Joseph Allen Stein

INTRODUCTION

Joseph Allen Stein arrived in India in 1952 as a professor to department of Architecture,

University of Calcutta. He was overwhelmed by the opportunity in India to give full
freedom to his ideas through teaching and practice. Stein never went back and spent the
last fifty years of his life here making significant contribution to development of the
profession.
His arrival in Delhi - commissions of the Triveni Kala Sangam and India International Centre
- allowed him to put into practice his philosophy of integrating built form with landscape
as a total environmental concept. Delhi thus because the arena for the extensive
concentration of Stein's work.

HIS PHILOSPHY –
Stein created an oasis in Delhi emphasizing the importance of
tangible harmony of buildings in nature. The series of major
works for cultural, humanitarian, and environmental institutions
Stein designed in New Delhi maintain his continual striving
towards a humble, refined form in a garden setting, enriched
materially by the adaptation of the traditional north Indian jali
and the inclusion of local building stone.

Stein was one of the first architects working in India after

independence to use traditional elements in a modern
building. Stein’s buildings are beings – beings of concrete and
brick, intertwined with nature. His works (especially in India)
follow a strict maxim, ‘buildings in the garden’ – where his
structures dwell within the site’s context and the surrounding
landscape – elevating it from just a concrete volume to a
breathing, concise fabric of the built and elevated occupant
comfort.
TRIVENI KALA SANGAM
Location- Mandi House, New Delhi
Established-1950
Climate- Composite
Building type- Cultural Centre

VISION

Designed in modern architecture style, the complex is noted for its multiple
spaces for multiple purposes and use of jail work. It is a cultural and arts
complex and education centre.

While designing the Triveni Kala Sangam he

subjected his design to the following:

• Respect for natural forms and natural laws as expressed in structural

functionalism.

• Respect for cultural values as expressed in the sensitive and intuitive

responses of people.

• Respect for modern democratic, social and economic relationships as

expressed in rationality and appropriately organized space.

• Respect for regional appropriateness in adjustment to climate and

materials.

SOCIO- POLITICAL BACKGROUND

Sundari K. Shridharani, the Founder and Director of Triveni, was awarded the
Padma Shri by Government of India in 1992. She was also praised for the degree
of her support for the arts, and her help for those with disadvantaged
backgrounds: lowering rates in the Triveni cafe to make it more affordable,
allowing artistes to hold classes on the premise rent-free, and waiving fees for
economically disadvantaged students.

The Tea Terrace restaurant at Triveni Kala Sangam became a popular space for
artists, student and intellectuals to meet and especially known for food
specialties. It remained popular through the 70s and 80s, and even when other art
centers started coming up across Delhi. Over the years, Triveni has remained the
only public institution with no membership or ticketed shows.

CULTURAL BACKGROUND
The idea of starting a dance institution in Delhi was raised by Sundari Shridharani
a former student of dancer Uday Shankar. In 1950 the name “Triveni kala
sangam” was coined literally meaning “confluence of arts”.

It started in one room above coffee house in CP, Delhi with two students under
noted artist KS Kulkarni. Soon her efforts got noticed and Pandit Nehru allotted
her the land for the institution.

Gradually she organized a small group of people started organizing concerts and
collecting funds. The construction of the building to house the Triveni Kala
Sangam started in 1957 and was inaugurated in 1963 by Dr. S Radhakrishnan, the
then President of India. Stein was commissioned to design to multi-purpose
complex of art galleries, chamber theatre, library, photography darkroom, staff
quarters, and classrooms over just half an acre of land.

REPLY TO CONTEXT
Stein fully understood the history of Delhi and incorporated it in his designs,
respecting the garden traditions of North India and the refinement of indigenous
techniques, the use of local materials as well as use of jaalis can also be seen in
Triveni kala sangam.
The centre is situated on a site of just 1 acre at Tansen Marg near Mandi House. It
is surrounded by a lot of other cultural institutes like Sangeet Bharati, Sri Ram
Center, Rabindra Bhawan and Sappu House.

Being planned on a small piece of land it is a great example of smart space

planning. The design is centered at creating multi-functional spaces. However
the space crunch has led to no space for car parking on the site.

CLIMATIC-RESPONSE
Extensive areas of jaalis and planters arranged in vertical gardens create a cool
space of filtered light in the building.

The building orientation blocks the hot and cold winds and enables cross
ventilation of the monsoon winds. He integrated buildings with the idea of
vertical gardens - a prototype for bringing living beauty to crowded urban
settings.

SPATIAL ORGANISATION
It was designed to be executed in 2 phases: Phase 1- music and dance studios,
oat, library, café, exhibition galleries & admin area.

Phase 2- Audi for 250 people, painting and sculpture workshop and residential
apartments. The ground floor has all public areas. First and second floor has all
working studios. Third floor has living areas.

The planning has been thought out well in terms of functionality.

