Irena Murray, the former director at British Architectural library, london, delivered a speech at The British Council on the work of Indian architect, Charles Correa. She shared that after meeting him in 2013 during an exhibition, she got so inspired by his work that she started researching on his architecture. By Arjita Mishra
Despite being a British lady, Irena Murray admires the work of Indian architect, Charles Correa. She said that she developed an interest in Correa’s work ever since she got to know about him. “I was asked to organise an exhibition in 2013 at the Royal Institute of British Architects, london, to celebrate his work. That was the time when I got to know about him and after that, I read about his architecture in depth and I have developed an interest in his work since then,” said Murray with a smile on her face.
Murray used to work at The Royal Institute of British Architects as the director of British Architectural library. Considered to be one of the world’s leading experts in her field, she voluntarily took retirement so that she could concentrate and focus on her personal architectural research projects.
In 2014, Murray was among the nine champions of architecture for honorary fellowships by Portland Place. It is a prestigious accolade awarded to people who have made a contribution to the advancement of architecture, sustainable communities and the education of future generations.
Recently, at the British Council, she delivered a lecture on the work of Charles Correa. “I particularly talked about the way by which he combines the traditional architecture with his love for the modern and contemporary architecture,” said Murray.
Charles Correa was one of the most renowned contemporary architectures in the world. With his extraordinary and inspiring designs, he played a pivotal role in the creation of architectures in India. All of his work — from the carefully detailed Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Museum at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Kanchanjunga Apartment tower in Mumbai — has a special place in the architectural field.
She shared with us that during the exhibition, she had worked with Correa and even after that, she received an opportunity to work with him on a project for which she retired. “I hope that the project will help to build a bridge between the Indian and British architectures,” she said.
“Correa gifted certain papers, which are part of his drawings or works, to the Royal Institute of British Architects, with a hope that we will be able to preserve those papers that have been damaged,” she said.
Murray also added that she is happy that all of the papers of the architect has been preserved by the digital library which is at Correa’s office and at the Charles Correa Foundation, Goa. “It is more useable and it can be preserved for a longer period of time,” she said. Adding to this, Murray said, “I see this as a kind of an opportunity for both countries to preserve and restore those papers as they are incredible and are important for future reference.”
During the conversation she explained to us the difference between International and transitional architecture.“International architecture means the work which is done globally, apart from where you belong. Whereas transitional architecture means to share your experience of working in your country with another. And not only that but, also to gain an experience from other countries,” she elaborated.
Murray told us that Correa built both international and transitional architecture. “He worked in most part of India but he also designed some absolutely phenomenal projects in US, Europe and other places,” she informed us and added, “Correa kept his work traditional but with the modern architectural design and that is what made him distinctive from others.”
She said that since India is a densely populated country, there is less space for making an architecture on a large scale. “The demographic plays a tremendous role because the population is vast and we need to have house spaces, provide work spaces and other infrastructure facilities. With all these specific details, it is difficult for the architect to bring the old charm back in the country.” she concluded.