RAJ REWAL

1934 - Present Indian Architect , Design Consultant , Urban Planner

This page intentionally left blank Previous page, top: interior of the Rewal House Middle: Shadow play in the interiors of the Parliament Library. Below: Parliament Library - Colored marble floor pattern in the form of a yantra, an ancient Indian graphic that aids meditation.

His architecture
Raj Rewal is known, primarily, for his humanist approach to architecture. His work is built keeping in mind the pluralist Indian society, responding to demands of urbanisation, cultural tradition and gives utmost importance to the craft of building. He expertly combines sophisticated technology with a deep rooted sense of history and context creating building that strike a chord within us. Harmonic Combinations: His architecture reflects two value systems, which to the layman, seem highly opposed. He melds the traditional system of hot, dry India one of pattern and ornament with the Western Modernist system of abstract expression, with the least possible discord.

While he incorporates structural innovation in big buildings, he excels equally in creating softly nurturing spaces for everyday living.

Influence on work:
Ar. Rewals works has its own range and grammar. His work (by his own admission) has been greatly influenced by contemporaries, such as Le Corbusier, Achyut Kanvinde and Balkrishna Doshi. But unlike these architects, he has built largely in one place and climate - Delhi, and hot dry regions of North India. Influences of traditional housing patterns in Jaisalmer and {{{{_{{{, which he has extensively studied and written about, figure largely in his mass housing schemes. Broken-up forms, open courtyards and sociable living/ working environments are integral approaches of his design.

Timeline
1939 1951 : Childhood spent in Delhi and Simla 1951 1954 : Attended the Delhi School of Architecture LONDON 1955 1961 : Completed formal training at the Brixton School of Building, London Post schooling, he worked as assistant manager in avant garde theatre production. He, then, became an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architect (RIBA) and went on to work in Michel Ecochards office in Paris.

NEW DELHI
1962 : Set up practice in New Delhi 1963 1972 : Taught at the Delhi School of Architecture Other Career Milestones

1972 : Became curator of the exhibition Traditional Architecture in India for the Festival of India in Paris.
1985 : Founded the Architecture Research Cell
Top: A view of the Rewal home

Architectural Ideology
According to Raj Rewal, infusing emotion in building can help solve the problem of building in a pluralistic society, such as Indias.
Rasa and Rationalism: He propagates a theory of rasa as his building strategy, where he states that functional design should be inspired with a particular flavour or mood. Also, according to him, The distinction that fine art has no practical use, decorative art no symbolic meaning and utilitarian object no pretensions to beauty has been the root cause of much of the banal architecture of the last 50 years

Inset: The decorative scheme on the underside of the domes of the Parliament Library. Ar. Rewal lays stress on artisan crafts which contribute to beautiful design that is intrinsically Indian. Right: The geometrically inspired decorative scheme of the Ismaili Centre at Lisbon.

Above: Interior of the Permanent Exhibit Complex, New Delhi

Characteristic elements
1. Cluster housing, 2.Response to visual imagery, 3. Interlocking courtyards, 4. Narrow streets, 5. Roof terraces, 6. Gateways, 7. Textures and Materials

CLUSTER HOUSING Ar. Rewals mass housing systems are arrived at by creating a catalogue of dwelling types and combining them in different ways . They are then interlocked by means of overhanging balconies, roof terraces, cantilevered rooms, open courtyards, etc. creating subtle distinctions in house types. VISUAL IMAGERY Creation of geometric systems and responses to visual imagery are apparent in Raj Rewals architectural works. He has been greatly responsible for the revolution in geometric design systems.
Right: The Asian games housing complex in New Delhi Below: The geometrical faade scheme for the Ismaili Centre at Lisbon

Left: Asian Games housing scheme: Spaces for pedestrian and vehicular movement (indicated in grey)

Above: Sketch of the Olympic Housing Complex IN France

The interlocking courtyards at Fatehpur Sikri, Padmanabhapuram and Khiva, with their varying scales to accommodate different functions, embody principles of design which have important lessons for contemporary public buildings, where people congregate.

COURTYARDS Effects of lighting and cool breezes were created in the Asian Games Village, through central courtyards, a direct result of Ar. Rewals studies in Jaisalmer. STREETS

In Ar. Rewals mass housing schemes (eg: the Asian Games Village and Sheikh Sarai Housing, New Delhi), narrow, shaded streets link up a variety of residential clusters. Thus the cluster is consciously broken up into small units that incorporate pauses, rest stops and vistas.
ROOF TERRACES These remain integral to his housing solutions. The benefits of roof terraces include providing outdoor spaces on hot summer nights Acting as an extension to upper level living areas Absorbing heat during sunny winter days, to keep nights warm.

