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RAJREWAL(contemporary architect)
Raj Rewal Born in 1934 inHoshiarpur, Punjab, India..
He lived in Delhi and Shimla in 1939-1951.
He attended Harcourt butler highersecondary school.In 1951-1954, he
attended Delhi school ofarchitecture New Delhi.
His imaginative leaps are based onhis foundational knowledge and
experienceIn 1955-1961 he moved to
London and attended the
architectural association school of
architecture for one year.
He Completed his formalprofessional training at the Brixton
school of building, London.
Raj Rewal worked as an assistantstage manager in London .
He became an associate of the royalinstitute of British architects,
London.
He was working in the offices ofMiche Ecohard, in Paris ,in 1961-
1962.
In 1962 he married with Helene.Hereturned to new Delhi in 1962 to set
up his own architectural practice.
1963-72 taught at the Delhi school ofarchitecture.
He opened a second office in Tehran,Iran, in 1974 .
In 1986 curator of the exhibitionTraditionalArchitecture in India forthe festival of India in Paris.
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
He completed his professionaleducation in Europe.
First he relates to his interest instructures,which was cultivated by
his English education,
craft tradition, during the review ofhis diploma projects.Second he worked as an assistant
stage manager for several avante
grade theatre productions in London
.As a set designer he learnt that each
dramatic work had it particular
character which he intrepts as the
rasa of the building.
Third he was working in the offices ofMichel Eco hard, in Paris. In office he
absorbed the principles of urban
design and planning .
He also had an opportunity to workon the design of a space framestructure for a Museum in Kuwait.
Then he take the lead of structuresystem for the exhibition pavilions at
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
He convinced his European structuralconsultants to develop the unusual
structural system for the Ismaili
centre and the central
public works dept. to undertake theconstructionof stone columns and
ferro cement domes for the
Parliament Library.
The only 2 other influences that headmits were important to his
development as an architect were on
his return to India.On seeing theworks of Le Corbusier.
Teaching history at the School ofplanning and Architecture ,New
Delhi. Corbusiers works convincedhim that it was possible to be
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rational and employ modern means
to build in India.Teaching historyexposed him to the classical and
vernacular traditions of bldg in India.
FEATUERS OF HIS DESIGN
URBAN FABRIC
CLUSTERS
STREETS
GATEWAYS
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INNER COURTYARDS
ROOFING
RAJ REWALS WORKS
Raj Rewals works can be divided in the
following
parts:
RESIDENCES Satish Gujral house, New Delhi Sham Lal house, New Delhi
Rewal house, New Delhi HOUSING French Embassy Staff Quarters, New
Delhi
Sheikh Sarai Housing Complex, NewDelhi
Zakir Hussain Co-operative Housing,New Delhi
Asian Games Village, New DelhiEXHIBITION AND LARGE SPAN
Nehru Memorial Pavilion, New Delhi Hall Of Nations and Hall Of
Industries, New Delhi
Karnataka Pavilion, New DelhiOFFICES
Bhikhaji Cama Bazaar, New Delhi Engineers India House, New Delhi State Trading Corporation, New Delhi SCOPE Office Complex, New DelhiRESEARCH &EDUCATION
National Institute Of Public Financesand Policy, New Delhi.
National Institute Of Immunology,New Delhi
French School and Cultural Centre,New Delhi
Central Institute Of EducationalTechnology, New Delhi
SATISH GUJRAL HOUSE, NEW DELHI,
1970
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Designed for an artist, the Gujralhouse provided approximately
800sqm of living space also
intended for the display of paintings
and works of art.
A central staircase connects variouslevels of the dwelling which have
the difference in height of one and a
half meters.
Certain interior spaces have directaccess to outdoor gardens at
differing levels; the basement, for
example, is one and a half meters for
ground level and contains a
workshop for ceramic joined to
sunken open court.
REWAL HOUSE ,NEW DELHI
In 1973, He designed 2 independenthouse units, one for the architect and
his family, the other for his parents.
He were designed in such a manneras to give both privacy and inter-
relatedness to each other.
Communication between the two
houses is through the kitchen yard,
at the back.
While separate entrances and frontgardens are
provided across an extremely narrow
frontage of only 5 meters for each.
Living, dining, kitchen and studyareas are on the ground floor, yet the
introduction of a small cellar under
the dining room offered the
possibility of a split-level and hence
greater richness.
Part of the living room is ofdouble height, and is overlooked by
mezzanine.
A small interior courtyardwithin the two units
brings indirect light and good cross
ventilation to these spaces.
Large pivoting glass doorsprovide continuity
between the living room and the
garden outside.
The use of material is restricted toexposed brick externally and
internally (painted white outside).
The ceilings and cantilevered stairsare of exposed concrete, softened by
the texture left by wooden form
work.
The flooring of kotah stone in brownand bronze achieves a certain
continuity, carried through in the
teak-framed doors and windows.
NEHRU MEMORIAL
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PAVILION,NEW DELHI 1971
The pavilion is designed to houseexhibits on the
life and times of former prime
minister Jawaharlal
Nehru, portions of which wereassembled by the
celebrated American designer
Charles Fames. The building is embedded in a grassy
mound of earth.
The basic idea of the design comesfrom the earliest Buddhist stupas in
Nepal which are earth mound
containing relics of Buddha.
The upper level for example is forcirculation and based on the
traditional parkarma, or
circumblation around a central
shrine, often acircler or an octagon which evokes a
particular mood.
Concrete used for the structure hasbeen left
exposed both inside or outside , where
the
patterns from the wood shuttering
remain evident
and contribute a note of simplicity.
However kota stone for the flooringand teak forthe doors and windows add a sense of
elegance .
Parliament Library, New Delhi
The Parliament library designed byRaj Rewal is
a new addition to the majestic complex
of
imperial buildings in the former capita
of british India.representing the democratic aspiration
of an independent India.
The building represents a wonderfulinterplay of
open and enclosed space.
delightful the dense space of theadjoining
Parliament house.
The composition of library complex isbased on
squaring of triangles,a move set tobalance the
circular composition of the parliament
building.
Light is the defining theme of thisbuilding, symbolically representing the
spirit of
wisdom, enlightment & democracy.
A large part of the structure of libraryis made
of columns.
The site and the building is Locatedon a 10-
acre (4-hectare) site, the library is nearly
590,000 square feet (55,000 square
meters) in
area.
The plan of the building is inspired byprecolonial Indian architecture such as
the magnese of taj mahal.
AWARDS
Gold Medal 1989 by the IndianInstitute of Architects.
Mexican Association of Architectsaward in 1993 for regional values.
Lifetime achievement award 2001 bythe Institution of Engineers (India).
Golden Architect Award 2003 by A+Dand Spectrum Foundation.
REFERENCES
www.wikipedia.com,RAJ REWAL
book.
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