#international garden photographer of the year competition

[sitting-on-me-bum]

A Smell So Sweet, Aichi prefecture, Japan

“The many hanging blooms of wisteria smelt so sweet as they reflected in the pond at a garden near to my house. When the flowers bloom in April, it signifies my birthday has arrived again”

Photographer: Masaki Ito

International Garden Photographer Of The Year Competition

[iphoneartgirl]

I Have Received 14 Awards in the 2023 Julia Margaret Cameron International Awards for Women Photographers!  The works above will all be on display starting in mid-April at the Fotonostrum Gallery in Barcelona, Spain, along with works from other award winners from around the globe. I was hoping I could figure out a way to attend the opening, but I can’t.

I received word about these awards at the close of 2022. But to say that the news was overwhelming would be putting it mildly. This is why I’ve waited until now to share the news here.

Following the loss of my home, studio, all my tools, my garden and all my work to the Almeda wildfire, I drove a motorhome I bought to live in after the fire 11,000 miles around the United States. I immersed myself in nature, visited old friends, and asked them for help in recovering my mind, my identity, my sanity.

When I returned in June of 2022 and set up camp in my motorhome on a hill in Ashland, Oregon, I was mostly still in a state of shock and bewilderment. Confounded and flabbergasted. I spent the summer walking around Ashland connecting with agencies set up to help wildfire survivors and seeing friends. But it was hot, uncomfortable living in one place in a motorhome, and I was always expecting more fire. I felt in no way grounded. Always afraid. 

By the time it started getting cold again I was still camping. In the cooler days, I began to imagine, however tentatively, that I might one day share some mobile images again. Maybe some from my trip, some of my meditations and deep experiences of both pain and steady transformation. Nevertheless, I still felt so vulnerable. So discombobulated. So tenuous about whoever I had thought I was before the fire. So unclear about who I might become as a senior artist who had lost all evidence of her previous life and her work.

It was in that state of mind that I decided, one November morning, to send some of my mobile images to the International Julia Margaret Cameron Awards competition for women photographers. The entries didn’t cost much - a huge motivator since I’m broke now. Why not? I thought of my entries as a kind of trial balloon, particularly the images I entered from the Almeda Firewalk Series that I’ve been working on since 2021.

I expected nothing and figured that if anything I sent got any kind of attention from the juror, Barbara Davidson (a woman whose courageous photography I have admired for decades), maybe I could reinvest in thinking of myself again as a living photographer and mobile artist. If not, I could just keep on drinking my way from one day to another, wondering when I should just pull the plug on this life.

Getting the news that not one or two - but almost ALL - of the entries I submitted had received awards put a serious dent in my stupor. For a couple of days, I danced around on Facebook and called and told old friends. I couldn’t have felt more delighted or more affirmed in my creativity and I took the awards as evidence that I hadn’t actually lost all my skill even if I didn’t believe that myself. I lost everything else, right?

But the thing about trauma recovery is that it’s anything but linear.  Survivors don’t just go from sad to elated and stay there. We remain afraid. Stunned. Suspicious. Doubtful. And isolation can easily remain our best friend. We know how bad we still feel. And we know how everyone who knows us just wants us to feel good again and go back to where and who we were before the trauma. They’re tired of hearing about the pain. So we stop telling them about it. We get quiet and we hide out.

Hence ... the time it’s taken for me to feel up to making this post here today.

I told my friend, John, this morning that over the last month I am starting to feel  that my mind may actually be healing. A bit. After two-and-a-half years. Yes, I’m still the iPhoneArtGirl. Yes, I still make mobile photographs and mobile art almost every day. And maybe, just maybe, I will one day be able to courageously share more here than an awards announcement.

Tomorrow morning, I’m planning to venture out to a speed-dating event at the Medford Library. I don’t know what’s going to happen there but it’s my hope to have a few minutes of conversation with private foundations and government funders who I can imagine could use the Almeda Wildfire Series to serve their stakeholders. I’ll be looking for partners who might see it in their interests to help me take all the pain and the transformational gifts I’m starting to experience into community conversations with their stakeholders in communities of all sizes around the state.

I know there are people like me all across Oregon who need to re-connect much more substantively with their neighbors so all of us can BELONG TOGETHER AGAIN even if the political trance has people believing we can’t. There are such large climate, environmental, housing, medical care, educational, economical, ethical and spiritual challenges ahead. We cannot meet them in isolation.  

