SWUCJ-6TH.SEM.

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PREFACE

This seminar is based on the design projects of the one of the prime
architects of India, Uttam C. Jain, serving to the needs of millions of Indians. I
have tried to keep my studies and interpretations as far simple as possible.
My seminar, though it may not show flashes of genius, does convey a
definite sense of purpose and honesty of approach to reach a solution to gather
information which I, to the best of my capacity, have formulated to suit our needs.
All possible information is collected from various sources based on proper
judgement and clarification.
I hope my seminar will somehow help in knowing the architect.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am thankful to Prof. Sibabrata Haldar, who has given me the opportunity

to prepare this seminar. I am also thankful to my parents and my friends, who
have helped in different ways during the time period of gathering information and
formulating them.
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 2/14 2

CONTENTS
BIOGRAPHY 3
PROMINENT PROJECTS
4
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY 4
BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS 4
PROJECTS
MAJOR BUILDINGS EXAMPLES
JODHPUR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS 5
BALOTRA CITY HALL 7
INDIRA GANDHI INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH 9
OTHER BUILDINGS EXAMPLES
NEELAM CINEMA 11
ENGINEERING COLLEGE, KOTA 12
BIBLIOGRAPHY 14
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 3/14 3

BIOGRAPHY
Born in 1934 in Malwara, Rajasthan, Mumbai-based architect Uttam Jain
was fascinated by arts as a child. Being part of a family that was affluent enough,
Jain encountered painters and other traditional artists and craftsmen during all
the festive events at home. The passion continued when he enrolled for the
newly introduced architecture course at IIT Kharagpur. With a scholarship in
hand, Uttam Jain completed his advanced studies in urban planning from the
National University of Tucuman, Argentina, South America. This period exposed
him to many modernist ideas. Interacting with architects like Oscar Niemeyer and
Lucio Costa in Brazil was an educating experience for the young architect.
With a career that spans 40-odd years, Uttam Jain is responsible for many
notable buildings in India. From the Jodhpur University in 1969 and the Indira
Gandhi Institute of Development Research in 1985 to the recently completed
'Landmark' building for the Silver Group, his work needs no introduction. In the
past few years, despite the low profile that he has deliberately maintained, Jain
has designed a range of projects that are expressive of his individual style of
architecture.
Jain was also the editor of the Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects
(JIIA) for 16 years and strongly advocates the inclusion of architecture journalism
within the syllabus of every college. Also, being keenly interested in the academic
aspect of architecture, he has lectured at many colleges.

PROMINENT PROJECTS
Infrastructure Development & Campus Buildings, Jodhpur University,
Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 1969
Oberoi Bogmalo Beach Resort (5 star), Goa, 1975
Balotra City Hall, Balotra, Rajasthan, 1985
Neelam Cinema, Balotra, Rajasthan, 1985
Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Bombay, 1987
Habib Ganj Railway Station, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 1988
Engineering College, Kota, Rajasthan, 1991
Jawaharlal Darda Institute for Engineering & Technology, Yavatmal,
Maharasthra, 1998
Master Plan, Amolakchand Mahavidyalaya, Yavatmal, Maharasthra, 1999
General Motors Shoeroom & Workshop, Mumbai, Maharasthra, 2002
Aga Khan School, Mundra, Gujrat, 2002
Master Plan, Umaid Heritage, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 2003
Festival Theatre, Restoration & Facilities Up gradation, Internatoinal Film
Festival of India, Panaji, Goa, 2004

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
The year 1969 was the centenary of Mahatma Gandhis birth. The event
brought about a moral stock. By 1969 the architectural profession had
considerably matured. Indian architects began to look more confidently into their
own milieu, conscious of their mandate to take up a more responsible role in the
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 4/14 4

