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Achyut Kanvinde-The Functionalist Architect

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  Achyut P. Kanvinde (1916 –2002), the Indian architect with functionalist approaches with elements of Brutalist architecture. He was born in Achra, in Konkan region of Maharashtra in 1916. He believed that a grid of columns forming a matrix giving structural and spatial aspect would turn a design more sophisticated and faceted. ·        1935: Studied architecture under Claude Batley in Sir J. J School of Arts ·        1945: Completed Masters from Harvard, student of Walter Gropius (Thesis on Science Laboratories) ·        1947: Chief Architect of CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) ·        1955: Formed Kanvinde and Rai LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTS ·         1976: Received the Padma Shree ·         1974-75: Became the president of IIA (Indian Institute of Architects) ·         1985: Winner of IIA “Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal” ·         1993: Awarded the Great Masters Award from JK Industries Ltd ·         Part of the jury on the competition for Indira
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IS BAMBOO BETTER THAN STEEL?

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Before the metal age, bamboo was used as a core construction material. But with time, steel has replaced bamboo in almost everywhere. Now you can also find steel scaffolds instead of the age-old bamboo ones. But are we doing the right thing by replacing bamboo? Is steel more efficient than bamboo? Or is it just in our minds, that we don’t consider bamboo modern enough to match our high standards?                           HOW BAMBOO SURPASSES STEEL? Yes, you read it right. Bamboo is actually stronger than steel in terms of tensile strength. The tensile strength of steel is 420MPa whereas for bamboo, it is 930MPa. Tensile strength is basically the resistance offered by materials to break under tension. And yes, bamboo is stronger than steel in this case due to the tightly-packed molecular structure. OTHER PROPERTIES OF BAMBOO ·        One of the greatest things about bamboo is, we can use all the parts of the plant for different purposes. ·        Certain bamboo species are the fastest
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Mass Timber

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  In recent times, there is widespread enthusiasm for mass timber in building construction. But why use mass timber? To get the answer to this question, let us know the importance of timber in construction. As we all know, timber is the only renewable construction material but very fewer people will know how powerful the CO 2 sequestration of trees is, i.e., in a metre cube of timber building material, approximately a tonne of carbon is stored within the building. So, now we know that we should increase the amount of timber used in buildings. To do so, engineered mass timber products can be used instead of a typical timber frame. WHAT IS MASS TIMBER? Mass timber is a category of framing styles which use large solid wood panels for walls, floors and roof construction. It is available in innovative forms of sculpture building and non-building structures formed from the solid wood panel or framing systems. Due to its strength, dimensional stability and being a low-carbon alternativ
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Art Deco

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Style Moderne, popular as the “Art Deco” movement was based on visual arts, architecture and  design, first appeared in France just before World War I. This movement influenced the buildings, furniture, jewellery, fashion, cars, movies theatres, trains and everyday objects. Art Deco was a blend of modern styles, fine craftsmanship and rich materials which represented luxury, glamour and exuberant faith in social and technological progress. Rich colours, bold geometric shapes and lavish ornamentation marked the style. The rise of new materials and technologies gave way for this style, especially reinforced concrete. With the discovery of the use of a mesh of iron rods in concrete to strengthen it and use it to build various buildings, Art Deco started to flourish as it was easier to make different forms with concrete. ART DECO TIMELINE ·        1920s- The style was first applied to public and commercial buildings. It was rarely used to designed  individual homes but the style adap
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MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MoMA)

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Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest and most influential art museums in the world, located in Midtown Manhattan, New York, which develops and collects modern art. Set amidst the chaos of the city, MoMA is surrounded by other buildings with various characters. MoMA was the rise of modern art, it fearlessly exhibited the modern era  even through all the discouragement, and changed the perspective of people towards a better vision. HISTORY ·        1929-39 The idea of the museum was formulated by Abby Aldrich Rockfeller, Lillie P. Bliss, and Marry Quinn Sullivan, later known as the “The Ladies”. They rented quarters for the Museum and opened it on 7 November 1929. ·        1930s-1940s Philip Johnson was hired to redesign the Museum’s garden. Throughout time, MoMA has changed its location several times before finding its pe rmanent home. It was renovated into International Style by modernist architects, Philip L. Goodwin and Edward Durell Stone . ·        1980-1999
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POST MODERNISM VS DECONSTRUCTIVISM

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  Postmodern style of architecture emerged in the 1960s, it was the reaction against austerity, formality, lack of variety in Modern Architecture, especially International Style. Modernism suffered gradual crisis after1945. Science, technology, reason showed its destructive side and resulted in the loss of faith among people, this gave way to a new style of architecture, i.e., Post Modern Architecture. This style opposed the modernist preoccupation with the purity of form and techniques by embracing diversity and eradicating divisions between art, popular culture and media. Deconstructivism literally translates into “breaking down”, this style of architecture does not follow the rules of classical architecture. This style appeared in the 1980s and was a part of Post Modern Architecture. This style is characterised by the absence of harmony, continuity and symmetry. Deconstructivism views architecture in bits and pieces has no visual logic and appears to be made up of abstract forms
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FRANK LLYOD WRIGHT

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  Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1956), an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, had a creative period of 70 years. He designed 1141 structures of which 532 were completed by his death. His philosophy was to design structures in harmony with humanity and its environment and is best exemplified by “Falling Waters (1935)”, best all-time work of American Architecture. Born on June 8, 1867, in the town of Richland Center, Wisconsin, Frank was always interested in making structures with wooden building blocks which came in different geometrical shapes, this geometrical clarity can be seen in his buildings. Wright attended Madison High School, but there is no evidence he graduated. In 1886, he was admitted to University of Wisconsin-Madison,  as a special student, but left in 1887 without taking a  degr ee a n d moved to Chicago and joined an architectural firm, Joseph Lyman Silsbee, later he worked for A dler and Sullivan.   Wright played a key rol
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