If you read this far, I thank you warmly for your time, your consideration, and your care. Namaste.

[theultrablog]

Pulp Storytime #44: Slicin' Sand! Part 1.

When Hawaii’s up for grabs, a lifeguard gets pushed past her limit. You have to put the players a little at odds. Too much and they kill each other, but a little bit and some amazing sparks can fly. I decided to put Penny An’Te, gambler/lifeguard, in a major surfing competition. Also entered was stuntwoman Lala Santinella, who was in disguise, not wanting to violate her film insurance. Lala was far in the lead (with Penny trailing the Waikiki locals) when the men's finals started… and one of the top contenders, Percy, crashed into a submarine. The players jumped into action, mostly. Some of them rushed into action, with Aldous the butler and Tácito the lawyer guarding photographer Javid’s equipment. Penny grabbed a canoe and rescued Percy, only then recognizing that he was her old boss at the Royal Hawaiian Garden Hotel. Astute readers have noticed that this adventure is in Hawaii, and likely a sequel to Junkie’s Rainbow! And the cleverest of those astute readers would guess, correctly, but this is the same submarine used by Ito Takagi, Japanese saboteur! Unfortunately, Takagi escaped. Lala, ahead on points, won the tournament (after it was canceled due to sub). It was only then Penny realized that the masked surfer was her longtime rival! —— This was an action-packed session with five players, so I can only hope to summarize some of the best bits. Tacito, the international lawyer, had been retained to help a Scottish family keep the island of Niihau. Unfortunately, Niihau was wanted by many. The United States, and therefore Hawaii, had an obvious claim; the League of Nations was willing to throw lawyers at the issue, planning to use the mostly uninhabited tropical paradise as a central base; and the Japanese had a complicated hundred-year-old claim. Meanwhile, Devika surprised her adoptive mother Lala with a rural estate. Formerly belonging to Maude Brown, Aldous’s boss, the manse had another distinguishing feature: it was right above Penny’s house. Devi had also flown in the stuntwoman’s family, since fascist Italy was a no-visit zone. The Santinellas were very confused and upset their daughter had adopted a child but didn’t have a husband; this attitude shifted when they found out said child was a millionaire. (All the secrets and shenanigans, as well as neighborly issues, were a great source of drama. And while all of this may seem expositional, I made sure to give each player a few paragraphs of separate intro before the game.) In another subplot, Aldous was asked to train the service staff of the Royal Hawaiian Gardens. He overcame his inner snob to provide as much instruction as possible to the earnest/inept staffers. But you’re reading for pulp action, and this session brought it! Tácito dug into ancient Hawaiian law and found an explanation of trial by ordeal. Each tribe could send a champion, with each designing a contest. When the players dug in, however, they found every representative was a former foe!

[asphinxofblackquartz]

International Garden Photographer of the Year competition 2024

[xtruss]

Lake Elsinore, California, USA 🇺🇸! Poppies and wild flowers bloom early in the wake of winter rainfall on the upper slopes of Walker Canyon. Photograph: Allen J Schaben/LA Times/Getty Images

Florence, Italy 🇮🇹! Scaffolding in the Baptistery of San Giovanni, one of the city’s oldest churches, at the start of a six-year restoration project on mosaics created in about 1225. Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP

Los Angeles, California, USA 🇺🇸! The LA Lakers forward LeBron James addresses the media after becoming the highest-scoring player in NBA history during a game against Oklahoma City Thunder. Photograph: Allison Dinner/EPA

International Garden Photographer of the Year – In Pictures

The international garden photographer of the year competition is now in its 17th year, with a growing number of special awards and partnerships with Unesco world heritage sites such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Blenheim Palace. Here are a selection of category winners and commended entries, described in the photographers’ own words — Matt Fidler | Wednesday February 08, 2023

Tony North | First place, Breathing Spaces | Overall Winner | Blue Tajinaste, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain 🇪🇸! Echium thyrsiflorum is endemic to the mountains of La Palma island – from high up, there was a magnificent view of both the caldera below, and the stars above. The Unesco La Palma biosphere reserve encompasses the entire island, with the Caldera de Taburiente containing mountains with a highest peak of 2,426 metres – the Roque de los Muchachos. Photograph: Tony North/IGPOTY

