Akbar Bhawan

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Template:Infobox hotel Akbar Bhawan, formerly the Akbar Hotel, is a building in the Chanakyapuri locality of New Delhi, India which houses the South Asian University and offices of the Government of India's Ministry of External Affairs. Designed by Shiv Nath Prasad in collaboration with Mahendra Raj, it is one of Delhi's best known examples of brutalist architecture and bears semblance to the Unité d'habitation in Marseille, France. Inaugurated in 1972, it was a hotel of the India Tourism Development Corporation before its conversion into an office complex in 1986. Named after emperor Akbar The Hotel was noted for its use of innovative decor that blended contemporary designs with traditional Indian art and handicrafts.

Location

The building is located on Satya Marg in the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.[1][2][3]

Design

Akbar Bhawan was designed by architect Shiv Nath Prasad and built by Mahendra Raj.[4][5] It mirrors the architectural style of Le Corbusier and is one of India's best known examples of brutalist architecture.[6][7][8] Built with prestressed concrete, the building has few decorative motifs keeping in line with the brutalist aesthetic. It has a raw concrete finish, uses brise soleils and features an exposed staircase at its far end. The use of a transfer girder in the transitional floors of the building allowed for the creation of a column free lobby, a feature that came to be adopted widely in hotel design. The use of pure geometric forms in the building has been attributed to the influence of rationalist architecture whereas the exposed nature of the building material is thought to have been due to financial austerity rather than the brutalist aesthetics.[9][10][11][12][13] Comprising 13 storeys, a service floor separates the common rooms from the accommodation and amenities such as its restaurant, a garden and a theatre were on the roof and the building's floor plan closely resembles the Unité d'habitation in Marseille.[14] The interior design for the building was done by Laila Tyabji and Dale Keller.[15] The Akbar's interior design and decor were noted for their blend of western and Indian elements.[16][17] The hotel's logo was taken from the design in a lattice screen at Sikandra, Agra.[18] The windows in the lobby were decorated with wooden beads from Channapatna, Karnataka and its walls featured swords and scimitars from Rajasthan. The interior decoration also featured kalamkari prints in its conference room, Birbal, and used Rajput, Mughal and Kangra miniature paintings and Tibetan thangkas in the suites.[19] The trends set in interior decor at the Akbar became widespread in India's hotel and hospitality industry in later years.[20] Its coffee shop, Madhuban, was noted for the Mithila murals decorating its walls which was a pioneering attempt to commercialize and give the artform a modern identity.[21][22][23] The structure has however been criticized as being squalid and visually unappealing whereas the use of concrete and glass causes high indoor temperatures during power outages.[24][25]

History

The Akbar Hotel was built as part of the Fourth Five Year Plan.[26] The building is owned by the New Delhi Municipal Council. Construction of the building began in 1966 and was completed by 1969–70.[27][28] It was inaugurated by Dr. Karan Singh, the then Union Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation on 27 January 1972.[29][30][31][32][33] Leased and operated by the India Tourism Development Corporation, the hotel remained profitable throughout the 1970s.[34][35][36][37] However, by the early 1980s it began to incur losses and ITDC suffered low occupancy in its hotels following the construction boom in the run up to the 1982 Asian Games. In the changed business environment and the government's decision to exit the business of running luxury hotels, the ITDC decided to hand over the building to the Ministry of External Affairs to house its offices.[38]

Akbar Bhawan

The hotel was shut down in April 1986, and the building was turned into a government office building and renamed Akbar Bhawan.[39] The Foreign Service Institute under the Ministry of External Affairs used to function from the building.[40][41] The Government of India planned to redevelop the building into a five-star hotel with private partnership in the run up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, but it was never implemented.[42][43] The South Asian University has been housed in the building since 2010 pending relocation to its permanent campus at Maidan Garhi, Delhi.[44][45] The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs was located in the building before its merger with the Ministry of External Affairs.[46][47][48]

