Luxebook August 2022

The changing landscape of Indian architecture and design Is there a shift towards Art Deco-inspired homes? India’s top architects share their thoughts. BY ARUSHI SAKHUJA Mughal-inspired archtecture featuring arches and domes I n the design world the only thing that stays constant is change. Home and architectural trends change over a span of time. But with every year comes new inventions and innovative design aesthetics; from the introduction of new materials to architecture protypes. India’s architectural story has come a long way. Think artistic temples, Mughal-inspired large-than-life forts and palaces, British architecture that borrows heavily from Art Nouveau and what we see around us today — linear, geometric homes. India has seen a whirlwind of trends, right from kitschy Indian handicrafts that adorn the interiors of beautiful homes, dome-shaped architectural havens and old bungalows with high ceilings and majestic pillars making them a true vision of beauty. But if we were to pause for a moment and look at the architecture around us at present, symmetrical homes with large glass windows and muted colour palettes are omnipresent. Further proving the fast pace at which India has been westernised, owing to the phenomenon of globalization. History of Art Deco in India While Art Deco movement was born out of modernity, it doesn’t fall in the modernism style. Architects such as Le Corbusier married both styles. Modern Indian architecture came around the twentieth century when India got independence, with architects like Le Corbusier leading the movement. Corbusier had designed the city of Chandigarh, an epoch to modernism. Modernism was apt for the country after independence, as a clean break from the British art deco style popular in the early twentieth century. Thereafter, Indian architects were inspired, and began implementing similar ideas.The influence of other American and European masters helped bring about a modern architectural movement in India. But as cities grew, the population increased. The rise in population meant there was a greater requirement for housing spaces and efficient use of space. Although the Art Deco movement began while the British were around, one can find its relevance even today. “Streamlined, geometric designs on the structures as well as the grills, curved balconies, sleek-looking structures and details — the global trend of art deco is timeless,” added Kaushik. While Art Deco made its appearance in the West in the mid-to-late 1910s in France, it developed into a major style in western Europe, the US and Mumbai during the 1930s. With over 600 Art Deco buildings, Mumbai has the world’s second-largest collection of Art Deco structures, after Miami. Mumbai and Art Deco Some iconic buildings in Mumbai such as the Art Deco buildings on Marine Drive were recognized last year by Unesco as a World Heritage site. As Unesco recognized, the value of Mumbai’s Deco does not lie in the drama of a single structure but in the spirit of the ensemble. This fabric represents the making of modern Bombay, as it was then known. Mumbai’s Art Deco structures are not as grand as New York’s Chrysler Building. Instead, they resemble Miami’s laid-back tropical deco. “Evolved in France, the famous architectural style entered the Indian urbanscape through Mumbai in 1930s,moving away from traditionalism and towards modernism. The invention of RCC gave Indian architects a free hand in experimenting MODERN ARCHI T ECTURE 54| L U X E B O O K | A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 | L U X E B O O K | 55