Claudia Gaupp | Second place, Beautiful Gardens | Bedded on Asters, Höhenpark Killesberg, Stuttgart, Germany 🇩🇪! This double exposure shows a highlight of the perennial borders of the Höhenpark Killesberg: the asters flowering in autumn. A narrow path leads to a bench under a birch tree, and on this evening, there was no better place for me to enjoy this abundance of blooms. Just before the sun disappeared behind the trees, I grabbed my camera to capture this exuberant sea of flowers in all shades of purple. Photograph: Claudia Gaupp/IGPOTY

Caroline Piek | First place, Beautiful Gardens | The Stream Garden, Waspik, Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands 🇳🇱! The Stream Garden is an immersive naturalistic garden, designed by Noël van Mierlo of Van Mierlo Tuinen and landscaped by Totaaltuin Leende, and is shown here in all its glory in the first morning light using HDR. The meandering watercourse that runs through the garden is directly connected to the River Maas and is full of life such as small fish, crayfish and mussels. The garden has an irresistible appeal to children from the neighbouring marina. Photograph: Caroline Piek/IGPOTY

Gigi Williams | First place, MPB Plants & Planet | Dune, Namib desert, Namibia 🇳🇦! I took this photo in the Namib desert, which is home to some of the highest sand dunes in the world; this one was particularly impressive with the tiny trees growing happily at the bottom. It is amazing where plants can grow and how life adapts. Photograph: Gigi Williams/IGPOTY

Masaki Ito | Highly commended, Beautiful Gardens | A Smell So Sweet, Aichi prefecture, Japan 🇯🇵! The many hanging blooms of wisteria smelt so sweet as they reflected in the pond at a garden near to my house. When the flowers bloom in April, it signifies my birthday has arrived again. Photograph: Masaki Ito/IGPOTY

Gianluca Gianferrari | Second place, Breathing Spaces | Veliki Slap, Plitvice Lakes national park, Lika-Senj, Croatia 🇭🇷! Also known as the Big Waterfall, Veliki Slap is the highest waterfall in the Unesco world heritage site of Plitvice Lakes national park. The waterfall is pictured surrounded by autumn-toned trees, and with the (enhanced/added) mist it almost feels as though you could breathe in the power of nature. Photograph: Gianluca Gianferrari/IGPOTY

Jay Birmingham | Third place, Breathing Spaces | Misty Lochan, Glencoe Lochan, Highlands, UK 🇬🇧! In a week-long stay at Glencoe in Scotland, I got up each morning to take a sunrise picture, and each morning I was presented with rain; except for this one morning where I got a brief weather window to take this shot. I managed to get a 60-second shot, which helped to bring out the colour created by the mist and rain clouds. Photograph: Jay Birmingham/IGPOTY

[gamegill]

International Garden Photographer of the Year competition 2023

“Echium gentianoides is rare, being confined to La Palma in the Canary Islands, and classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as vulnerable due to browsing and predation by goats and other invasive species,” says Dr Paul P Smith, Secretary General, Botanic Gardens Conservation International. #International #Garden #Photographer #Year #competition

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Laponia II, Laponian area, Sweden

Photographer: Stuart Chape

International Garden Photographer Of The Year Competition

[hleavesk]

beautiful photos, the great nature. check them out.

(source: bbc news | 3 feb 2023)

[asphinxofblackquartz]

Here are the winning photographs.

International Garden Photographer of the Year competition 2023 - BBC News

[arnd516-xiangyili]

Magda Wasiczek

Floral art photographer Magda Wasiczek graduated from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow with a degree in Ukrainian linguistics. Pursuing her artistic interests in the fields of nature photography, microphotography, and creating original paintings of the natural world. In this respect, she developed her own poetic and grand style.

In a very short time, Magda became an influential figure and new trends emerged in macro photography. She has held solo and group exhibitions in Poland, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Australia, Iran and France.

Magda has won many recognition and awards in photography competitions in Poland and other countries, including competitions sponsored by international organizations FIAP and PSA. She is the first person in history to win the International Garden Photographer of the Year triple crown in 2012, 2015 and 2022.