development of the country. The revival of Gandhi's call to build upon the
indigenous technologies and symbols of Indian culture provided a moral basis for
the rejection of the Western derived imagery of contemporary Indian architecture
that had long been the concern of active thinkers in the profession. Since the late
1960s, architecture and other branches of design in India have accepted a
conscious and occasionally literal return to traditional order, form and craft as
valid sources of imagery. In this regard, the constant challenge of urban housing
has inspired interesting efforts. Also striking is the micro-regional identity that
certain architects have been able to capture in powerful building contexts, such
as the Himalayan foothills or the desert of Rajasthan.
Of strong thoughts and design ideas, the concept of any line drawn is of
utmost importance to Jain. He follows a style that absorbed Western
connotations of contemporary architecture to create structures that blended with
the contextual elements of the regional environment.
Jain does not believe in imitating tradition, but is of the firm opinion that
one cannot neglect the old for the new instead one has to create an appropriate
balance. In doing so, he feels, a style can be created individually and every
architect has his own way of creating architecture. As he puts it, "I think
Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright then and now Frank Gehry, symbolise such
signature styles and are immensely admirable."
Jain's ability to 'subvert' modernist tenets suggests that modern
architecture has, in fact, always possessed the malleability and flexibility in its
vocabulary to allow it to adapt to impose conditions.
He believes that there are other priorities in architecture today than just
decoration and plasticity. The strength lays in its facet- the plurality.
He also puts about his present design schemes, I may now design
differently the buildings I did ten years ago. An architect has to have three things
in mind, the place, the culture, and his own personality. Individualism in a large
sense reflects society; it is not directly divorced from it.

BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS
The buildings of Uttam C Jain shun industrial products and processes and
adapt traditional solutions to construction and climate using cheap local
materials and labour.
Most of his buildings are generated from a clear geometric concept or grid;
their strong forms, usually unconstrained by tight urban context.
The common characteristic of his desert vernacular is a defiant exuberance
in contrast to the austerity of the surrounding environment.
His desert buildings suggests that the nature and nuances of a genuine
regionalism a sense of place in architecture, are not to be isolated in a
mere gloss of vernacular.
A contemporary building type was planned with contemporary modernist
principles of spatial organization.
Structure and form were determined according to the intrinsic order of
construction.
His buildings are completed with the features of braise-soleil.
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 5/14 5

Rubble-stone walls & external finishes like white pointing, mundane

terrazzo were generally used in different contexts
Folksy coloured glass doors and claddings are also used.

MAJOR BUILDINGS EXAMPLES

1. UNIVERSITY OF JODHPUR CAMPUS, JODHPUR

Consultants: Shaman Engineering Company, C.M. Jain (structure);

Techno consultants (services)
Contractors: Rajasthan State Bridge & Construction Corp. Ltd.,
Years of Completion: Lecture Theatre - 1971
Canteen and Arts & Social Sciences Block - 1985
Areas: Lecture Hall - 680 m2
Canteen - 330 m2
Arts and Social Science Block - 6970 m2
Description:
This loose community of structures is given cohesiveness through the use of
the golden-coloured sandstone with which the buildings of Jodhpur have been
traditionally constructed. This stone serves as the primary building material and
the determinant of the structural order of these contemporary yet contextual
buildings. Steel and cement are used only minimally in this cost effective design
and building approach. Walls are of dressed masonry laid in lime mortar;
standard 3.5 metre-long stone slabs used as spanning members in floors and
roofs determine the basic planning module. The university buildings are widely
dispersed on the campus, but their sculptural expressiveness and their sun-
etched stone textures make a strong imprint on the environment. Three buildings
- the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Central Lecture theatre cluster and
the campus Canteen - standout among them.

Ground Floor Plan First Floor Plan

SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 6/14 6

The three wings of the Arts and Social Sciences complex form a U-shaped
plan around a central open space. Internally, the classrooms, seminar rooms,
laboratories and offices are organized along double-loaded corridors. A double-
height courtyard with a surrounding colonnade, cross lighting at intervals, and the
provision of wider areas in front of office clusters, animate what otherwise could
have been a banal circulation scheme. To counter the hot, dry desert climate, the
building is constructed with a double wall. The inner wall is structural with
conventional glazed opening. The outer wall screens out direct sunlight. Its
rhythmic openings follow the pattern of load-bearing stone piers behind. The
sculptural gesture of the raised water tank and stair towers sandwiched between
stone walls and the ordered treatment of the facade give the building a bold
presence.

