Renowned architect Charles Correa says there’s nothing called green buildings as they have power-consuming lifts and elevators. He talks to Shrabasti Mallik about the importance of open spaces and how local technologies can lead to innovative architecture
Renowned architect Charles Correa prefers to describe his entire body of work as “the trail that a snail leaves in its wake as it inches forward”. His achievements as an architect stand as tall as a skyscraper but meeting him is a liberating experience. He defies all the set rules of building material and punctures the phenomenon that we all get overwhelmed with.
Through his works he has often stressed the importance of open spaces. “We live in a warm climate where an open space is very important,” he said and added, “It’s not just open space but space for amenities — for schools, hospitals, playground — you must have that. There’s no point in going higher if you cannot provide for spaces.”
He gave us the practical scenario of the situation in what people consider some of the ‘more developed cities in the world’. “There is a dearth of adequate space in New York, Chicago and even in Mumbai. These places are getting congested by the day,” he pointed out. He cited examples of European cities like Paris, london and Barcelona who have maintained their standards of amenities. He mentioned, “That is why families live in harmony there and those are also the best places to visit. But you will never visit Detroit because of all the communal strife and violence, all owing to lack of space.”
Designing housing has always been important to him and he believes that designing houses in the beginning of the carrier builds a stronger ground. But he laments the fact that “housing is now no longer part of an architect’s oeuvre, as it used to be, right up to Walter Gropius, ludwig Mies van der Rohe, le Corbusier and Frank lloyd Wright. Today housing is considered very down market and is looked down upon. The notion is that if you are really successful you should be designing only museums and airports, which is ridiculous.”
The significant aspect of all his buildings is its engagement with climate. He has often mentioned, “The wellspring of the imagination comes from climate.” He chose to elaborate, “It is wonderful how climate can generate an architectural form. This is true of the igloo and everywhere. You have to respect it. You have to look at local materials and local technology. Only then can you come up with an elegant, surprising architecture.”
Charles negates the idea of new generation green buildings as he feels that, “too much of green building is just a business proposition. It is not honest.” He believes that the energy is lost in the elevators and is wasted in all sorts of places. “By putting some expensive glass, architects claim that no energy is being lost, which is false,” he stressed.
When asked about the modern day architecture, he said that in the present day, the buildings do not have any ideogram to represent. He added, “But maybe that is not a bad thing. Rulers used architecture as a message and to reinforce their power. In a way it is good we have moved on but what are we representing nowIJ Today’s buildings reveal a view but it is banal.” Charles was a guest speaker at the 13th Urban Age Conference.
photo Sanjeev Kumar