The entire complex can see a amalgamation of open closed and shaded spaces
and how they all fuse together to form a communal environment.
USE OF MATERIALS
Building finishes & materials: the external façade has exposed brickwork. The art
galleries have a flooring of vitrified tiles while the music & dance rooms had
wooden flooring.

Clad reinforced concrete frame structure with several infill materials, jaali panels
precast, concrete block with plastered finish and rough cut stone are used.
INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTER
Location-Lodhi gardens, New Delhi
Established-1960
Climate-Composite
Building type-Non-government cultural institute

VISION
The IIC is a unique non official organization that serves purely as a meeting
place for a myriad cultural and intellectual gatherings the city has to offer. It
is not committed to any governmental, political, economic or religious
affiliations.

The India International center is often referred to as “Triveni” (a Sanskrit term

meaning a structure of three) by designers. The building caters to three activity
streams:

•The Intellectual Stream : this is supported by organization of seminars,

meetings, symposiums and a large library which also publishes papers

•The Cultural Stream : this is supported via events like drama, dance,
screenings and recitals

• The Social Stream: via their Hostels and catering facilities

SOCIO- POLITICAL BACKGROUND

The India International Centre (IIC), designed by Joseph Allen Stein in 1958 in
New Delhi, is a significant work from the early period of modernization
following Indian independence. Upon completion, the Centre was published
alongside Le Corbusier's Assembly Building at Chandigarh in architectural
journals, and it topped a 2008 poll of architects' favorite buildings in the capital.
The Centre's success, however, has led to numerous changes over the years,
including several additions, which raise questions about how monuments from
the post-independence period are identified and treated in India. The Centre's
funding by the Rockefeller Foundation and design by an expatriate American
present additional interesting issues about the project's significance both as an
artifact of cold war competition for India, and as an example of Nehru's quest for
a highly visible presence for his nation on the international stage

CULTURAL BACKGROUND
The idea of the India International Centre first came up in October-November
1958, when Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, then Vice President of India, and John D.
Rockefeller III discussed setting up a centre for the ‘quickening and deepening of
true and thoughtful understanding between peoples of nations’. Mr. Rockefeller
suggested an

International House on the model of Tokyo’s International House of Japan, in

whose founding he had played a great part and offered a generous grant towards
this end. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, then Prime Minister of India, was so enthused
by the idea that he personally took interest in the selection of the beautiful 4.76
acres site adjacent to Lodi Gardens, on which the present complex stands. Later,
as the activities of the Centre expanded, an Annexe was added to the main
complex in December 1996.

REPLY TO CONTEXT
Situated in the heart of New Delhi, on a site of 4.6 acres, the Centre is adjacent to
the Lodi gardens overlooking a magnificent landscape of gardens and historic
monuments from the sixteenth century. Austerity and simplicity combine with
intricate detailing, to bring a sense of repose at the Centre. Despite its
institutional role, the architect conceived the IIC complex as an informal
approach. The buildings respond with sensitivity to their specific location in
Delhi. Spread on a huge area enables different areas to have different functions.
For eg. Each courtyard serves a different function.

CLIMATIC-RESPONSE
While the building is very low key and understated in its elegance, it was really
ahead of its time and remains relevant even today. Built at a time where air-
conditioning was rare, the building uses age old time tested principles of shading
devises; ‘Jaali’ screens and cross ventilation to keep the interiors pleasant.
Climate and building technology related issues, that we attempt to deal with
today, were elegantly addressed decades ago. The building plan is oriented to
respect the Lodhi Domes in the vicinity and borrow the lush landscape visually for
itself.

SPATIAL ORGANISATION
Three separate wings of the IIC complex are designed to reflect the different
functional aspects of the Centre. A grand central portico greets the visitor at the
entrance driveway, extending across a north-south axis. Each courtyard and
each wing serves a different purpose. Residential rooms in the north wing, the
dining areas in the west and the third complex of the library, auditorium and
administrative offices in the south wing, are connected to each other by
walkways with overhanging eaves.

USE OF MATERIALS
The building has a unique assembled quality about itself with meticulous
detailing of concrete and steel fixing and extensive use of traditional Jaalis that
accentuate the soft quality of light captured beautifully by the architect.

Light weight precast construction techniques which optimize material usage and
material textures which are true to its character Expressive detailing and
lightness of building elements, exposed in their natural finishes allow the building
to age gracefully along with the landscape.

REFERENCES:
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/transcending-the-boundaries-of-
time/213454
https://kaplblog.wordpress.com/portfolio/india-international-centre-new-delhi-by-
joseph-allen-stein-2/
https://www.slideshare.net/RadhikaMunshi/joseph-allen-stein-59146022
https://theoryofsettlements.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/joseph-allen-stein/
https://issuu.com/tanushreesaksena/docs/thesis_project_tanushree.saksena/22
https://pdfslide.net/documents/193814932-triveni-kala-sangam-india- international-
center-case-study.html
http://www.iicdelhi.nic.in/User_Panel/UserView.aspx?TypeID=1070
http://trivenikalasangam.org/