References

  1. ↑ A Traveler's Guide to India: A Complete, Up-to-date Guide for Student and Tourist{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Scribner(1973). ISBN 978-0-684-13336-2
  2. ↑ How to reach. www.sau.int. South Asian University. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Chankaya's lost glory. The Hindu(21 July 2015). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  4. ↑ The man who believed in taming the forces of nature to create iconic structures of modern India. www.timesnownews.com(12 December 2019). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  5. ↑ A structural engineer who redefined design. The Hindu(21 November 2019). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Architecture in India. Yojana({Template:Date).
  7. ↑ A Global History of Architecture{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. John Wiley & Sons(4 October 2011). ISBN 978-0-470-90248-6
  8. ↑ Delhi's Brutalism: Here are 11 historical structures we'll regret losing. Because, memories. India Today. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  9. ↑ Structural narrative of Indian Modernity as an oeuvre of Mahendra Raj. MATTER(15 December 2020). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  10. ↑ Delhi's Changing Built Environment{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Routledge(22 December 2017). ISBN 978-1-317-44136-6
  11. ↑ History of Construction Cultures Volume 1: Proceedings of the 7th International Congress on Construction History (7ICCH 2021), July 12-16, 2021, Lisbon, Portugal{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. CRC Press(1 August 2021). ISBN 978-1-000-46875-5
  12. ↑ An Ode To Shivnath Prasad: The Le Corbusier Of India. World Architecture Community. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  13. ↑ Mahendra Raj, and his oeuvre of structural expressionism in Indian architecture. www.stirworld.com. STIR World. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  14. ↑ Borders to Boardroom: A Memoir{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Roli Books Private Limited(15 November 2014). ISBN 978-93-5194-053-1
  15. ↑ A Concise History of Modern Architecture in India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Orient Blackswan(2002). ISBN 978-81-7824-017-6
  16. ↑ Link(1980). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  17. ↑ The Illustrated Weekly of India(1976). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  18. ↑ Folk Arts and Social Communication{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting(20 June 2017). ISBN 978-81-230-2488-2
  19. ↑ Folk Arts and Social Communication{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting(20 June 2017). ISBN 978-81-230-2488-2
  20. ↑ Tourism In India: An Overview (2 Vols.){{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Gyan Publishing House(2005). ISBN 978-81-7835-328-9
  21. ↑ What's the Use of Art?: Asian Visual and Material Culture in Context{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. University of Hawaii Press(3 December 2007). ISBN 978-0-8248-6558-0
  22. ↑ South Asia in the World: An Introduction: An Introduction{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Routledge(18 December 2014). ISBN 978-1-317-45959-0
  23. ↑ A History of Indian Painting{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Abhinav Publications(1976). ISBN 978-81-7017-310-6
  24. ↑ Delhi Metropolitan{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Penguin UK(1 January 2008). ISBN 978-93-86057-80-8
  25. ↑ REVIEW: The Making Of A City. DAWN.COM(4 October 2008). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  26. ↑ Socialist India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Indian National Congress. All India Congress Committee.(1973)
  27. ↑ Council's Meeting No. 14/2012-13 dated 10.04.2013 AT 3-30 P.M.. NDMC. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  28. ↑ New Delhi Municipal Committee vs Tirath Ram Ahuja (P.) Ltd. And Anr. on 19 December, 1979. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  29. ↑ At the Eleventh Hour: The Biography of Swami Rama{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Himalayan Institute Press(2001). ISBN 978-0-89389-212-8
  30. ↑ Memories are Made of This{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Notion Press(10 May 2018). ISBN 978-1-64324-025-1
  31. ↑ Lok Sabha Debates{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Lok Sabha Secretariat.(1986)
  32. ↑ Lok Sabha Debates{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Lok Sabha Secretariat.(1975)
  33. ↑ Malaysia Trade & Industry{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Malaysian Enterprises
  34. ↑ India Tourism Development Corporation Limited vs Miss Susan Leigh Beer. LiveLaw. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  35. ↑ Data India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Press Institute of India(1977)
  36. ↑ India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd., Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Lok Sabha Secretariat(1983)
  37. ↑ Food and Beverage Service{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Frank Brothers. ISBN 978-81-7170-455-2
  38. ↑ MEA to house its new offices in ITDC's prestigious Akbar Hotel. India Today(30 September 1985). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  39. ↑ India Tourism Development Corporation Limited: (Ministry of Commerce and Tourism-- Department of Tourism) : Action Taken by Government on the Recommendations Contained in the 61st Report of the Committee on Public Undertakings, Eighth (Lok Sabha) : Third Report{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Lok Sabha Secretariat(1990)
  40. ↑ Diplomacy: Initiatives and Responses{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Gyan Publishing House(2005). ISBN 978-81-7835-326-5
  41. ↑ Rajesh Swami: one of the gentlest Indian diplomats. Economic Times Blog(18 March 2020). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  42. ↑ Govt to redevelop Akbar Bhawan. The Economic Times(9 November 2007). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  43. ↑ ITDC targets topline of Rs900 cr by 2010. mint(11 May 2008). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  44. ↑ HOME - SAU - South Asian University. www.sau.int. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  45. ↑ India will bear cost of setting up South Asian University campus: V K Singh. The Indian Express(12 June 2016). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  46. ↑ At South Asian University, India Finds it Takes Hard Work to Exercise Soft Power. The Wire(13 June 2016). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  47. ↑ Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry, MEA merged. The Hindu(7 January 2016). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  48. ↑ Ministry of overseas Indians merged into external affairs. mint(7 January 2016). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
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