Top: One of the courtyards in the Indian Parliament Library

Left: Traditional housing in hot dry

climates is based on the roof terrace as an essential feature of design.

Inset: Shaded internal streets connecting various cluster courtyards.

Inset: Gateways formed by joining cantilevered rooms overhead

Each gateway is like the opening of a new chapter in a book.

GATEWAYS Ar. Rewals gateways have been inspired from the gateways of Jaisalmer which, over the ages, have denoted various housing zones. They were traditionally built as sentinel posts and designed to keep intruders out. Ar. Rewals gateways are formed by linking overhead functional roof terraces or joining cantilevered rooms in adjoining apartments. They serve to accommodate change while retaining continuity or act as punctuation marks that open up a new series of spatial experiences. THE fabric OF DESIGN Ar. Rewals use of local and time-tested materials for hot dry climates, such as ochre and rose sandstone, gain him points contributing immensely to the Indianness in his buildings. And evoking the Mughal greats.

Above: Gateways in the Asian Games Village, denoting territory, are formed by linking functional overhead terraces.
Left: Massing accentuated by deep shadows and contrast between grit finish walls and rubble masonry .

Indian Parliament Library Engineers India House The Rewal Home Sheikh Sarai Housing World Bank Delhi Chapter Embassy Staff Housing Permanent Exhibit Complex Ismaili Centre National Institute of Immunology Nehru Pavilion

rasa in design

This page intentionally left blank Previous page, top: Glass block in the Parliament library Second: National Institute of Brain Research. Third: View of the Engineers India House Below: Entry to the Ismaili Centre, Lisbon

PARLIAMENT LIBRARY
In the words of Lord Stamfordham, private secretary to British King George V in the early 20th century, New Delhi was designed to let Indians "see, for the first time, the power of Western science, art, and civilization.
TYPOLOGY : PUBLIC BUILDING

Ar. Rewal was asked to build the Indian Parliament Library, keeping in mind its colonial setting amongst buildings designed to show the power of Western civilisation. Accordingly, his design responds thoughtfully - responding to its monumental context, while ingenious in originality. It displays high technology with a regional expression. Ironically, though modern, and placed in Lutyens Delhi, its inspiration is pre -colonial.

Above: In the atrium, at the entrance to the library natural light reduces the need for electrical lighting. Right: Parliament Library - Interior

INSPIRATION
The mandala: The mandala has deep meaning and said to exist in temple architecture to achieve a spiritual experience of one's connection to the cosmos. It thus serves the librarys objective of quiet thought and introspection. The Adinatha temple (1439 AD) at Ranakpur: Adinatha is square in plan, with cardinal axes meeting at the center, leaving open-to-sky courtyards in the leftover spaces. In addition to being an icon of Indian architecture, the courtyard plans admit daylight and have social and climatic advantages.

The Guru and the King

In a library that needs neither defense nor ceremony, such forms (interior open air spaces) seem to symbolize an introversion characteristic of the ancient Indian guru.
To give the Library an identity of its own while respecting the Parliament building (beside which it is set), Ar.Rewal says he drew on Indian history and likened the relationship between the buildings to the relationship between guru and king. A guru acknowledges the power of the king neither confronting nor submitting and retains the strength of his integrity as a sage. Located on a 10-acre (4-hectare) site, the Library can accommodate three million volumes on its two basement floors. It has hi-tech networks and facilities for microfilm, multimedia, and satellite links.

The full-height central core of the building, formed at the point of intersection of the two axes, houses the reading room for Members of Parliament, the research and archival storage, a committee room, and a banquet hall. Beyond this central core are the courtyards, and, further beyond, separate entrance lobbies occur for MPs, scholars, and the public.

PLAN
Area: approx. 55,000 square meters Inspired by pre-colonial Indian architecture, the building has been designed with a square base and symmetrical composition.

Due to site conditions and trees, the Northwestern corner of the plan remains incomplete. Otherwise, the plan with its courtyards and axes, imitates its historic precedents. The corners of the incomplete square and nodes formed at the ends of axes specify function.
As is traditional, the axes and the sides of the square form corridors and outline the courtyards. Each courtyard symbolizes one aspect of the Indian constitution. One is an amphitheater, symbolizing freedom of expression. Another courtyard has a pool of water symbolizing equality.

A tree forms the focal point of the third courtyard, representing social justice.

Above: Courtyard serving as an amphitheatre Top: Glass block in the floor illuminates two basements below.

