#ArchiSpeak
Mr. Dikshu C. Kukreja is one of the pillars of CP Kukreja Associates, a widely acclaimed multidisciplinary architectural and engineering firm based out of New Delhi.
A vanguard of contemporary architecture and recipient of many prestigious awards, CPKA has been creating masterpieces for over four decades across India. Following are excerpts of an interview with Mr. Dikshu C. Kukreja:
On being picked as one of the top 100 architectural firms in the world by a leading architectural journal of the UK
I feel from one perspective these are barely numbers, but from another perspective, this reflects on the growing significance of India in the global scenario today which includes her architecture as well. Since there are a lot of urban and infrastructure developments happening across the country today, at a scale and size which has not been seen ever before, I think that has led to good architecture beginning to get recognized and appreciated.
On receiving the CNBC-CRISIL accolade of Best Residential Designer
Our designs should be able to comfortably accommodate a family of any culture or background, irrespective of which part of the country it comes from, and also fit into the unique living style of that family. So the challenge for us in any housing project is that our design must be sensitive to these factors, and flexible to fit into the diverse needs, which is something I feel has been the deciding factor in getting us some appreciation. Another aspect is that you have got to create a living environment which seamlessly caters to the entire diaspora living there in terms of age as well, including a 6-month-old who can barely walk and a 90-year-old who can again barely walk and is comfortable to each one of us.
Good residential architecture means while designing any kind of multifamily residential developments like condominiums etc. in a country such as ours, the extremely diverse culture and background of people coming from different parts of the country to live there, have to be taken into account.
On the scope of ACP in residential projects
ACP is one material which is definitely growing in popularity. What has contributed to this is that today the world is moving towards modularity, standardization and on-site construction. The choices today are made more in a way that there are less labour-intensive works, and things can be done quickly and fast at the site. So from that perspective, ACP ends up becoming a favoured choice many a time.
I don’t think ACP necessarily has to be looked at as something which is just meant for commercial buildings. If it is judiciously used, it can be used anywhere, for e.g. when we did the residential project called, ‘The Forest’ for Omaxe, 13 years back, we used ACP as a facade material in the entire housing complex which added a lot of warmth to it, and that was also one project that received many awards.
On factors contributing to the selection of building material for the facade
There are a variety of aspects. First is its local availability, which is always preferable. For, as per LEED, GRIHA and other environmental ratings, you don’t necessarily choose to bring materials from places located too far away. Second is that the material has to be climatologically suitable. So if you are using ACP, for instance, then you must have proper insulation in the walls etc. The third is consistency i.e. you want to use a material which can express your architecture in a particular manner. So sometimes if you want to use a material to effect some uniformity or consistency, then ACP being an industrially produced material, can give you that consistency. And the fourth is the context of the building: whether it’s a museum or housing or a hospital or an office, whether its use is going to be public or private in nature, all these things play a role in the final selection of the material.
On the need of a holistic approach towards urbanization in India
It is more like a firefighting approach being taken in our cities today for a variety of reasons, like more migration into the cities etc. Cities are growing obviously, and as a result, the municipal bodies are rushing to solve problems viz-a-viz traffic congestion, water supply, sewage, and other infrastructure issues. But a total approach of how a city should be turned into a model city like it was taken in the West a couple of centuries back when cities like Paris or London or Amsterdam were changed over to modern cities. Unfortunately, that overall futuristic thinking is unfortunate not happening at the moment.
Yes, the smart city concept has come into being. But for me, the Smart City is just like the story of the Blind Men and an Elephant, because anybody you talk to is looking at smart city only from their individual perspective, be it of technology or security or transportation solution or environmental concerns. Nobody is looking at the holistic picture of how a city in the 21st century needs to transform in India if we have to welcome and properly accept urbanization.
On learning from Europe and the USA
Since Europe and the US are more advanced societies, particularly in respect of development, l think without at any point imitating what they have done, we can certainly benefit a lot by learning from things they have done right and things they have done wrong. And at least, if nothing else, we shouldn’t repeat the mistakes that they have made. The US has been extremely sensitive to the environment, at least in their country, and is also at the forefront of promoting experimentation and adapting new technologies.
Europe, besides being sensitive to the environment as well, has also been extremely careful and sensitive about conserving their historical buildings, arts, and culture, while modernizing at the same time. And that is something we in India need to learn, for, we too are steeped in history and culture, which should coexist with urbanization and development.
On the unique Kabliji Hospital in Gurgaon, a rural hospital that was built with local materials
Kabliji was a charitable contribution and was a part of our consistent efforts to contribute in our own little way towards minimizing the gulf between the available healthcare infrastructure and needs in our country. Kabliji was a hospital that was built in a rural area with a very modest budget. The idea behind our architecture was driven by the sensitivity that a hospital is a place where people usually visit when they are in distress. So the last thing one would want when in distress is to get intimidated by the environment he has entered into, i.e. the physical building.
Therefore, we tried to build something that’s not intimidating or foreign to the villagers, but something that they are more comfortable with. That’s why we used local materials to build very simple and inviting buildings having a rural flavor about them, and yet equipped with all the amenities of a modern hospital.
On the upcoming Smart Medi City in Bhopal
Well, the Smart Medi City is I guess the other spectrum of where healthcare design is going into. The Government of Madhya Pradesh has taken a very ambitious and bold step of modernizing a very old hospital called the Hamidia Hospital which is at a landmark location in Bhopal. Also, its strength is going to be dramatically increased to make it a 3000-bed hospital. We call it Smart Medi City for the way it is being designed, for when I went to the site I realized, that this isn’t just going to be a hospital, but actually a thriving city in 65-70 odd acres of land: where you will have students and faculty living as there would be medical colleges and hostels; you will have doctors and nurses living; you are going to have so many religious structures like mandir, masjid et al; you are going to have commercial shopping centres, and of course along with all that you are going to have the hospital. So in all respects, I found that it will be like an entire city, and we have taken the holistic approach of designing it like a small city.
So for students studying there, there ought to be good quality of spaces, both buildings, and open spaces; for the faculty, doctors, and nurses who are going to live there for years, there should be a good residential complex where they can enter into a completely different space of relaxation with their families, once they are back from the hospital, and don’t feel like being in hospital. Then being a medical college, you need playfields and all the paraphernalia that are associated with an educational institution. That’s how we are planning it as a brilliant Medi City with the latest of technology and infrastructure and architecture which responds to Bhopal and yet modern.
On replicating the timber construction of Sikkim with brick and concrete for the unique Rumtek Monastery in Delhi
It has a beautiful story behind it. In the 1980s, it wasn’t easy for foreigners to get permission to visit Sikkim. So the Dalai Lama approached the Government of India to get special permission to create a monastery here in Delhi. We were approached to design the project, and since this was such a unique project, Mr. Kukreja (CP Kukreja) before designing this building actually went to Sikkim and spent a couple of weeks in monasteries to understand how they function. And to his surprise, he found that a monastery almost literally works like a university. It was an exciting learning experience. The challenge was to replicate the exact look and feel of the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, which is made of timber with brick and concrete. Now it is easy to curve in timber, but creating the same design in brick and concrete was a big challenge. We used brick and concrete as they were more suitable for the Delhi climate, and were easily available as well. We worked with craftsmen from Sikkim to replicate the detailing of the original monastery. In the end, it proved that nothing is impossible to do eventually. Also, it was a very environment-friendly project as the paints that were used were not artificial ones but natural dyes and pigments.
