings

and in his work inspiration can be found that can serve elsewhere in

is not doing as well as it was—there is more unemployment, and

enjoyable. Like in sports, you are first taught to hit hard, and

India and far beyond.

building activity is the last of peoples’ indulgences. Public works are

precision comes in only later. We believe in madness. Mad ideas

given on the basis of the architect’s financial turnover and ‘works of

pursued with conviction result in buildings that are vibrant and

similar nature and size’ executed within the last few years, making it

non-serious.”

a Catch 22 situation and impossible for fresh architects to break into

We want to question everything. A building may not “look” green, but it might turn out to actually be more sustainable.” Similarly, the rating system for green architecture is not entirely applicable to India. It does not, feels Matharoo, take sufficiently into account the efforts made in passive energy savings. Explaining this concept even more clearly at the Bienal Panamericana de Arquitectura de Quito (BAQ) 2012 titled Back to Basics, Gurjit Matharoo wrote, “Sustainably is taking green and adding a little blue for open mindedness, so environmentalism goes hand in hand with science—a turquoise approach to architecture. We hope that with this, a new Indian Architecture will emerge, as aping the West or the past is not a solution.”

Philip Jodidio Lausanne, 2019

8

I N T RO D U C T I O N

Top: The OVAL Retail Outlet, Mangalore 2005, won through a competition. Matharoo Associates designed and built a working prototype using stainless steel and PTFE fabric in a record fifty-two days.

The quotes in this section of text are from a conversation with the author, July 3, 2019.

15

Bottom: A note on Matharoo Associates by Balkrishna Doshi, 2018 recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

EARLY WORKS 1992–1996 The influences of Gurjit Matharoo’s early works can be seen across much of his practice.

Many common themes began to develop in the residential works, especially. The center of the home is regarded as a deep, embryonic space that emerges to become connected more directly to nature outside. The home is more often crystallized as a single-bay construction with one side always open to the exterior environment. Tangible forms bring to the fore restrained lines, planes, solids, or a play of free curves set against strict geometry. Shade from the harsh sun is a feature, with devices implemented to combat heat while bringing the light indoors. Water features as an integral element of the design.

Sketch of an (unbuilt) office for a chartered accountant, Jaipur

ST R I P P E D MO B I U S

17

Top: Path In Between. Unlike the front garden norm, the site for this house in Anand is divided longitudinally with all spaces opening directly into landscape along the length of the site. By placing service blocks in an asymmetrical manner on the other side of these primary areas, a meandering path is created in between with changing vistas and surprises.

Bottom: Family Center. This house in Ajmer was an exercise in creating compact volumes by locking them into each other, with a number of interconnected levels within. Niches, depressions, alcoves, and plinths are utilized to break masses down to a low humane scale.

E A R LY WO R KS 1992–1996

Top: Home with a Hundred Columns. The brief for this house in Ajmer called for a traditional patriarchal lifestyle and age-old haveli (townhouse or mansion) typology, replete with ornate Indian sensibility. The design replaces the intricately latticed stonework of the past with economically produced high-finish precast concrete, while respecting the values attached to family organization and ornament.

Bottom: Cubes and Curves. To combat the intense heat over 113°F (45°C) in the desert city of Jodhpur, the home uses brick and stone-composite walls. While blending into the predominant city context, they are better insulated than traditional stone walls.

A swimming pool protrudes as a canopy over masonry walls below, and provides solace—physically as well psychologically.

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Works Across Two Decades Early large-scale projects were commissioned on winning competitions, though there were some, such as the University of Jain Studies in the Thar Desert, a Riverside Resort in Vapi, and the office of the Gujarat Municipal Finance Board in Gandhinagar, which remained unbuilt. Competitions helped in the formation of strong and clear architectural responses that have become hallmarks of the practice over the years. There is a fundamental integration of architecture with structure, interior and landscape across a range of projects—from small to complex Indian joint-family homes to the staple of economically driven schools, hospitals, and offices. With size not a restriction in design, several handcrafted and locally fabricated elements, such as doors, stairs, and furniture frequently occur in Matharoo Associates’ designs, complementing the acute functionality and multiplicity of the spaces.

Sketch of an (unbuilt) multi-specialty hospital, Surat

ST R I P P E D MO B I U S

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P R AT H A M A B LO O D C E N T R E , A H M E D A B A D, G U J A R AT

â–

2001

First Blood Budget Efficiency: Extreme Low Cost The project for this center is a result of an invited architectural

visually conscious of all the activities being carried out behind a glass

competition in 1998. The promoters, Advanced Transfusion

wall, showcasing the complete process including the labs, a blast

Medical Research Foundation, a not for profit charitable trust,

freezer and conference room. A support block of services, feeds the

envisioned a place that would revolutionize blood collection and

process with its requisite demands. The building stands, displaying its

blood component distribution by making it voluntary. Prathama,

intrinsic nature within, as an object rooted in nature.

in Ahmedabad, was to be the country’s first such center that

The project has specifically dealt with restrictions of space

provided blood without replacement and envisaged as a

and economy. The costs were kept extremely low by custom-

pioneering endeavor, the building had to be a new type. The

designing and locally fabricating all modular furniture, including

challenge was to make a service-intensive medical entity into a

steel workstations, pressed-metal storage volumes, double-glazed

playful, intuitive receptacle, removing the repulsion associated with

partitions, windows, doors and even door handles. The architect’s

medical facilities and transforming it into an inviting public domain.

scope of work also included certain product design items such

Located on a derelict plot donated by the Ahmedabad Municipal

as the auditorium seating and fully automated donor chairs, hot-

Corporation, the site offered no specific context to begin with.

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and cold-water dispensers, the compact cold-room blood stacking

The exterior skin of the 53-foot-high (16-meter-high) and 5-inch-thin

and identification system, moving ladders for cleaning glass, and

(125-millimeter-thin) concrete walls disintegrates into sub-spaces as

even specially designed blood-donation vans. Large fixed furniture

soon as visitors enter into a four-story void. From here, they become

like conference, reception, and pantry tables are all cast in-situ

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concrete, as are the 16.5-foot-long (5-meter-long) entrance gates. The staircases are an assembly of precast concrete units. The false ceiling and acoustic paneling in the auditorium is in lightweight concrete mixed with insulating vermiculite. All the wooden planks used for formwork were salvaged and later used for the auditorium staging. Rainwater is collected and directed into percolation tanks and the water body is a selfsustained ecosystem with koi fish and water lilies.

The project was completed in 12 months and was built at a cost of under US$100 per square meter including all services and fitouts, for a total of 22,930 square feet (2,130 square meters) on the 16,145-square-foot (1,500-square-meter) site.

Previous page: The building is a sculptural monolith that employs curiosity to invite the viewer.

Left: The curved walls are inherently structural and just 5 inches (125 millimeters) thin, making them stable yet elastic. There was zero damage to the building during the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in 2001, even while most buildings in the city suffered extensively.

F I R ST B LO O D

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01 2

Opposite top: To help remove stigma associated with blood, laboratories and other medical functions sealed within a glass box are showcased to the public in the atrium. A subtle difference in flooring defines the working domain.

Opposite bottom left and right: The precast staircase has a structural column cast within its ring, while its detached railing is cantilevered from the enclosing wall.

CONFERENCE & RES

THIRD-FLOOR PLAN

01 2

5

GROUND-FLOOR PLAN

GROUND

01 2 0

F I R ST B LO O D

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5m

Opposite top: The hang-out balcony. All hardware, railings, partitions and storage facilities are custom designed and fabricated locally.

Opposite bottom: Though a provision for air-conditioning was kept, the unit was never installed as the atrium remains naturally cool. The space of the grill (above the seating) is used to display artwork by school children who frequent the center.

Left: Unlike the norm, blood movement is shifted to the basement, freeing up the ground floor for people­—making this medical facility more of a public institution.

F I R ST B LO O D

37

Right: Low windows cut off surrounding buildings and donor chairs float over a lily pond with koi fish—a symbol of longevity.

Bottom: The lily pond is a self-sustained ecosytem.

Opposite top: The blood collection vans have been named Cattiva, inspired by the Italian term for a lady who lures her prey to irresistibly concede.

