The fifth edition of Charles Correa Memorial Lecture organised by Ambuja Neotia Group in association with Charles Correa Foundation was held on June 25 at AltAir, EcoCentre, Sector V, Salt Lake.
C. Anjalendran from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and KT Ravindran from New Delhi were invited to speak at the annual event held in honour of Correa, a pioneer in urban planning and architecture in India and abroad.
Preceding the lecture was the lamp-lighting ceremony presided over by Ambuja Neotia Group chairman Harshavardhan Neotia.
Speaking at the inauguration, Neotia said, “Growing up in a family that showed patronage to visual art, music, literature and philosophy, I accidentally got involved in real estate construction. Over the years I have had the privilege of meeting some amazing architects.”
In his lecture, Ravindran, who is the chairman of the Architectural Heritage Advisory Committee of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, highlighted the fundamental features of Correa’s architectural projects and how they continue to influence future architects.
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“Correa organises his work around four basic principles — constructing pergolas, negotiating the sky, earthing the building and having a picture wall. He deploys these instruments in varying forms in his projects,” he added.
Anjalendran, who won the Golden Award for Global Contribution to Architecture in 2011, made a presentation titled “The Architecture of an Island” to show how everyday routine has been blended into Sri Lankan architecture.
“When I went back to Sri Lanka in 1977, there was no literature on contemporary architecture. Everyone says a building should relate to the landscape and nature, but buildings have always been an integral part of nature in Sri Lanka! Landscapes become perfect because of the buildings,” he said.
A master architect of post-Independent India, Charles Correa was involved in several prestigious projects including City Centre I in Salt Lake, Kolkata; Mahatma Gandhi Sangrahalaya, Sabarmati, Ahmedabad; Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Bhopal; and National Crafts Museum and British Council, New Delhi.