I chose to study her works mainly because of the color and content of her photos. The colors in her works are very gorgeous. There are a lot of colors in her photos, but they are not messy. This is what I want to learn. What I want to know most is the content of her works. I looked up a lot of floral photographers, but none of them were as detailed as Magda Wasiczek's work. Magda Wasiczek's works are very detailed, and I like to photograph the details of life very much, so I choose Magda Wasiczek as the research object.

[architectnews]

London Houses: New Property Designs

London Houses, Property Images, New Homes, Buildings, Architects, Residential Architecture

London Houses: Properties

Contemporary Residential Buildings in South East England – Contemporary British Homes in the UK Capital

post updated 13 May 2021

London House – Latest Designs

London Residential Architecture News, chronological:

4 May 2021 Highgate House Restoration, Highgate Conservation Area, North London Design: Cairn photograph : Peter Landers Highgate House Restoration This Edwardian property restoration project brought a dilapidated home back to life, re-organising the arrangement to suit the lives of a young family and converting the roof space. A huge amount of work was required to restore the home and modernise the layout and environmental performance.

27 Apr 2021 Sponge Urban Living

21 Apr 2021 House for a Gardener, Haringey, North East London Design: Amos Goldreich Architecture photograph : Ollie Hammick House for a Gardener, Haringey A much-loved garden was central to our design of this side and rear extension for a Victorian mid-terrace house in the Stroud Green Conservation Area of Haringey. The project arranges a sequence of living spaces around the garden and an internal courtyard that gives constant connection to greenery.

21 Apr 2021 Vault House

Mountain View House

Chiswick House Extension

Bladerunner House

Cascade House, Hampstead Village

1 Mar 2021 Cloistered House, Chelsea, south west London Design: Turner Architects photograph © Adam Scott Images Chelsea Georgian terraced house The restoration and extension of a Cubitt-built Georgian terraced house in a conservation area. The Cloistered House was carefully given life having been left to ruin for many years.

20 Feb 2021 Library House

16 Feb 2021 Eclectic House, Camden

14 Feb 2021 Melbury Studio

14 Feb 2021 Harcombe House

14 Feb 2021 St Georges House

14 Feb 2021 Boscombe House

29 Jan 2021 The Rower’s House, Chiswick, south west London Architects: Loader Monteith photography : Emanuelis Stasaitis The Rower’s House in Chiswick The clients wanted a home with four bedrooms, space to entertain, and an accessible garden – with plenty of space to live and work, as well as a divisible section for a relative to use autonomously. Despite a questionable original design, the couple found the perfect potential property in a quiet corner of London.

1 Feb 2021 Art House, Paddington

10 Dec 2020 Kensington Townhouse Design: KNOF design photography: David Cleveland Kensington Townhouse, Hyde Park KNOF Design, an international design practice founded by Susan Knof, has just completed a major London commission – the unification of two separate townhouses near Hyde Park to create a single 7,500sf family home.

4 Dec 2020 Pitched Black House

26 Nov 2020 Sugar House

17 Nov 2020 17 Portland Place Renovations

16 Nov 2020 Regency Villa, Kensington

16 Nov 2020 EC1 Penthouse, Clerkenwell

15 Nov 2020 Chiswick House Extension, West London Architects and Interior Designers: Found Associates photograph : Nick Hufton, Al Crow Chiswick House Extension A double-fronted Edwardian house has been updated and extended in dramatic fashion for a television and radio presenter and his family. This four storey villa sits on a corner site with unusually large gardens to the rear. The renovation and reinvention of the villa reinforces the sense of connection between house and garden.

7 Nov 2020 Winter House Renovations

24 Apr 2020 Two and a Half Storey House, Central London Architects: Bradley Van Der Straeten photograph © French + Tye Two and a Half Storey House The Two and a Half Storey House project that circumnavigates a local planning restriction by building a half-height roof extension! The clients owned the existing two-storey, two-bedroom property, located on a central London Housing Estate.

1 Apr 2020 Hampstead Penthouse Property, North London Design: Ungar Architects photograph : Peter Cook Hampstead Penthouse Property A breathtaking new penthouse in Hampstead, with panoramic views across the UK capital city.

1 Apr 2020 Contemporary London Penthouse Properties Penthouse Properties London

5 Mar 2020 An Eclectic Victorian Home Extension North London

3 Mar 2020 Slim Studio’s Flat Interior

26 Feb 2020 Collector’s Flat, Central London Design: MATA Architects photograph © Peter Landers Collector’s Flat Interior in Central London Extensive refurbishment and interiors fit out of an apartment in a mansion block constructed at the turn of the 19th century. The works included substantial structural modifications altering the flat’s layout and introducing new services.

