Ar. Raj Rewal (1934-.

Raj Rewal Biography

One of the India's best-known architects, He lived in Delhi and Shimla for a
couple of years in his childhood that is from 1939 1951. He attended Harcourt
Butler higher secondary school. In 1951-1954, he attended Delhi School of
Architecture in New Delhi.
He was very imaginative and a creative person. He believed in gaining
knowledge and then applied his knowledge mingled with creativity in his
projects.
Raj Rewal is recognized internationally for buildings that respond sensitivity to
the complex demands of rapid urbanization, climate and culture. In a country
that is both developing and industrialized, whose architectural inheritance is
ancient and recent and whose society is conservative and pluralist, Rewal's
work combines sophisticated technology and a sense of history and context,
imparted not only by design but by local material such as ochre and rose
sandstone, evoking the great Mogul monuments.Educated in Delhi and London,
Rewal worked in Michel Ecochards's office in Paris before starting his practice in
New Delhi. He has received among many other honours, the Gold Medal from
Indian Institute of Architects and the Robert Mathew Award from the
Commonwealth Associations of Architects.

Professional Life Experiences

He completed his Graduation in the field of Architecture in Europe.
He met with 3 encounters which shaped his architectural ideology. He developed
his ideology and followed it for the rest of his life.
1.First encounter, he relates to his interest in structures during which he developed during
the review of his diploma projects.
2.Second oneaccounts on his working experience that he gained while he was working as
an assistant manager for several Avante Grade theatre productions in London. As a set
designer for the drama shows, he learnt that each dramatic work had a particular character
which he interpreted as the rasa of the building.
3.Third encounter , he worked with Michel Ecochard in Paris, before beginning his own
architectural practice. In this office, he learned the principles of Urban design and Planning.
Later on, he was offered an opportunity to work on the design of a space frame structure
that was going to be constructed as a Museum in Kuwait.

Influences of Raj Rewal

The two major influence that he encountered is the time when he returned to India. He
admits that those influences have helped him in his development as an architect.
1.When he became a Professor at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi.
2.After studying the Projects of Le Corbusier.
Corbusier made contemporary designs. After the success achieved by him in the planning of
Chandigarh City, it became evident to Raj Rewal that Modern means can be applied to build in
India.
He developed a sense of Contemporary style as well as learned to retain the traditionalism of
India.
An approach to architecture in the 80s that countered PLACELESSNESS and LACK OF MEANING.

CRITICAL REGIONALISM
It is not simplyREGIONALISM
in the sense ofVERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE.

 The main problem of critical regionalism is to seek answers to the question of

Paul Ricour: "How to be modern and to continue the tradition, how to revive an old
dormant civilization as part of universal civilization."
Raj Rewal has some things in common with his contemporaries such as BV Doshi,
Achyut Kanvinde- broken up forms, open courtyards, sociable living and working
environments.
He has dealt largely with areas of similar climate such as Delhi and Jaipur, which are
hot and dry .

List of Projects

state trading corporation tower ,New Delhi, India.

British high commission housing, new delhi,india.
Engineers housing, new Delhi, India.
Asian games village, new Delhi, India.
Hall OF Nations, Pragathi Maidan, New Delhi , India.
Sheikh Sarahi Housing , New Delhi , India.
Parliament Library , New Delhi , India.

 The state trading corporation tower , in the heart of new

delhi built in 1976, uses a structural concept as the basis of
architectural form.
Rewal has tuned the external wall of alternate floor into special
beams with holes in its sides, called a vierendeel girder. Windows
are placed in the little holes that the beam allows.

View of State trading corporation tower, new delhi.

http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Raj_Rewal.html

LIVABLE SPACES
Along with being structurally innovative, Rewals housing and institutional complexes have a greater
impact on India's modernism.
He stacked apartments so that the upper floor footprint was a shifted by a module with respect to
the lower floor, giving the upper floor their own terraces.
Also creating gateways over pedestrian spaces for gatherings. This model has been replicated by
DDA in Vasant Kunj 1980- onwards.
Using the principle of traditional architecture in Rajasthan, such as projecting upper floors, jali
walls, sandstone and RCC for cladding.