Opposite bottom: All equipment and chairs in the vans are custom designed.

Cattiva Range of Mobile Blood-Donation Vans Seen as a logical extension to India’s most modern and largest blood-research center, the Prathama Blood Centre’s range of mobile blood-donation vans was conceived as an effort to reach out to people.

The brief was simple: the van should have all the required equipment and space, and be realized on a shoestring budget. Its presence in public spaces should be enough to bring healthy donors to it voluntarily. After designing automobiles and regularly making detailed carved wooden models of motorcycles and cars, the firm finally had the opportunity to realize their desire to build automobiles.

The van has four automated donor chairs, a medical examination cubicle, pantry, chemical toilet, refreshment area and lounge, and

With a capacity of 100 donations a day, it is envisaged that the

is built on a conventional bus chassis. The cooling systems are

fleet of Cattiva vans, connected to blood banks throughout the

expressed as large gaping air scoops in an otherwise streamlined

country, will continue to bring about a silent revolution—that it

feline body of aluminum glued to a galvanized iron tubular lattice.

will be considered fashionable to donate blood as opposed to the

Since the vehicle was custom-made, the body panels are designed

stigma attached to it.

to avoid laborious beating of sheets yet maintaining curved profiles in the overall form.

F I R ST B LO O D

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J O I N T- F A M I LY R E S I D E N C E , A H M E D A B A D, G U J A R AT

■

2010

Moving Landscapes The design concept of this project is closely aligned with the

for any beams and columns, making for clean interior volumes.

intricate patterns and effects found in a stone called Bidasar Forest,

This pavilion is organized around the margins of the site in three

which the architect compares to an “arid landscape fossilized

wings. The flanks house private suites, while the central block

within itself.” Its polished surfaces set against the vegetation

includes all the living areas. Voids at the corners contain the

of the Ahmedabad region, made for a perfect setting, blurring

staircases and are protected by tall circular walls to form sheltered

the lines between reality and illusion. Situated on the outskirts of

open spaces. The composition defines a large multifamily

Ahmedabad, the house, with a total floor area of 20,450 square feet

courtyard at the center of the site.

(1,900 square meters), was built for one of the city’s most successful

The second enclosure is a layer of massive 15-foot-high (4.5-meter-

real estate developers and his wife, their two sons’ families, and

high), 9-foot-wide (2.7-meter-wide) Bidasar stone walls along the

guests. The client shares the grounds with his two brothers’ houses

entire perimeter—an impregnable shell. Akin to the hard exterior of

and their joint families on a large 5-acre (2-hectare) plot.

amethyst cracking open to reveal its crystalline heart, at the push

The plan of the house is articulated as a linear pavilion,

of a button the imposingly heavy stone walls become an array of

ensuring that every space in the house is lined with glass on

panels spinning gently or sliding away to reveal a transparent and

facing sides—the first enclosure. The rest of the structure is in

cocooned interior.

8-inch (200-millimeter) concrete walls, eliminating the need

MOV I N G L A N DSC A P ES

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Previous page: The envelope of stone can be modulated individually from both levels within, as an adjustable brise-soleil.

Right: Set against the vertical landscape in the entrance passage, pivoting stones seem to float over water.

MOV I N G L A N DSC A P ES

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GROUND-FLOOR PLAN

Above: The fossilized plant pattern on the stones resonates with the dry arid landscape of the context.

Opposite top: Positioned between air-conditioned rooms and the stone exterior, circulation areas reduce the volume for mechanical cooling, while forming an insulating heat buffer.

Opposite bottom: A continuous slit brings in light even when the stone layer is shut. With the structure hidden within, the thick slabs seem to rest on the moving stones.

This layer of stone helps to create a buffer between the inside and the outside, protecting the inner shell of concrete and glass from intense sunlight and 113°F (45°C) heat, thereby reducing heat gain. Moreover, this space also works as verandas, an entrance vestibule, and corridors, eliminating the need for air-conditioning in a large part of the habitable space. It is savings from the reduced air conditioning that were channeled into custom-designed motorized pivots and large-scale sliding systems. Architecturally and structurally, this layer is kept completely detached from the inside blocks, and supported on structures hidden within the moving systems, allowing thick concrete slabs to seemingly float on moving stones.

