JOSEPH ALLEN STEIN(1912 –

2001)

TANVI CHADHAB.ARCHMBS SPA

• Joseph Stein, an American architect was a major figure in the establishment of a regional modern architecture in the San Francisco Bay area in the 1940s and 1950s.

• He is noted for designing several important buildings in India, most notably in Lodhi Estate in Central Delhi, nicknamed "Steinabad" after him, and where today the 'Joseph Stein Lane', is the only road in Delhi named after an architect.

• The area has a series of buildings designed by the late Joseph Allen Stein, who transformed a small part of the Capital with his vision.

India under prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was a liberal land open to ideas and hungry for progress.Joseph Allen Stein came to India in the early 50s - at a time when the full glow of the 'Nehruvian enlightenment' was influencing the emergence of an entire new, modern India.

While other famous architects were coming and working in the country around the same time -Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn, Charles and Ray Eames, Edward Durrel Stone, Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew - Stein differed from them in that he had made India his home and sought to be actively involved in the making of the new society.

It was in his New Delhi buildings - notably the TRIVENI KALA SANGAM ARTS COMPLEX (1957-77) and the INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE (1959-62) - that his full design personality emerged.Both were immediately distinguished by their elegant formal spaces, beautifully muted by covered walkways, extensive planting and landscaping and their meticulous detailing.

In Delhi, surrounding the IIC he continued to build a series of buildings, which have become landmarks - THE FORD FOUNDATION, THE UNITED NATIONS, the WORLD WIDE FUND FOR NATURE and most recently the huge INDIA HABITAT CENTRE.

If anyone could match the Lodhis and their architecture, it is this series of buildings built by Joe through the 1960s and 1970s.

TRIVENI KALA SANGAM ARTS COMPLEX

COVERED WALKWAYS

STEIN’S WAY OF DESIGNING• The influence on Stein, was a view, which incorporated organic materials,

brick, stone and wood, with a willingness to decorate through texture and volume, yet retaining a simplicity and human scale.

• He typically designed two-to four-storey buildings that fused with the surrounding trees, gardens and pools; flowers and vines would spill over the walls. Mr Stein’s designs were modernistic, but inspired by India’s past.

FORD FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS, DELHI

Stein had said:

"Two things have essentially guided my work. One is what you might call an interest in and search for an appropriate modern regionalism. I would put equal emphasis on both words, 'regional' and 'modern', because regional without

modern is reactionary, and modern without regional is insensitive, inappropriate. The second one is to seek the character of the solution in the nature of the problem, as

much as one possibly can"

What Stein achieved, in a way, was to bring his 'California Modern' into an Indian context, altering his design vocabulary by the observation of Indian life and construction systems.

Mr Stein foresaw what the juggernaut of progress would do to the delicate balance of ecosystems; his designs sought to find harmony. In an interview in 1982, he said:

“India has intense and sharply drawn environmental problems. There is probably no possibility of solutions here,

except along what may be called Gandhian lines, which means essentially seeking simple and ecologically gentle

solutions.”

This thought was best translated in the India International Centre, an oasis for Delhi’s intellectuals.

INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE

Founded in 1958 & inaugurated in 1968, its setting up was the idea of Dr S. Radhakrishnan, the then Vice President of India & Mr John D Rockefeller.

The India International Centre (IIC), for more than the last five decades has been the intellectual fountainhead of the country. Situated in the heart of New Delhi, the Centre lies next to the famous Lodi Gardens, where tourists are often seen taking heritage walks amidst the picturesque scenery.

Completed in 1962, this is a world of grassy open spaces, placid pools, paved walkways, jaalis, porticos and canopies. The buildings, instead of soaring high, give a feeling of coming down to meet the earth. Bougainvillea crawls up the stone walls, mynahs nibble on the grass, and lotus leaves float in the water. The daylight falls soft, and shaded spaces are close by.

• Considered one of the country’s premier cultural institutions, the India International Centre is a non-government institution widely regarded as a place where statesmen, diplomats, policymakers, intellectuals, scientists, jurists, writers, artists and members of civil society meet to initiate the exchange of new ideas and knowledge in the spirit of international cooperation. Its purpose, stated in its charter, was ‘to promote understanding and amity between the different communities of the world’.

In short, the Centre stands for a vision that looks at India as a place where it is possible to initiate dialogues in an

atmosphere of amity and understanding.

The Building• The inspiration for IIC was Tokyo’s International House of

Japan. Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, who at the time was the Prime Minister of India also helped in the selection of the beautiful 4.76 Acres site adjacent to Lodi Gardens. With the aid of many other enthusiasts & Joseph Allen Stein, created this marvellous structure.

Stein has made use of exposed concrete, massive piers & exposed roof patterns in the construction of this structure. The curving

pattern of the IIC structure, the curving paths & walkways in the adjacent Lodi gardens lend a complementary & beautiful effect.

The building blends beautifully with the garden, as if it’s a natural extension.

The Three WingsThe IIC Complex has been designed into 3 separate wings to reflect its three different functional aspects. IIC has been designed as 'Triveni', which in Sanskrit means Convergence.

• The West Wing is constituted by a lounge & a dining room.

• One may stop at the South Wing in order to spend some time at the library. Also, the auditoriums, publication division & all the administrative offices lie here.

• In the North Wing lies the residential area with its hostel rooms being in great demand. Most residential rooms at the main complex open directly to the lawns or the Lily Pond on GF, and are provided with private Verandahs on the 1st & 2nd Floors.

INDIA HABITAT CENTRE

The India Habitat Centre, constructed in the late 1980s, was Stein’s last major work. The pinnacle of his art, he designed it as a series of blocks, linked by shaded courtyards, stairs and walkways, screened from the sun as well as the noise of traffic. To soften the concrete and tarmac, the vertical face of each building sported flowers and creepers – as do the Ford Foundation and the Triveni Kala Sangam.

Writing in 1982, Mr Stein shared his wisdom:

“In the 20th century, the pressures of population, land speculation, the tight and often sterile industrialised construction requires that the architect consciously seek not to spoil the earth with his work as he extends hard constructions even onto the last

recess of Nature.”

• The creation of a green and healthy environment forms the backbone of the complex. This contributes to the urban level functions and also creates a healthy and pleasant environment for the working employees.

• Given the heat of the Indian summer, many of the exterior spaces are shaded by delicate blue patio covers, casting intricate shadows and further blurring the distinction between inside and out.

• Building are grouped around climate temperate courts.

• Shaded by overhead sun screens and enlivened by vertical gardens.

• The courtyards are planted with a pleasing array of greenery – large pots and beds of evergreen shrubs and tall trees, providing a more human feel and scale amongst the concrete monumentality.

• Although rarely credited, Stein’s wife Margaret was responsible for much of the interior and planting design in his work, and the successful combination of their two styles is well illustrated here, at the Habitat Centre.

The entire facade is cladded with red bricks which give a majestic look to the structure. Vertical and Horizontal ribbon windows have been used with a special glass that restricts the entry of sunlight.

The reflectors are installed above the building to provide shade and prevent sun from entering into the building. The reflectors are aligned at an angle which reflect back 70% of the sunlight and change their angle during winter to allow sunlight to fall on the windows.

Since the building lies in the hot and dry climatic zone, evaporative cooling is very effective.

In 1992, Mr Stein was awarded the Padma Shri.

Artist Ram Rahman had said:

“He brought a ‘California modernism’ sensibility to this country. He was good at working with local

materials, be it granite or glazed tiles, both influences of Tughlaq architecture.”

In a world of falling standards, his work remains exceptional.