British high commission housing, New Delhi

Engineer's housing, new Delhi

ASIAN GAMES VILLAGE,

NEW DELHI - 1982
To house athletes for the Games.
500 housing units were designed as a
group housing in 35 acres.
In this Asian Housing, the urban pattern
of Jaipur and Jaisalmer has been
explored.
A network of streets and squares with
vehicular access at either end of the site, its
morphology resembles a traditional
village.
Figure 1: View of Asian Games Village
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Raj_Rewal.html

Dining complex which is now

used as a recreational and
community centre.

Layout Plan of Asian Games Village

http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Raj_Rewal.html

There is a sequence of open

spaces, interlinked with narrow
pedestrian streets.

View of Asian Games Village

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Asian_Games_Village
.html

The cubic solids and voids

are characteristic of the Indian
urban fabric.

The terraces formed

on the upper storeys
provide for a semiprivate space.
Reminding us of the
characteristics of the
houses in Jaisalmer.
Section
http://identityhousing.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/raj-rewalasian-games-village-new-delhi-1980/

The central squares

form a community
space for the housing
units.

3-D view from top

http://identityhousing.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/raj-rewalasian-games-village-new-delhi-1980/

Entrance
gateways with
linked upper
terraces
punctuate the
sequence of
courtyard and
garden spaces.
Axonometric view
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Asian_Games_Village
.html

The streets are consciously broken up into

visually comprehensible units, often with
gateways, so there are pauses, point of rest
and changing vistas.
The central spine of the layout is reserved
for pedestrian courts and streets of various
clusters.

SHEIKH SARAI HOUSING - 1982

Low-rise high-density scheme
for 550 units
Designed on the basis of selffinancing scheme for Delhi
Development Authority.
The site design is based on the
system of streets and
chowks of traditional
housing areas in Rajasthan.
Vehicular movement and
parking is on the periphery.

Site Plan
http://www.rajrewal.org/projects/housing-asian.htm

View of the pedestrian pathways from one of the community Terraces formed for the upper floors
squares
http://www.rajrewal.org/projects/housing-asian.htm
http://www.rajrewal.org/projects/housing-asian.htm

Provides for interlinked square of varying scales for community activities.

The pedestrian and vehicular movement are segregated.
All the units have been provided with courtyards or roof top terraces involving
an aesthetic and volumetric play of spaces.
The structure is of reinforced concrete with brick in fill walls. The finish is of
rough cast plaster giving it a uniform but appealing texture.

HALL OF NATIONS,
PRAGATI MAIDAN - 1972
Built for exhibition purpose, the main
pavilion has a clear span of 78 m, and a
height varying from 3m to 21 m.
Hence providing space for a variety of
exhibits ranging from books to bulldozers.
Built of reinforced concrete, its the first
construction of its kind in India.
Each of the halls was conceived as a full
pyramid, and the truncated from
supported on 8 points, was adopted to
avoid unnecessary construction.
Hall of industries is a group of smaller
pavilions enclosing a central area by
ramps for open air exhibits, toilets and
other services under the ramps.

Figure 1: top view of hall of nations and hall of industries

http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Raj_Rewal.html

 The plan of these pavilions is a square with

chamfered corners, providing eight anchoring
points.
The hall of nations is supported on pile
foundations tied together with post tensioned
plinth beams, and the hall of industries rests
on spread footings tied together with high
tensile steel bars.

truncated view of hall of nations

http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Raj_Rewal.html

PARLIAMENT LIBRARY, NEW DELHI

Rewal decided to sink part of the library

underground, leaving two of the
fourfloorsabove ground. Theterraceof
the library aligns with the first floorlevel of
the Parliament building.

The plan of thebuildingis

inspired by precolonial
Indianarchitecturesuch as the
magnificentTaj Mahal, with its
square base and symmetrical
composition.

PEACE OUT !
Rishendra.K
Kiran Reddy.