30 Oct 2019 Brexit Bunker Design: RISE Design Studio photograph : Edmund Sumner Brexit Bunker This sunken garden room was envisioned as a way of adding a new studio and extending the program of the house, without having to intervene in the existing portion of the building.

15 Oct 2019 Fleet House in Hampstead

20 Sep 2019 Dukes House, Alexandra Palace, Muswell Hill Structural Engineer: TZG Partnership photograph : Will Pryce Muswell Hill House This North London property is an ornate Edwardian Terrace, in the shadows of Alexandra Palace. The home has been given a complete make over.

20 Sep 2019 Aperture House in Islington

More contemporary London houses designs online soon on e-architect

London Houses Designs in 2018

23 Oct 2018 Duke’s Avenue House, Chiswick Architects: IBLA photograph : Brotherton Lock Contemporary House in London The clients, a pair of doctors, wanted to significantly increase the amount of floor-space in their West London home, whilst maintaining the existing character and external massing of the original house, and keeping their garden intact.

2 Oct 2018 Volcano House, Shoreditch, East London Architects: Urban Mesh design ltd photograph © Charles Hosea New House in Shoreditch The interiors of the home were playfully designed to suit the desires and personalities of the Client and his family.

20 Aug 2018 Benbow Yard Home, Southwark, South London Design: FORMstudio Architects photograph © Bruce Hemming Contemporary Home in Southwark This new property is a response to the Mayor of London’s Policy to optimise the re-use of small sites across the UK capital city.

19 Jun 2018 Victorian Townhouse, Highgate, North London Design: LLI Design photograph © Victorian Townhouse in Highgate Conversion of a Victorian property in reasonable condition to form a warm, comfortable home with contemporary style touches.

30 Apr 2018 Step House, North London Architects: Bureau de Change photo © Ben Blossom North London Property Extension Using bricks reclaimed from the fabric of the house, the architects exploited the rights of light diagram to create a staggered, extruded form that appears to melt away from the existing structure. This rhythmic stepping generated by the brick is echoed throughout the interior, and is integrated in both the plan and section of the extension.

27 Apr 2018 Roof Conversion, Crouch End, North London Design: JaK Studio, Architects photo : Francesco Russo Crouch End Flat Extension JaK Studio create unique loft conversion in large Victorian property by adding a new dormer extension to form a dramatic two-storey cathedral-esque space.

29 Jan 2018 The Etch House, Honor Oak, Lewisham, South London Design: Fraher Architects photo : Adam Scott Honor Oak Home Extension Joint Third Prize in ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ 2018: this 1460 sqft property re-examines the layout of the traditional Victorian terrace house. A modern floor plan sits within the old house walls, hidden behind the retained street elevation.

26 Jan 2018 Sun Rain Rooms, Islington, North London Design: Tonkin Liu Architects photo : Edmund Sumner Sun Rain Rooms Home Extension ‘Sun Rain Rooms’ has been crowned London’s best and most innovative home extension as overall winner of New London Architecture’s (NLA) annual ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ competition.

London Houses Design News for 2017

8 Dec 2017 Highgate Hill Townhouse, North London Design: LLI Design photo from LLI Design Highgate Hill Townhouse Winner in the Interior Design, London category – UK Property Awards 2017-18. LLI Design recently completed a total redesign and refurbishment of a 7 storey townhouse in Highgate, a leafy and desirable part of London.

15 Aug 2017 Hilltop House, Kingston-upon-Thames, South West London Architects: Coupdeville photograph : Simon Kennedy New Teddington House Commissioned in 2012, the architecture studio were asked to design a five bedroom house on a large 0.26 acre single plot, while retaining the existing building.

11 Aug 2017 Fairfax House, Teddington, South West London Architects: Coupdeville photograph : Simon Kennedy New Teddington House The proposal is for a contemporary dwelling that is based on a series of banded layers, that allow for a light filled interior and a dynamic and interesting external appearance.