The domes are perhaps the building's most significant feature. A bonus from Ar. Rewals experiments in earlier buildings, several domes of different sizes and types make up the roof.
THE MAIN DOME: It spans 25 meters, and is made entirely of glass. In spite of Delhis soaring temperatures. Ar. Rewal insisted on glass to let in light. Thus, specially developed reflective glass efficiently reduces glare and heat build-up, letting in magical views of the blue sky, the sun minus its heat and glare, and the seasonal monsoon clouds.
Above: Main dome serving as an apical reminder that we are at the intersection between the two main axes. Below: Dome profile

The dome is formed at the point of intersection between the buildings two major axes. The point of intersection projects up in the dome in the form of two bands formed by the structural frame for the glass panels. The remainder of the dome consists of a lattice of structural frames held together by a network of steel cables converging at key tension nodes.

Other domes are of various sizes, constructed of lightweight fibre cement, bright steel lattice, tensile cables, structural glass and glass bricks. They are built of thin fiber-reinforced concrete shells, sometimes with inset glass panels.
Other structural elements of the building are of reinforced concrete. The slabs are coffered to support long spans. The diaphragm walls and the foundation slab of the underground structure resist inward and upward pressure from the water table through anchors into the surrounding soil and the rocky substrate.

ENGINEERS INDIA HOUSE

TYPOLOGY : OFFICES, YEAR: 1983

Located in the Bhikaiji Cama area in New Delhi, the objective was to create an air-conditioned office space with the least possible outlay and, thus, minimum running expenses. It also needed to incorporate administrative, design and financial services, and public relations offices. These purely functional spaces have been effectively housed in a 14 storey building. Characterised by geometric systems, the very form of the building has been derived with the aim of saving energy.
Design is based on four cores, containing lifts, staircases and services. They are designed to cut down harsh glare from the south west. The four cores act as major structural elements and, along with four central shear walls, support an average office floor of 54m x 24.6m. This placement leaves a large hall in the middle for flexible office planning. The stepped floors between cores and extended floors to the east and west create a zone of surface under shade, thereby reducing temperatures. Thus, the structural cores, along with stepped floors act as a large sun breaker.

Top: View of the Engineers India House Left: Faade treatment on the building Extreme Left: View

THE REWAL HOUSE

TYPOLOGY: RESIDENCE, YEAR: 1975

Two independent houses, one for the architect and his family, the other for his parents, were designed to be interrelated while providing the required privacy. Separate entrances and front lawns are provided across an extremely narrow frontage of 5m. MATERIALS:
Top: Living Spaces on multi-levels Below: Living space at higher level cantilevered exposed concrete steps Extreme right: Double-height living space and entry

Use of materials has been limited to exposed brick, painted white internally. Ceilings and cantilevered stairs are of exposed concrete, textured by wooden formwork during construction.

SHEIKH SARAI HOUSING, NEW DELHI

TYPOLOGY: MASS HOUSING SCHEME, YEAR: 1982

It was planned as a low-rise, high density housing scheme for the Delhi Development Authority.

It has clearly demarcated areas for pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Keeping in mind the viability of interaction in these spaces, he has provided interlinked squares of varying scales for community activities.
All unites have been provided with courtyards or roof top terraces, where possible. These subtle variations in a basic housing unit, help create shaded streets, courtyards and split level platforms.

Above: Housing units in the Sheikh Sarai housing scheme Below: Demarcated areas for vehicular and pedestrian traffic (indicated in grey) Far right: Layout view of the entire housing complex

WORLD BANK, NEW DELHI OFFICE

TYPOLOGY: OFFICES, YEAR: 1994

Ar. Rewal attempted to harmonize the new structure to its surroundings and exploit its sensitive location for a modern functional office. The design is based on a central courtyard (seen right, below)that allows natural light and ventilation to all rooms. All office rooms, including workstations, either have exterior views or look into the courtyard. The design of the World Bank Office echoes the Lodhi buildings of yore, where the buildings classic symmetry envelopes a sunken garden. It thus provides carefully diffused light with maximum ventilation. The scale of the court creates a zone of building under shade , thereby reducing air conditioning loads. It acts as an open area with a controlled microclimate, with potential for interaction. It also functions as an open spillout for the lobby and exhibition spaces, and is frequently utilised as a multipurpose arena.

Left: View of the roof terrace Right, top: Balconies wrapping the workspaces; Not the vertical lines in faade treatment Right, below: Interior multifunctional courtyard

THE ISMAILI CENTRE, LISBON

TYPOLOGY: PUBLIC BUILDING (MULTIPURPOSE)

The building was designed in cooperation with the Portuguese architect Frederico Valsassina. Located in a site of 18,000 sq. meters and occupying an area of 5500 sq. meters (the remaining occupied by green spaces), the complex is composed of three areas: institutional, community and religious. It assimilates architectural styles from Lisbon's Mosterio dos Jeronimos, the Fatehpur Sikri and the Alhambra.

It contains two jamat khanas, a community hall, an amphitheatre, a National Council chamber, and a Char Bagh a direct influence of ancient Persian gardens.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF IMMUNOLOGY

TYPOLOGY: HOUSING COMPLEX

Ar. Rewals National Institute of Immunology Housing Complex comprises an institute block, senior staff housing, junior staff housing, lower staff housing, a lecture hall complex, and an animal housing facility.

The design solution for the Institute reflects the potential for developing apartments, that can be linked to form clusters.
Design essentially consist of individual buildings/clusters arranged around courtyards as discrete units that can be interrelated. Clusters at the Institute are linked together by pathways across enclosures with constantly shifting axes offering changing views into the distance. Though the basic unit is somewhat rigid, the individual units are distinct through varying requirements of apartment size, and differing assemblage of rooms. Though unique, the buildings are unified externally by faade treatment with sandstone grit, parapet piercing, proportion of doors, deep set windows and stone flanking walls for the courtyard.

Above: Front elevation Below: The housing complex

EMBASSY STAFF HOUSING

TYPOLOGY: MASS HOUSING, YEAR: 1994

It was constructed to provide housing for the service personnel of the French Embassy. Arranged in clusters of eight, the buildings had load bearing walls supported on concrete slabs and detailed in timber.
The two storey units were arranged around a square, with a circular pathway accessing all units. Framed gateways with pedestrian passages connecting the street to individual garages clearly demarcate the central enclosure. The narrow streets running throughout the housing complex, both shaded and active, interconnect the different open spaces.
Anticlockwise, from right: Units grouped around a central open space Entry to the Upper floor units Ground floor plan

Each two storey unit contains five residences, three on the lower and two on the upper floor. Each dwelling unit has a private enclosed garden and an outdoor living room at the rear, reflecting the traditional British terrace.

PERMANENT EXHIBIT COMPLEX, NEW DELHI

TYPOLOGY: PUBLIC STRUCTURE

The structure consisted of two halls, currently known as the Hall of Nations and the Hall of Industries. The two buildings were linked at mezzanine levels by a series of circulation ramps which , in turn, enclosed an outdoor exhibition area. Sanitary services were then housed under the ramps.

The Hall of Industries consisted of four space frame structures, with a total span of 144 feet. The Hall of Nations, however, consisted of a single space frame spanning a total of 256 feet.
The external structure consisted of a sequence of solids and voids , which act as a jali to filter in natural sunlight, while minimizing glare.
Clockwise, from top: Concrete Faade, close up Exterior detail in the Hall of Nations: Solids and voids thermally protect interiors Interior of the Hall of Nations

CIDCO HOUSING, BOMBAY

TYPOLOGY: MASS HOUSING, YEAR: 1993

The challenge of mass housing can be approached as one long story or as a series of interconnected episodes.
The scheme faces the challenge of providing low cost housing for about 1000 units in Bombay. Envisaged as an answer to the rampant burgeoning of slums in the area, the design opts for a different kind of settlement pattern. Rather than creating parallel monolithic blocks of grim dimension, the design is fragmented into smaller clusters enclosing a variety of spaces (a Rewal characteristic). These are cohesively arranged on the sloping side of a hillock and strung together with pedestrian pathways.

Clockwise, from top: The form of the tenement block enhances the courtyard and roof terraces, creating community spaces. Interconnected spaces and entries to upper floors Use of jali and red sandstone is a characteristic feature in Rewals design.

Can architectural forms reawaken a sense of community?

Raj Rewal, on his housing solutions: The prototype is regard as the cluster system, and not the project itself. We incorporated more than 16 types of individual flats and house designs within the scheme, but the system we designed to create public space, semi-public space and private space important features in our climate and in our culture is what is prototypical. These different spaces correspond to different relationships among people.
One category of acquaintance is greeted on the street, but not taken into the privacy of the home. Another category belongs to the mohalla, and with them, one has a closer relationship. Each category of relationship has its corresponding category of social space. Whenever one designs mass housing one has to have some sort of prototype like this in mind .Otherwise, one will again end up with the block and slab invented by the West and repeated
throughout the world, or terrace housing.

Raj Rewal, on the colour in his housing schemes: (In the Asian Games Village), we used a finish of stone pebbles or grit which is permanent. We used monochromes of yellow, brown, orange and natural stone of the buildings themselves to avoid all-gray housing one of the terrors I have seen elsewhere. Warm colours give variety, that was the main thing. The colours will never change.