In motion, these walls intermingle with the glass inside and the wild landscape outside—the third enclosure. The house merges into an illusion of landscape constantly moving, reflecting on the nature both within and outside of us.

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0

10 m

S I N G L E - F A M I LY D W E L L I N G , C H E N N A I , TA M I L N A D U

■

2018

Cut Fold Bend Play

C U T FO L D B E N D P L AY

The house for a migrant businessman, his wife and three daughters

Taking advantage of the development authorities’ bylaw that

is located in the dense urban fabric of Chennai, a metropolis in

allows wall-to-wall construction, the house extends to the edges

southern India. The tight and narrow site of 41 x 102 feet (12.5 x

of the site on three sides to maximize usable floor area and

31 meters) is only open on one corner that connects it to the cul de

utilizes the otherwise residual margin space. A concrete plane

sac. Being bound by houses on three sides, and a high apartment

envelopes the periphery to form a monolithic shell that shields its

complex on its longer side, left little scope for light and ventilation

contents from the world outside. It is only upon entering that the

and deprived it of much of its privacy.

plane unfolds to reveal its hollowed center.

Adding to the challenges of the surroundings are the strict limits

Borrowing from the idea of the traditional Indian courtyard, large

imposed by Vaastu that had to be incorporated into the design.

voids are carved out from within, bringing in ample light, air, and

These set principles of traditional Indian building design are

greenery. The largest of these courts is positioned at the heart of the

derived from myths and defy the logic of rational, contextual

house and seamlessly extends indoors at ground level—an open

space planning. It assigns fixed locations to the cardinal points for

flexible floor plate of the home’s living areas. It both segregates and

various spaces and elements, including the entrance, bedrooms

connects the formal living areas from the private ones that flank it,

and kitchen, down to the direction of a person sleeping and of

to form the hub of family life, where activities can converge. Smaller

water closets.

courts are placed along both axes of this central court, visually

219

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

5

01 2 Previous page: All enclosing 8-inch-thick (200-millimeterthick) surfaces, including the floor plate, are articulated such that they cut, fold, and bend into each other. An outdoor table in the courtyard is also built into this play.

connecting the entire length and width of the site. Private areas are

Above: Shielded from the adjoining fifteen-story apartment, a tree-lined arrival passage marks the entrance. The only connection with the road is a corner with a custom-designed and motorized, curved sliding gate.

than their basic structural function. With the ground floor almost

Opposite top: Positioned between the formal and family living areas, an 8-inch-thick (200-millimeter-thick) Burmese teak door and a folded 3.5-inch (85-millimeter) stair enclose the vestibule.

lifted to the upper levels of the house and open further into smaller secondary courtyards and through carefully positioned windows into margins of the neighboring context.

The staircase, walls, and slabs are viewed in a capacity other completely free of columns, the structure is mostly suspended

CROSS SE

from above and is treated as a continuous concrete plane in three dimensions that encloses and connects the house in a seamless

GROUND-FLOOR PLAN

FIRST-FLOOR PLAN

continuum of space. The planes cut, bend, and fold to create a

5m

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

01 2

perceptible notion of movement within the house—a composition of a seemingly light structure, held in delicate, precarious balance, and play.

NORTH WEST ELEVATION

SECTION

C U T FO L D B E N D P L AY

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221

5

C U T FO L D B E N D P L AY

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Previous pages: The living and dining spaces flow into the internal courtyard, making the landscape a seamless part of the interior.

Left: Space is rendered warm and tender by sunlight penetrating through various skylights.

Opposite top: The formal living is set against the rear party wall, and opens into the courtyard on the opposite side.

Opposite bottom left: All doors and storage are consolidated and concealed behind 20-inch-wide (500-millimeter-wide) full-height Burmese teak–paneled surfaces.

C U T FO L D B E N D P L AY

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The essence of Gurjit’s personality is to cross boundaries His haunting is to break conventions which touch the heart Concrete is not functionally defined.

Gurjit delimits confinement.

— Balkrishna Doshi Winner 2018 Pritzker Architecture Prize

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