Mumbai on his mind

A people personCharles Correa was once asked how he managed to create the huge ovoid seen by the auditorium of the Champalimaud Centre in Lisbon which is filled with clear plexiglass He repliedIf I told you you wouldnt not know how to make itThe questioner narrated the same to architect Pranav Naik of Studio Pomegranate which is strongly influenced by Correas philosophy of putting people at the centre of architectural design Our workforce cant understand meticulously drawn sketches so you have to design with them rather than for them We even live onsite with clients he tells usPranav NaikThe studio has several urban design projects under their belt the Ferguson Flyover at Lower Parel and the common room at KEM Hospital included Naik 33 remembers meeting Correa in 2007 as a student I was in awe and wasnt able to say much he says But time has changed with the population today and the builderdriven arena like Naik states even though Correa had forseen the same in 1996 The urban renewal plan that proposed a 600acre mill area wasnt implemented Now you have the real estate prices in Lower Parel booming Builders are pushing their vision on architects Why do we need Swiss Chalets in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra especially when the economic gap has been widenedWhat Id ask Correa The first line of this piece againA sustainable visionA crucial element of Correas philosophy according to architect Supriya Gandhi was that he never considered sustainability and climatology as separate subjects this is entwined with her present work at her studio called The Workshop Homes are built and then you think of installing solar panels We are not using our architects and urban designers Gandhi is currently working on a sixvilla project that incorporates Correas concept of having people live beyond the corners of their homes by creating open spacesSupriya GandhiThese are luxury villas that have been designed like a communityliving project rather than a gated community and thats turned the typology on its head she elaborates Although the builder lobby remains strong in the city Gandhi states that his philosophy still holds relevance for another century She adds I have every single book by Correa in my studio library I often refer to them and will continue to do so throughout my careerThe luxury villa project in GoaWhat Id ask CorreaIf he were granted another lifetime would he spend it designing and building more buildings and urban development or would he write and teach some more Either way I feel like one lifetime of Charles Correa was too shortThe 100yearold upright piano converted into a barThe sanctity of spaceKiraan Aggarwal an architect cum interior designer of Studio Querencia while narrating her journey shares an analogy that echoes the master architects sentiments closely architecture is like math it cant be taughtKiraan AggarwalAfter working for firms in the city she found her forte in upcycling when an old woman asked Aggarwal 32 to deconstruct her 100yearold upright piano into potential furniture using its fine rosewood She convinced the woman to turn it into a bar after carefully studying the structure and allowed the instrument to retain its functionality through the insertion of glass panels thus maintaining its sanctity an important quality youd witness as one walks through the assembly doors of the Vidhan Sabha Bhopal She adds It is an art to design a very complex structure and still soften a space Im always trying to play with Correas concept of the open and closed space Today you are given the space that the builder has agreed to The importance of that isnt as much as it is to maximise profit So were stuck in these matchboxes Architecture is a very powerful field but this power is often diluted or lostWhat Id ask CorreaWhen he was presented with a context how would he form an initial responseJawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur designed by Correa PicKunal BhatiaCapturing greatnessIn January this year architectural photographer Kunal Bhatia 31 walked into the Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur for the When Is Space exhibition only to be awed by Correas creation large volumes and the play of lightKunal BhatiaSome are open to the sky in varying degrees while others are completely covered some spaces overlook into their neighbours while some are decidedly more inward he explains An architect by qualification he says this standard of mastery is on the decline when one considers public buildings being built in the city It is different when you photograph a Correa building because the play is within the architecture itself If this was just another public arts centre it wouldnt photograph the same way he sums upWhat Id ask CorreaHow does he see the architecture discipline in India evolving in the coming decades Would we strengthen our own critical approaches or would we still largely be imitating the westSankalp Meshram with Charles and Monika Correa PicSofia VasconcelosA waterfront cityFilmmaker Sankalp Meshram who has been associated with Correa for 22 years expands on the architects vision for the city as outlined in the documentary The City of Water directed by him in 1976 There are very few access points to the sea in the city He questioned why Bombay residents cant have access to both sides of the island and why this water couldnt be used for public transport Correa called the BandraWorli sea link a privilege of the rich because they can pay the toll and have what he called the American Aha moment he sharesCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates