Low-income housing in Gujarat and Maharashtra to luxury residences in the heart of Mumbai — Charles Correa has left an enduring legacy on the Indian landscape. A collection of designs and diagrams of 20 of the iconic architect’s housing projects, both built and unbuilt, are on display at Living Ideals — Designs for Housing by Charles Correa, at the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) in Kasba, as part of a travelling exhibition. Curated by architects Dick van Gameren and Rohan Varma, in collaboration with the Charles Correa Foundation, as a tribute to the visionary, the exhibition was on display in Mumbai for eight weeks.
“It’s a tribute to Correa’s legacy as an inspirational architect and thinker, recognised all over the world. It was our privilege to have him design City Centre at Salt Lake and we are very happy to bring the exhibition of his works here before it goes abroad, since it provides a wonderful opportunity for citizens and students of architecture to understand the design philosophy of the master,” said Harshavardhan Neotia, chairman, Ambuja Neotia Group.
“The exhibition is a chronological imprint of Correa’s thought-process and displays his remarkable consistency in providing housing designs for the rich as well the poor, while adhering to the fundamental values that he imbibed in his works throughout his career,” said Ashish Acharjee, a city-based architect who has worked with Correa in the past and took an initiative to bring this exhibition to the city.
Diagrams and models of landmark housing projects such as the Kanchanjunga Apartments in Mumbai, Tube House in Ahmedabad and Incremental Housing in Belapur are a part of the exhibits.
“The West Bengal chapter of IIA is delighted to be associated with this exhibition. I am sure this will provide new ideological directions for housing design to architects in this part of our country,” said Debatosh Sahu, past chairman, IIA.
The exhibition is open for public viewing.
What: Living Ideals — Designs for Housing by Charles Correa
When: July 4 to 25, 11am to 8pm
Where: Second floor, Indian Institute of Architects, 121 Santi Pally, East Kolkata Township, Anandapur (near The Gateway Hotel)
Entry: Free
Text: Anannya Sarkar
Pictures: Pabitra Das
