5/5 Sachin P. 2 years ago on Google
The
Tagore
Hall
is
an
example
of
brutalist
architecture.
Doshi,
inspired
by
Le
Corbusier's
buildings
at
Chandigarh
and
the
"Box
of
Miracles"
proposed
by
him,
decided
to
use
concrete
to
form
the
box-shaped
exterior
of
the
hall.
On
the
north
and
south
concrete
walls
of
the
building
there
are
a
series
of
rigid
triangular
folds
along
the
foyer
and
auditorium.
These
structural
as
well
as
decorative
folds
form
a
17m
high
and
33m
wide
outer
shell
of
the
building.
These
folds
are
followed
by
flat
surfaces
with
a
series
of
windows
which
make
a
box-shaped
backstage
and
stage
area.
It
is
followed
by
a
last
triangular
fold
at
the
corner
of
the
building
which
has
an
exterior
staircase
on
the
south
corner
inspired
by
the
Mill
Owners'
Association
Building.
The
east
and
west
facades
are
simple
concrete
grids
filled
with
concrete
panels.
The
perforated
curtain-like
entrance
facade
on
the
west
joins
the
south
and
north
folded
walls
forming
a
porch.
Entering
the
porch,
in
the
foyer,
the
sculptural
columns
and
cantilevers
supporting
the
auditorium
are
visible.
The
auditorium
with
a
capacity
of
700
people
is
supported
by
an
independent
structure.
Le
Corbusier
had
designed
the
Sanskar
Kendra
as
a
part
of
the
cultural
centre
of
Ahmedabad,
and
had
proposed
two
other
buildings
for
performing
arts
which
he
had
termed
the
"box
of
miracles"
for
professional
artists
and
the
"spontaneous
theatre"
for
amateur
artists.
They
were
never
built.
In
the
1960s,
Ahmedabad
Municipal
Corporation
commissioned
B.
V.
Doshi
to
design
the
hall
dedicated
to
Rabindranath
Tagore
at
the
same
site.
He
completed
the
design
in
1961.
The
hall
was
built
from
1966
to
1971
under
Mahendra
Raj,
a
structural
engineer.
The
hall
was
renovated
with
a
new
interior,
in
addition
to
a
light
and
sound
system,
in
2013
at
the
cost
of
₹11
crore
(equivalent
to
₹16
crore
or
US$2.1
million
in
2020).
A
12-by-24-foot
(3.7
m
×
7.3
m)
stainless
steel
portrait
of
Rabindranath
Tagore
with
his
Bengali
signature
was
added
on
the
entrance
facade.
It
was
reopened
on
25
November
2013
by
Gujarat
Chief
Minister
Anandiben
Patel.