Balkrishna Doshi (born August 26, 1927, Pune, India—died January 24, 2023, Ahmedabad,
India) was an Indian architect, the first from that country to be awarded the prestigious
Pritzker Prize (2018). In a career spanning about seven decades, Doshi completed more
than 100 projects, many of which were public institutions based in India: schools, librar-
ies, art centres, and low-cost housing. His understated buildings adapted the principles he
learned from working with Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn to the needs of his homeland. In
considering India’s traditions, lifestyles, and environment, Doshi designed structures that
offered refuge from the weather and provided spaces in which to gather.
Doshi’s grandfather owned a furniture workshop, and Doshi initially believed he would
take up that profession as well. He became interested in architecture, however, and in 1947
he entered the Sir J.J. School of Architecture in Bombay (Mumbai). In 1950 he traveled
to London, where he met Le Corbusier, and, for the next four years, Doshi worked in the
famed architect’s studio in Paris. He returned to India to oversee the construction of some
of Le Corbusier’s projects, including the Mill Owners’ Association Building (1954) and the
Villa Sarabhai in Ahmedabad (1955). He eventually settled in that city, where he designed
his own residence (1963), named Kamala House after his wife; his studio, Sangath (1980);
and some of his most important projects. In 1956 Doshi founded his own practice, Vastush-
ilpa, which he later renamed Vastushilpa Consultants. The firm worked on more than 100
projects throughout India, including a collaboration with Louis Kahn on the Indian Insti-
tute of Management Ahmedabad (1962).
Doshi’s early works show the influence of his mentors’ projects in India. The School of
Architecture in Ahmedabad, which Doshi founded and designed in 1966, recalls the grid
facade of the Mill Owners’ Association Building, while the use of brick and concrete evokes
the Villa Sarabhai. Appreciative of Le Corbusier’s ability “to create a soft light that makes
people’s faces glow,” Doshi included slanted skylights and sliding doors to manipulate light
and to regulate temperature. Ever mindful of India’s heat, he included recessed plazas shad-
ed by leafy trees throughout the campus to offer spaces where students could meet in com-
fort. The school continued to grow in the following decades, expanding to include, among
others, the School of Planning in 1970, the Visual Arts Centre in 1978, and the School of
Interior Design in 1982. It was renamed the Centre for Environmental Planning and Tech-
nology (CEPT University) in 2002. Students assisted in designing each new addition, using
similar forms and materials so that the entire campus felt cohesive.