24 Mar 2017 Oak Hill House, Hampstead, North London Design: Claridge Architects photograph : Simon Kennedy New Hampstead House Shou Sugi Ban, a UK based manufacturer of charred timber products, has selected Kebony, to create a distinctive modified timber cladding using the ancient Japanese techniques of burning, brushing or pre-weathering timber to provide a long-lasting and beautiful wood.

London Property Design News for 2016

27 Nov 2016 Increasing Value of Residential in the British Capital City Flipping Property Prices in London

1 Sep 2016 House of Trace Design: Tsuruta Architects photo : Tim Croker House of Trace A beautiful and unconventional extension to a London terraced house designed by Tsuruta Architects has been awarded the 2016 Stephen Lawrence Prize.

2 Jan 2016 Madeira Residence, Bromley, South east London Design: Rado Iliev Architect photograph : Assen Emilov New Residence in Bromley

5 Nov 2015 Newington Green Road Property, North east London Architects: NK Architects image : Robin Hayes Newington Green Road House

16 Sep 2013 Mayfair House Design: Squire and Partners, Architects photo : Gareth Gardner Mayfair House The contemporary interpretation of leaves are crafted as a metallic shingle, which cover a three storey elevation and rooftop pavilion. The PPC coated folded aluminium leaves – 4,080 in total – subtly vary in tones of bronze to mimic organic growth patterns. The concept was designed over a three year period of research and development working closely with Swiss manufacturer Tuchschmid.

London Homes – archive page up to and including 2013 photo : Alan Williams Photography

Location: London, England, UK

London Architecture

London Architecture Design – chronological list

London Architecture Walking Tours

London Architecture

London Architect

London Buildings

New House Designs

Modern Houses

English Houses

London Property

London House Extension Competition

Islington houses

New Properties / photos for the London Houses page welcome

Website: London

The post London Houses: New Property Designs appeared first on e-architect.

[architectuul]

FOMA 40: Demolished Masterpieces Of India

The status of architectural heritage in India is either demolished, dilapidated, or being fought for, by concerned citizens, architects and conservationist but the definitions remain blurry and more and more buildings are being taken off the heritage list each day to make room for new development projects.

The Hall of Nations by Raj Rewal (1972) | Photo via livinspaces

From the government initiated social housing projects, which answered the massive housing crisis in post-independence Indian cities, to the WHO Headquarters in Delhi (1962) and the Hall of Nations (1972) that was built to celebrate 25 years of India’s independence from the British Raj, are just a few examples of such great loss. 

Correa's Tube House prototype for the Gujarat Housing Board's low cost housing competition in 1960. | Photo via Charles Correa Archive

In 1960, the Gujarat Housing Board initiated an open competition to gather new ideas in the realm of low-cost/affordable housing. Inspired by the ���windscoop’ houses of Iran or Alhambra in Spain, Indian architect Charles Correa developed a low rise, high density layout with at most attention to climate and comfort. The Tube house unit with its sloping roof and adjustable louvers used the conventional airflow to naturally ventilate the house. An open floor plan with raised levels created privacy. This unit was the only one built by the housing board as a prototype. Built at the height of the Indian socialist movement, the Tube House cemented Correa's position in housing design in the country and allowed him to try out many of the theories of low rise-high density clustered incremental housing that he developed further in Belapur housing, Mumbai and PREVI Experimental housing project, Lima. The Tube House was demolished in 1995.

Drawings of the Tube House explaining different space for different activities and users. | Photo via Charles Correa Archive

Cluster of Tube houses with ‘wind-scoops’ for ventilation and community central courtyards. | Photo via Charles Correa Archive

Based on the spatial, material and climatic methodologies developed during the Tube House, Correa went on to try them in an another of his houses, the Ramakrishna House built for a mill owner in Ahmadabad. Whether it was low-cost social housing or a house for a wealthy mill owner, Correa was able to elegantly merge local materials and traditional building techniques while maintaining a modern aesthetic. Placed at the northern end of the plot to maximize on the garden, the house is a series of load bearing walls punctuated by interior courtyards and windscooping canons. Victim to the real estate boom, the Ramakrishna House was sold to a developer and the building was demolished in 1996 to make room for a commercial building.

