CPKA: Five Decades of Indias Built Environment

India has been historically known for its repertoire in architecture and design. Post-Independence, the country struggled to come to its feet in terms of policies, economic direction and infrastructural development. Nonetheless, the country has witnessed tremendous transformation in its built environment in the past five decades. Most projects in the seventies focused on providing housing and building townships, establishing industries and offices to provide work, and setting up institutions to empower people with education. With the onset of the eighties, the focus expanded to designing cultural centres and embassies, and interweaving them into the urban fabric. The nineties opened up opportunities in the country post-liberalization. One could sense a significant shift in the architectural design language, albeit retaining the vernacular sensibilities. Integration of a redefined ideology into the buildings fabric reformed working spaces, industrial facilities, institutional designs as well as faades of buildings. This period also showcased newness in building materials. A decade into the new millennium, technology metamorphosed by upgrading the functions and design sensibilities it was able to bring into architecture. Promoting sustainable development, the designs reflect a futuristic aesthetic where the structures are responsive to their environment. At the same time, the designs are also curated to address the present-day issues, bringing with it a sense of responsibility. In a surge for meaningful design responses in Indias urban environment while imbibing the tenets of sustainability, this book captures the transformations that have taken place through the lens of a leading, multidisciplinary architecture and engineering practice, CP Kukreja Architects.