Balkrishna Doshi wins the Pritzker 2018

Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi has been awarded the 2018 Pritzker Architecture Prize for his ability to interpret architecture and Eastern culture.

Architect, urban planner and professor Balkrishna Doshi has been selected as the 2018 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate. Over the past 70 years, Doshi has been instrumental in shaping the discourse of architecture throughout India and internationally and he has been able to interpret architecture and transform it into built works that respect eastern culture while enhancing the quality of living in the country.

Balkrishna Doshi, Management, Bangalore, 1977–1992 (Multiple Phases), Bangalore, India. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Balkrishna Doshi, Amdavad Ni Gufa, 1994, Ahmedabad, India. Amdavad Ni Gufa, designed as an art gallery, transformed and became a living organism and sociocultural centre due to its unusual combination of computer aided design, use of mobile ferro-cement forms and craftsmanship by local crafts people using waste products. Courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Amdavad Ni Gufa, 1994, Ahmedabad, India. The shells are handmade from reinforcing bars and mesh covered with cement. This is covered with compacted vermiculite, followed by mosaic pieces. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Amdavad Ni Gufa, 1994, Ahmedabad, India. Courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Centre for Environmental Planning & Technology, 1966–2012 (Multiple Phases), Ahmedabad, India. Courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Aranya Low Cost Housing, 1989, Indore, India. Aranya Low Cost Housing accommodates over 80,000 individuals through a system of houses, courtyards and a labyrinth of internal pathways. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Aranya Low Cost Housing, 1989, Indore, India. Aranya Low Cost Housing showing the layout of the community. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Aranya Low Cost Housing, 1989, Indore, India. Perspective of a street as a miniature, by Doshi. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Sangath Architect's Studio, 1980, Ahmedabad, India. Site plan as miniature, by Doshi. Courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Vidhyadhar Nagar Masterplan and Urban Design, 1984, Jaipur, India. Plan and elevations as miniature, by Doshi
Balkrishna Doshi, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, 1977–1992 (Multiple Phases), Bangalore, India. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, 1977–1992 (Multiple Phases), Bangalore, India. Hand drawn plan for dormitories and courts, by Doshi. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Institute of Indology, 1962, Ahmedabad, India. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Kamala House, 1963, Ahmedabad, India. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Kamala House, 1963, Ahmedabad, India. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Life Insurance Corporation Housing, 1973, Ahmedabad, India. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Centre for Environmental Planning & Technology, 1966–2012 (Multiple Phases), Ahmedabad, India. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Premabhai Hall, 1976, Ahmedabad, India. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Sangath Architect's Studio, 1980, Ahmedabad, India. Photo courtesy VSF
Balkrishna Doshi, Sangath Architect's Studio, 1980, Ahmedabad, India. Photo courtesy VSF

The jury explains, “Over the years, Balkrishna Doshi has always created an architecture that is serious, never flashy or a follower of trends. With a deep sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute to his country and its people through high quality, authentic architecture, he has created projects for public administrations and utilities, educational and cultural institutions, and residences for private clients, among others. Doshi is acutely aware of the context in which his buildings are located His solutions take into account the social, environmental and economic dimensions, and therefore his architecture is totally engaged with sustainability.”

Balkrishna Doshi, Aranya Low Cost Housing, 1989, Indore, India. Aranya Low Cost Housing accommodates over 80,000 individuals through a system of houses, courtyards and a labyrinth of internal pathways

Doshi’s architecture is both poetic and functional. It explores the relationships between fundamental needs of human life, connectivity to self and culture, and understanding of social traditions, within the context of a place and its environment, and through a response to Modernism. He describes architecture as an extension of the body, and his ability to attentively address function while regarding climate, landscape, and urbanization is demonstrated through his choice of materials, overlapping spaces, and utilization of natural and harmonizing elements.