Ramakrishna House | Photo © Peter Serenyi, MIT Libraries

Next on the list of recently demolished is the WHO Headquarters in Delhi. Built by architect Habib Rahman, who was one of the pioneers of Modernism in India. His life long career in government and public works department has given Delhi and Calcutta some of its most iconic buildings. The WHO headquarters was a three-year long project, completed in 1962. Rahman was a senior architect with the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) at the time. The building was inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The building remained a city landmark for Fifty seven years, before the six-storeyed structure was pulled down by the National Buildings Construction Corporation in July of 2019. The NBCC claimed that the building was old and fell under a seismic zone. The corporation will construct a new building for the WHO that will have around 17 floors.

Demolished WHO building in Delhi. | Photo via Habib Rahman Archives

Another one amongst Rahman's masterpieces being forgotten and razed are the 'Rahman Type Flats' in Netaji Nagar, Delhi (1954-56). After taking cabin in 1947, Nehru went on a massive building and infrastructure spree. Housing had to be built for the new government employees that were migrating to Delhi, and also to rehabilitate the huge number of people that had been displaced during the partition of the country. Besides housing also markets, cultural centers, cinemas and office buildings were built at that time. At this point Rahman’s Gropius and Bauhaus training came in handy. Rahman was asked to organize the International Exhibition on Low Cost Housing in 1954. The exhibition got architects and engineers from all over the country to take part in building sample prototypes and publishing detailed drawings, estimates and materials. Rahman's bright, well ventilated, simple two story and two room houses became a prototype for government staff housing. They came to be known as "Rahman Type Flats" and were repeated in thousands across the country. One such example of it was the government staff quarters in R.K.Puram, New Delhi completed in 1959. It housed government employees and their families for decades before they were finally demolished in 2018 to make way for high rises, which would trade public land to private entities. 

Habib Rahman CPWD housing 1954 | Photo via Habib Rahman Archive

Demolition of “Rahman Type Flats” photographed by Habib Rahman's son Ram Rahman on 28th June 2018. | Photo via architexturez

And lastly the one for which the world cried. From Pompidou Centre to MoMA in New York to the entire architecture community in India raised opposition to the demolition of The Hall of Nations in Delhi. In the 1970, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called for entries to design a large exhibition complex which would exhibit airplanes and satellites to commemorate 25 years of India's Independence. Young architect Raj Rewal's entry not only got him the project but also curiosity and appreciation from the world. Rewal recalls the time when Buckminster Fuller came to the site and was stunned by Rewal's massive space frames in concrete making the fabric of the exhibition hall. Inspired by the traditional Indian Jaali (perforated screens), his space frame education in Europe and Le Corbusier's sun breakers as an extension to his building façades in Chandigarh, Rewal here let the space frames itself become the walls and the roof of the exhibition halls. Engineer Mahindra Raj explains how space frames everywhere were being done in steel at the time but India did not have the quality and the fabricators for steel sections for a project of that scale and importing steel sections from abroad to build this symbol of India's growth and progress was not an option. 45 years later in 2017, the Hall of Nations was pulled down by half a dozen bulldozers that worked overnight to demolish this masterpiece of post-independence architecture in India making way for a "new state-of-the-art convention centre and exhibition centre."

Architect Raj Rewal and structural engineer Mahindra Raj created the Hall of Nations in 1972. | Photo via livinspaces

The significance of Hall of Nations from "Indian Modernity" by Manu Rewal.

In conversation with the Quint after the demolition,  Rewal explains, "In 1972, the Hall of Nations and Industries was symbolic of an achievement by young architects in a newly-independent India, creating a style, which could be constructed with limited means, yet be uniquely Indian."

Architecture Live quoted Rewal: "[[Hall of Nations]] was a great feat of art and architecture… it was a symbol of what very ordinary people can do. 500 families worked on the site; there were no canteens, no crèches, no helmets, and the work went on for a very long time. The structure was built from hand-poured concrete, and was labour intensive; the credit does not only belong to the architects and the engineers, but also to these people – because it was their achievement, to have created something through such simple methods.” 

These statements of Rewal aren't only true in case of the Hall of Nation but for all of India's modern heritage that is slowly disappearing along with its history.

--- 

FOMA 40: Zahara Chhapra

Zahara Chhapra is an architect and researcher from Mumbai, India. Having recently completed her Masters in Design Research from the Bauhaus in Dessau, Zahara now resides in Berlin and is a researcher and editor with Architectuul. Her interests lie in the spatial and political agency of architectural and urban actors in the everyday life of the city.