It’s the 21st century and everything is different now. New technologies, new trends, innovations; everything is evolving day by day. We are living a modern lifestyle, aren’t we? The entire world is in a race of evolution. As everything else changed and evolved so as our architecture. Just like fashion, we have seen many trends in architecture as well and modern architecture is one of them. While talking about modern architecture, you must have an idea about what is modern architecture? In answer to that question, any form of architecture that is built with new techniques, new construction methods, and new ideas/concepts is known as modern architecture and is characterised by various building materials such as glass, steel, reinforced concrete, etc.
My hometown is Ahmedabad; one of the megacities of India. A few years back, it was declared India’s First Heritage City by UNESCO. It has both traditional and modern essence in its architecture. After the independence, many cities in India were renewed, redesigned, and established and Ahmedabad was one of them. This city showcases the works of many famous modernist architects such as Le Corbusier, B. V. Doshi, Louis I Khan, Charles Correa, and many more. For people like me who are obsessed with modern architecture, Ahmedabad would be a place for them because it has many astonishing modern architectural buildings like ATMA house, Villa Shodhan, Sanskar Kendra, Sarabhai villa, Sabarmati ashram, etc.
Le Corbusier– one of the pioneers of modern architecture and an unforgettable personality among modern architecture lovers. All the architecture lovers know about his 5 principles of modern architecture: Pilotis, Terrace Garden, Floor plan, Single long window, and free façade. He had designed many buildings using these 5 principles, and ‘Villa Shodhan’ is one of those structures. This modern villa is located in Ahmedabad and was built during 1951 -56. In the design process of this beautiful villa, the architect focused on four simple and essential things: Sun, Wind, View, and Landscape.
The entrance of Villa Shodhan; a cut-out in the blank wall with the cantilevered porch Picture Ref: www.wikiarquitecture.com
This modern villa has been designed in such a way as to ensure optimum air and light, shades and shadows, and open-and-close areas. The entry of this villa is marked by a cut-out in the blank wall with the cantilevered porch. One can easily see the importance of the terrace in this building. Ahmedabad becomes one of the hottest cities in India during summer. Concerning that fact, an architect designed terraces on every floor that serve each bedroom so one can sleep outside during the hot summer nights.
A large number of houses in old Ahmedabad were built around a double-storied entry hall, or Chowk, which signifies their symbolic and ceremonial center. Therefore, in this building, he created double-height spaces to keep the traditional architecture alive. The entire villa entails the dialogue between modern architecture and traditional Indian architecture. In this villa, he used Verandah (one of the major elements of traditional Indian architecture) as a key element of architectural form that invigorates its volume.
All the levels are layered spatially and horizontally with the help of terraces, double-height spaces, etc. to create interesting spaces in the building and also to connect it with nature while maintaining the privacy of the building. Ramps and staircases are designed in such a way that they culminate towards certain viewpoints.
Insight into the interior of the building Picture Ref: www.wikiarquitecture.com
The exterior form of this building is derived from a basic cube and we can clearly see the influence of his previous works in this villa. Roof cut-off and visible pillars are influenced by Villa Baizeau, ramps to upper floors are influenced by Villa Savoye, and square windows are influenced by the Mondrian square in De Stijl. Although, this villa is a perfect example of a modern building that still has the essence of traditional Indian Architecture.
In terms of interiors, Le Corbusier used contrastive colours against the concrete wall, which makes the interior of the building more attractive. He played with the light in the interior spaces and designed the openings of the villa in such a way that he can use the maximum amount of natural light innovatively.
In short, I would say this building is perfectly designed in a grid system and all the elements act in harmony to create the overall view of the building. The architect’s creativity and concepts can be seen clearly in the exterior facade as well as in interior spaces. One thing that intrigued me the most is that this villa considered as a modern architecture building, but it still has the essence of Indian traditional architecture. Le Corbusier beautifully amalgamated two different architectural styles. And one last thing I would say, Villa Shodhan is a refined version of Villa Savoye.