The walled city of Ahmedabad was recently listed as a World Heritage City by UNESCO making it the first Indian city to achieve this distinction. Built by Sultan Ahmad Shah in the 15th century, the city has a rich architectural heritage with layers of Muslim, Hindu and Jain buildings and has functioned as a capital of the State of Gujrat for centuries. Post-independence, Ahmedabad added to it's heritage with a crop of modernist buildings designed by visionary architects including Hasmukh Patel, Charles Correa, BV Doshi, Louis Kahn and Le Corbusier to name a few.
With this substantial historic context as a background, for this photo essay, I chose to explore the future of architecture in the city. A new crop of architects are adding another layer to Ahmedabad's rich mosaic. Coming from disparate backgrounds, these architects are well aware of the history of the city and are actively working to expand on its architectural heritage with new forms and materials. This is the Ahmedabad that I was interested in.
I'd like to especially thank Ariadna Garetta from Altrim Publishers and Riyaz Tayyibji for their excellent Indian Architectural Travel Guide for Ahmedabad, which was indispensable in my exploration of the city.
Text Randhir Singh