Rhythmic
progression
of stone piers
& towers
Arts & Social
Sciences
block

Plan & Section of Lecture Theatre

Block

Access
ramp

Trellised
upper
entrance
space
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 7/14 7

The Lecture Theatre cluster is a small ziggurat-like structure mirroring the

inclined seating in each of its four identical halls. Each is a simple rectangle in
plan, supported by two parallel walls along its longer axis. These support the
stone slab roof along with intermediate structural beams. A stone pergola
screens the central node at which the four theatres emerge. An approach ramp
framed between two of the theatres recalls the sloping streets and soaring castle
walls of Rajasthan's desert towns.
The Canteen comprises shared kitchen and service areas with separate
dining facilities for staff and students. The staff area is a small mezzanine that
overlooks the larger student dining ball below. It is reached by an open staircase
rising from the entrance court. With its strong sculptural disposition, offset by a
backdrop of rustic masonry, this staircase transforms the diminutive structure into
a set-piece for some larger, still unfolding drama.

Cut-away
axonometric of
canteen

Entrance
stair, staff
canteen

BALOTRA CITY HALL, BALOTRA

Consultants: Shaman Engineering Company (structure)

Technoconsultants (services)
Contractors: Rajasthan State Bridge & Construction Corp. Ltd.
Year of Completion: 1985
Area: 1994 m2
Description:
This proud but friendly piece of public architecture is a popular treatment
of the expressive stone idiom the architect has evolved in his buildings for the
University of Jodhpur. The building is a grand exercise for a small and
unassuming desert town. Sited on the highroad leading into the bazaar, it is
easily distinguished from the banality of its surroundings by its formal order.
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 8/14 8

Yellow sandstone distinguishes the monumental colonnade and screens of the

longer east & west facades of the rectangular block. The autonomy of the
building contained behind is emphasized by the blank rubble masonry of its load-
bearing walls. Polished terrazzo is applied to most of the interior surfaces.
Decorative detailing, rendered in popular, almost folksy taste, softens the official
aura of the building. It includes varied colours & patterns of terrazzo, coloured
glass windows and raised pointing on the exposed masonry exterior. The
architect has emphasized public access with the oversized, double-height entry
hall that forms the heart of the buildings. Although one questions the relevance of
the relationship, this space is intended to recall the mandapam (sanctuary) of a
Jain temple with its distinctive cluster of columns rising in the centre of the void.

Plan Section

The public hall serves as a reception foyer for the mundane clerical
functions that surround it on three sides. A staircase ascends to an open
mezzanine & more offices above. The fourth side is closed by the wall of council
chamber, a medium sized auditorium that will be available for cultural events and
public use.

Braise-soleil
screening
rubble stone
front faade
view
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 9/14 9

Entrance hall

INDIRA GANDHI INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH, BOMBAY

Year of Completion: 1987

Area: 57 hectors
Description:
The Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research is located in
Goregaon, a picturesque green suburb of Bombay. The site, a sprawling 57
hectares with a steep topography, is close to two historical monuments-the
Elephanta Caves and the Jogeshwari Caves. The campus comprises two zones-
the institutional and residential. The institutional spaces consist of an auditorium,
a computer room, a research wing, an administration block, a recreation hall and
a service Core. The residential accommodation caters to the needs of the staff,
researchers arid visiting scholars.

Plan Corridors
1. Research
2. Cafeteria
3. Computer
4. Seminar
5. Library
6. AHU
7. Garden
8. Auditorium
9. Pavilion
10. Sun Plaza
11. Administration
12. City Gate
13. Parking
14. Recreation
15. LT Plate
16. Toilet
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 10/14 10

The design responds both to the topography and the architectural heritage
of the region. The buildings are low-profiled masses that are loosely connected
so that they seem to merge with the flora and fauna of the surroundings. Each
component of the earth-riveted structure is interlinked by pneumatic connectors.
To respond to the hot and humid climate, a series of paper-thin sections have
been designed through the double-skin Principle. The inner structural skin is
pierced by windows and the outer provides protection from extreme weather. The
barrel vault, a repetitive roof element, evokes the elemental vaulted roofs of the
caves.

