ANANT RAJE
(1929-2009)
LET’S DISCOVER ABOUT MR. RAJE
• HE WAS A REVERED ARCHITECT,
TEACHER, INTELLECTUAL AND
PERFECTIONIST.
• ANANT RAJE WAS INVITED BY
LOUIS TAHN PERSONALLY TO
WORK IN HIS OFFICE IN
PHILADEL PHIA.
• BORN ON SEPTEMBER 1929 IN
BOMBAY.
• HE GRADUATED FROM SIR J.J.
SGHOOL OF FINE ARTS.
• RAJE IMBIBED IN HIM KAHN’S
PHILOSOPHY OF ARCHITECTURE,
SENSE OF ORDER, APPRECIATION
OF LIGHT, HANDLING OF
MATE tlALS ESPECIALLY BRICK
AND CONCRETE, CLIMATE
CONTROL, ETC.
• HONORARY DIRECTOR OF THE
SGHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE,
PRINCIPLES AND
DESIGN
COCEPTS
• RAJE'S WORK EXHIBITS INTEGRITY BETWEEN PURPOSE AND
EXPRESSION, BUILDING AND LANDSCAPE, PART AND WHOLE, AND THE
ULTIMATE QUALITY OF ALL GOOD ARCHITECTURE THROUGH TIME - A
sENSE OF REPOSE.
• USE OF BOLD MATERIALS AND VERY CLEAN GEOMETRIC SHAPES AND
FORMS,
• AN EXPERIENCE USING THE PLAY OF TEXTURES ON THE EXTERNAL
FACADES.
Hls EXCELLENT UNDERI2TANDlNG OF THE ELEMENTS OF BUIL DING, AND
THE LAWS OF CONSTRUCT, THAT IT THE sENsE OF ORDERED
PRESENCE.
• HIS WORKS ALWAYS AIMED AT SIMPLICITY AND HONESTY.
• HE ALWAYS STRESSED ON INTEGRATION OF CULTURE AND SPIRITUAL
WELL BEING.
• RAJE KNOWS BETTER THAN MOST. THE ESSENCE OF HISTORY AND ITS
CONTINUED PRESENCE.
ANANT RAJE WAS A MAN OF FEW WORDs - As MOST OF HIS STUDENTS
AND COLLEAGUES KNOW IT.
• HE WAS NOT IN THE HABIT OF WRITING AND SPEAKING TOO MUCH.
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREST
MANAGEMENT, BHOPAL
• IIFM IS A INSTITUTIONAL BUI LDING
OF MODERN ARCHITECTURAL
STYLE WHICH WAS INSPIRED BY
THE CONCEPT OF CONTINU ITY.
• IT IS SITUATED ON A HILL AND
GIVING IT A SCENIC LOCATION
SURROUNDED BY WATER ON THREE
SIDES DURINC GOOD MONSOONS.
• THE INSPIRATION FOR THE
PROJECT CAME FROM THE
HISTORICAL TOWN OF MANDU.
• THE NATURAL VEGETATION IS WI LD
GRASS. WHICH HAS BEEN ALLOWED
TO GROW. AUGMENT ED BY ROWS
AND CLUMPS OF TREES.
• WALL CLADDED WITH STONE IN
SHADES OP GLEE N AND YE LLOW
GREY.
• THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THE CLEAR
SKY IS BRILLIANT LY FRAMED
THROUGH THE CIRCULAR RINGS
UNIRAN NST TUTE OF FOREST
MANA EMENT, BHOPAL
• BUILT IN CONCRETE, AND ITS
INTE RIOR INTERACT WITH THE
EXTERIOR THROUGH A MEDI UM OF
CONCRETE ARCHED SKIN THAT
SEEMS TO WRAP AROUND.
STANDING LIGHTLY ALONG THE
PERIPHERY GIVING OVERALL
BUILDING A CERTAIN LIGHTNESS OM
FORM.
• THE AMPH ITHEATRE, WITH A
CAPACITY OF 750. I!2 PLANNED LOE
MULTI PURPOSE ACTIVITIES-
SPEECH, MUSIC OR FILM,
• INSTEAD OF CONCRETE BEING
RENDERED INTO A MONOLITH. THE
FAÇADE DISPLAYS A VARIETY OM
TEXTURES IN CONCRETE AND
STONE.
• THE BUILDING BEEMS TO BE TRULY
AHEAD OF ITS TIME AND
COMPLETELY N COMPLIANCE WITH
BHOPAL DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY HEAD UARTERS
BHOPAL
• THE PROJECT SITE IS IN THE URBAN
SECTION OP BHOPAL.
• IT IS A TYPICAL URBAN LOT OF LAND
WITH A MAXIMUM FLOOR SPACE
INDEX — 1.2
• THIS DEMONSTRATES THAT EVEN
THOUCH THE ENTIRE PLOT IS
CO\/ERED BY THE BUILDING TO GET
THE MAXIMUM LANO UTILIZATION.
• IT HAS ENOUGH OPEN SPACE FOR
TERRACES BUILT AND INTEGRAT ED IN
THE COMPOS1TION OF THE LAYOUT.
• THE ELEVATED TERRACE LEVELS
KEEP THE PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENT
ISOLATED FROM THE VEHICULAR
TRAFFIC.
• IT WAS INTENDED THAT THU MODEL
WOULD BECOME A PROTOTYPE FOR
OTHE R OFFICE BUILD1NGS.
BHOPAL DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY HEADQUARTERS,
BHOPAL
• IT ESTABLISH A ROUTE FOR ELEVATED
WALKWAYS AROUND THE FUTURE
OFFICE BLOCKS IN THE SAME
BUSINESS DISTRICT.
• ALL OPENINGS ARE INTEGRATED WITH
THE STRUCTURE TO GREATE A POCKET
OF SHADOW WITHIN WHICH THE .
WINDOWS FALL OFFERING A j'
COMPLETE FREEDOM TO THE DESIGN
AND FORM OF THE WINDOWS.
• THE STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN HAS
REALISED A DEGREE OF
STANDARDIZATION TO FORM THE
DESIGN ELEMENTS OF THE BUILDINC.
• THE BUILDING WORKSI WITH THE
CLIMATE SHADING THE INTERNAL
SIPACESI FROM THE HOT SUMMER SUN.
