Charles Correa
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Life: 1930-2015
The Times of India Jun 18 2015
Conscience-keeper of the urban skyline
Bachi Karkaria
When you walk to the edge of all the light you have, and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown, you must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for you to stand upon, or you will be taught to fly.“ Patrick Overton's lines glide into the mind every time you gaze upon the work of Charles Correa, who passed away on Tuesday . His iconic architecture across the world conveys both solidity and flight. Yes, he was the greatest architect of independent India, but his oeuvre tells you that he stands with the world's greats.
Yes, his was a god-given `mastery of light and space', but his contribution was not just to architecture but to the whole skyline. Correa was about cities, and the way they should be built. His works were only the handmaidens of his urban vision.
If you had the good fortune to visit the retrospective of his work at London's Royal Institute of British Architects, held in the summer of 2013, you'd have realized the the urban aesthetic that canopied the diversity and detail of the work.
Earlier that year, Correa had donated his entire archive of 6,000 architectural drawings and other material to RIBA, the largest gift ever by a non-British architect to this hoary institution with its historic collection of 2.5 million items. In 1984, Correa had received the Royal Gold Medal, the Big Drool of architectural honours.
The Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon's historic Betel district reveals Correa's genius in melding past and present. It's built at almost the exact spot from where Vasco da Gama sailed out on his unmapped voyage to India; this state-ofthe art facility for neurosciences and cancer too is dedicated to another genre of discovery . Its huge porthole-shaped windows frame a panoramic view of river segueing into ocean.Another aspect presents the hilltop chapel where Portugal's legendary mariners prayed before setting out into the unknown. The complex marks a historic spot, but does not appropriate it, tourists and citizens have open access to the beach, and to the Centre's own beauties.
This is another marker of Correa's design for urban living: the essential interaction between private and public spaces. For him these were the complementary Yin and the Yang which interlocked to release a third force greater than the sum of its parentage.
Correa didn't just mouth platitudes even when he'd reached the international stature that would allow him obiter dicta. Each of his creations illustrates his oft-quoted statement, “Certainly architecture is concerned with much more than just its physical attributes. It is a many-layered thing. Beneath and beyond the strata of function and structure, material and texture, lie the deepest and most compulsive layers of all.“
He rejected, with caustic disdain, the Legoland to which India's cities aspire--and never spared the architects who feed this appetite for alienating towers. If he weren't so lofty , he'd be on a permanent collision course with these high priests of high-rise who have converted the India's urban skyline, with no chance of wapsi to the ghars of comforting tradition. His PREVI affordable housing projects in Lima and Peru, or even his award-winning Tube House in Ahmedabad are a conclusive riposte to those who pooh-poohed his lowslung concepts as impractical and anachronistic.
He was equally unsparing of journalists, including this writer, when they failed to convey the nuances of what he'd told them, or, heaven help us, if he believed that we sympathized even marginally with the Evil Empire of sky-mauling architects and rapacious builders.
He extended his conceptual sweep to the wider landscape, and was appointed chairman of the first National Commission for Urbanisation. However, his hometown Mumbai became for him a city of disappointments. He was the architect of Navi Mumbai, but the lack of political will made it dead on arrival--till it was resurrected by Mumbai's bottomless need for land and housing.
It is Mumbai's tragedy that it was home to one of the world's greatest architects, but has recklessly spurned his world-acclaimed imprimatur.
Contribution in Delhi
The Times of India, Jun 18 2015
Richi Verma
Correa raised stature of DUAC, quit over tunnel road project
Architects and urban planners who have associated with Correa through the years described him as “the best architect in the country“, who left his imprint in the national capital, not only through his iconic buildings but also by his three-year tenure as chief of Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC). Correa's innovative thinking and unique approach to architecture is seen in the buildings he designed, like the British Council, LIC Building and Crafts Museum in the capital. He also designed the capital's first commercial centre, Rajendra Place, and residential properties like Tara Apartments in Alaknanda. “He gave a lot of importance to space, rather than form, which we can still see today in buildings he designed. Delhi's British Council, City Centre in Kolkata, Kanchenjunga flats in Mumbai or even the Ismaili Centre in Toronto all emphasize open spaces, said urban designer KT Ravindran, who took over as DUAC chief when Correa resigned in 2008.
Architect Raj Rewal, who was associated with Correa for over 40 years, said he gave a new perspective to Indian architecture. “When I met him last month, we discussed ideas for preserving the legacy of contemporary architecture in the country which is still recognized internationally but messed up in India.He was always an active personality , thinking of ways to preserve iconic buildings, he said.
Correa was head of DUAC from 2005 to mid-2008, a precarious time when the national capital had shifted its focus on infrastructure upgradation for 2010 Commonwealth Games. Many crucial projects like the tunnel road project, Commonwealth Games Village, East-West corridor and MCD's Civic Centre came to the Commission for approval and many a times led to a confrontation between Correa and the then Sheila Dikshit government. “He raised the stature of the Commission. He opposed the Civic Centre when MCD wanted to increase the height and he refused permission for the tunnel road project which cut through Sunder Nursery . The tunnel road project then developed into the Barapullah nallah flyov er, which again he had reservations about. Correa eventually resigned from DUAC over the tunnel road project, a month before his tenure was ending, said an associate, who worked closely with him.
Correa is also credited with a lot of work for regularization of slums. “As chairman of National Urbanisation Commission, Correa took a view that was contrary to the common perception. He used to say that slums were not a problem but a solution in the making and they should be treated as generators of economic growth,“ said INTACH convener and urban planner AGK Menon. “He felt slums were signs of a developing economy and should be treated as such. It's due to ideas fostered by people like Correa, that we have a more liberal policy on slums, said Intach convener and urban planner AGK Menon. On the other hand, Correa used to view Lutyens' Bungalow Zone with a lot of disapproval. “He felt no city can afford to have such a lowdensity area populated by the elite living in the centre of the city,“ added Menon.
Architects described Correa's style of architecture as abstract, with a futuristic approach. “ What is not recognised often is his deep interest and concern for India's historic urban city centres. His role at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Delhi Urban Art Commission and writings on Mumbai's development has had as much impact as his architectural masterpieces, said conservation architect Ratish Nanda.
