Lall, Ashok
Joseph allen stein An ‘Indian’ architect - Vol.86(5), May - Mumbai Indian Institute of Architects 2021 - 46-48p.
It can be said that great architecture, like great liter-
ature, stays alive: it stays alive in that it continues to engage
successive generations of audience – speaking of its origins, of
its shifting meanings as it accommodates change, recalling its
history, and inviting fresh readings of its values and qualities
for the new present. The architecture I am thinking of is liv-
ing architecture, not the monumental architecture of glory or
nostalgia. Living architecture would be of a kind which is con-
tinually appropriated by users, creatively, into changing cul-
tural contexts rather than being retained as historic memory.
The India International Centre is one such work– arguably the
most cherished work of architecture of post-Independence
New Delhi, as it is also the most accomplished creation of its
architect– Joseph Allen Stein. When the India International
Centre was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, it was an occa-
sion to reflect on the core values embodied in his work and
the historic significance of his architectural journey in India.
So, allow me the liberty of recalling, and taking forward, a
piece that I had written for the India International Centre
Quarterly’s commemorative issue in 2012.
ARCHITECTURE GENERAL (AR-GEN)
Joseph allen stein An ‘Indian’ architect - Vol.86(5), May - Mumbai Indian Institute of Architects 2021 - 46-48p.
It can be said that great architecture, like great liter-
ature, stays alive: it stays alive in that it continues to engage
successive generations of audience – speaking of its origins, of
its shifting meanings as it accommodates change, recalling its
history, and inviting fresh readings of its values and qualities
for the new present. The architecture I am thinking of is liv-
ing architecture, not the monumental architecture of glory or
nostalgia. Living architecture would be of a kind which is con-
tinually appropriated by users, creatively, into changing cul-
tural contexts rather than being retained as historic memory.
The India International Centre is one such work– arguably the
most cherished work of architecture of post-Independence
New Delhi, as it is also the most accomplished creation of its
architect– Joseph Allen Stein. When the India International
Centre was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, it was an occa-
sion to reflect on the core values embodied in his work and
the historic significance of his architectural journey in India.
So, allow me the liberty of recalling, and taking forward, a
piece that I had written for the India International Centre
Quarterly’s commemorative issue in 2012.
ARCHITECTURE GENERAL (AR-GEN)