Rahul Mehrotra - Working in Mumbai: The Works of RMA Architects - September 26, 2018
Rahul Mehrotra, 2018 Clarkson Chair in Architecture, University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, presented the first of three talks given in Hayes Hall on September 26, 2018 as part of Fall 2018 Public Programs (‘Discursive Practices’ Lecture Series). In “Working in Mumbai: The Works of RMA Architects,” Professor Mehrotra discusses how his relationship with the kinetic city of Mumbai has propelled his thinking and practice of architecture to have a multidisciplinary approach -- blending architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, and conservation – in order to broaden the potential and meaningful influence architecture can realize in a city’s social, cultural, and economic landscape. Mehrotra offers examples of how seemingly dichotomous relationships (i.e. formal/informal; direct access/inequity; pluralism/coexistence; contemporary/historic; etc.) need to be examined and confronted while allowing the audience to interpret and determine how boundaries of such dualities are blurred. The selection of residential and institutional architecture, and projects in which global capital is sensitized in local space include: -House For a Filmmaker, Alibag, India -Three Court House, Alibag, India -Cept University Library, Ahmedabad, India -KMC Corporate Office, Hyderabad, India -Lab of the Future, Basel, Switzerland -Community Toilets for SPARC, Mumbai, India -Hathigaon (elephant village), Jaipur, Rajasthan, India Rahul Mehrotra is an architect, urbanist, educator, and Founding Principal of RMA Architects (www.RMAarchitects.com). He is Professor of Urban Design and Planning and Chair of the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Mehrotra has designed projects that range from recycling urban land and master planning in Mumbai to the design of art spaces, boutiques, weekend houses, factories, social institutes and office buildings across India – thereby engaging diverse issues, multiple constituencies and varying scales: from interior design and architecture to urban design, conservation and planning. The Clarkson Visiting Chair is an endowed visiting position granted semiannually to a distinguished scholar or professional in the disciplines of architecture, planning, and design. This award is in recognition of excellence in the pursuit of scholarship and professional application within these fields.
Rahul Mehrotra, 2018 Clarkson Chair in Architecture, University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, presented the first of three talks given in Hayes Hall on September 26, 2018 as part of Fall 2018 Public Programs (‘Discursive Practices’ Lecture Series). In “Working in Mumbai: The Works of RMA Architects,” Professor Mehrotra discusses how his relationship with the kinetic city of Mumbai has propelled his thinking and practice of architecture to have a multidisciplinary approach -- blending architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, and conservation – in order to broaden the potential and meaningful influence architecture can realize in a city’s social, cultural, and economic landscape. Mehrotra offers examples of how seemingly dichotomous relationships (i.e. formal/informal; direct access/inequity; pluralism/coexistence; contemporary/historic; etc.) need to be examined and confronted while allowing the audience to interpret and determine how boundaries of such dualities are blurred. The selection of residential and institutional architecture, and projects in which global capital is sensitized in local space include: -House For a Filmmaker, Alibag, India -Three Court House, Alibag, India -Cept University Library, Ahmedabad, India -KMC Corporate Office, Hyderabad, India -Lab of the Future, Basel, Switzerland -Community Toilets for SPARC, Mumbai, India -Hathigaon (elephant village), Jaipur, Rajasthan, India Rahul Mehrotra is an architect, urbanist, educator, and Founding Principal of RMA Architects (www.RMAarchitects.com). He is Professor of Urban Design and Planning and Chair of the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Mehrotra has designed projects that range from recycling urban land and master planning in Mumbai to the design of art spaces, boutiques, weekend houses, factories, social institutes and office buildings across India – thereby engaging diverse issues, multiple constituencies and varying scales: from interior design and architecture to urban design, conservation and planning. The Clarkson Visiting Chair is an endowed visiting position granted semiannually to a distinguished scholar or professional in the disciplines of architecture, planning, and design. This award is in recognition of excellence in the pursuit of scholarship and professional application within these fields.