Majestic vault entry

Section

The theme "darkness to light" is achieved in the building by a graded

admittance of natural light from the dark auditorium to the bright researchers'
cubicles. The density of movement from the "City Gate" onwards similarly follows
a gradation, where in the final phase the research cubicles maintain the needed
seclusion. A meandering link-corridor is designed to encourage interaction
between the users.

Building
amidst
natural
topography
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A mural on the double height "City Gate" invites the visitors to a sunlit
place encompassed by intensely built steps which make the backdrop structures
raise surrealistically, like India's river-front scenario. A walled garden is developed
outside the library for contemplation. A sit-out deck is appended to the cafeteria
to enjoy the outdoors. Water as a landscape element is used through top-lit
fountains in foyers and lobbies.
To give a handicraft look to the external, natural materials and the
maximum possible manual labour have been used.

A smooth
journey
from
corridor to
courtyard

OTHER BUILDINGS EXAMPLES

NEELAM CINEMA, BALOTRA

Year of Completion: 1985

Area: 1980 m2
Description:
The Neelam Cinema stands opposite the Balotra City Hall. Although this
was an independent commercial commission, the architect has interpreted it as
the cultural counterpoint to the public building across the road. The two designs
gather between them an animate sense of place.
The building is odd. Despite the straightforward simplicity of its lobby and
auditorium, the elevations are unexpected - visual impact being an important
aspect of the building's purpose. The architect has stretched his vernacular-
conscious use of local building stone to new dimensions. The patterns and
textures of the material as applied do not recall anything overtly colloquial, yet
the hand of traditional builders is apparent. The building, a composite structure of
steel and reinforced concrete, is enclosed with stone in a variety of rough and
dressed textures. The patterns and chunky articulation that result are a
provincial, vernacular variation on the graphic jazz usually associated with the
chrome and plastic of urban cinema marquees. The corbelled fenestration of the
lobby elevation is overshadowed by large apertures reserved for film posters.
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 12/14 12

The whole facade has the larger-than-life aspect of a billboard. As one

approaches Balotra from the desert, the exaggerated air-cooling exhaust grill that
crowns the cinema is the only distinctive landmark visible; an ironic promise of
civilization for the weary traveller.

Front elevation Longitudinal Section

ENGINEERING COLLEGE, KOTA (1984-1991)

Year of Completion: 1991

Area: 245000 sq. m.
Description:
The Engineering College complex near Kota in Rajastham is planned over
site along the south-east bank of the River Chambal.
The complex is predominantly residential in nature. The campus layout
can broadly be divided into three main zones-the academic, faculty housing and
students' hostels. All these have been planned, keeping in mind the
topographical conditions, and interrelationships and the functioning of the zones.

Administrative
building-first floor plan

Layout plan
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 13/14 13

The main concept revolves around the principle "interaction at every

stage" and "man on foot." This necessitated evolving close-knit pedestrian cores
interspersed with landscaped courts where students can establish contact
beyond the teaching areas. The vaulted roof along the main spinal corridor that
connects different faculties not only gives visual cohesiveness but also creates
an air cushion keeping the movement areas relatively cool and bearable.
Evocative of the morphology of a desert settlement, the layout assimilates
the architecture of street fronts and public squares for learning. Indigenous stone
and surplus manpower have been used to the maximum extent possible. Con-
sidering the rock surface of the entire area and the hot climate, the site has been
tropicalised with dense forestation, especially in the areas outside -the building.
Kota stone, being locally available, has been fully exploited in the design
of the campus buildings. Two natural shades of the stone have been used.
Natural materials are left untreated, revealing their texture through a play of light
and shade. A combination of load-bearing stone walls and reinforced-concrete
frames has been used as the basis of the structural system.

The Entry
SWUCJ-6TH.SEM./ 14/14 14

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

1. Bagha Sarbjit, Bagha Surinder & Bagha Yashbinder, Modern Architecture

of India, Galgotia Publishing Company, New Delhi
2. Bhatt Vikram & Scriver Peter, Contemporary Indian Architecture After The
Masters, Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd. Ahmedabad

MAGAZINES

1. Architecture + Design, Vol. XXII, No. 3, Media Transasia Pvt. Ltd. New
Delhi, March, 2005