Louis Kahn’s Indian Institute Of Management In Ahmedabad Is An Architectural Classic

The extensive campus complex was envisioned in 1962 to be a modern school for India’s brightest students, the result of which was only completed after Kahn’s death in 1974. Like many of the architect’s other seminal works, the massive brick framework of the school carries inspiration from ancient and medieval architecture, yet its elegant forms exude a timeless presence. The complex was constructed from monolithic masonry; many thousands of individual bricks were laid by hand, and draw on primary geometries with arches, circles, semi-circles, and squares sliced out of huge walls and passageways. The considerable design plan demonstrates a strict order in functional hierarchy, with expressive facades that host multiple uses: to provide connections and transitions to different wings and faculties, to act as vistas and meeting points for students to come together, and to supply filters for sunlight, lending shade and ventilation from the humid climate. The school encompasses academic blocks, faculty offices, 33 fully furnished dormitories for student accommodation, a library, a plaza, an auditorium, and sporting facilities. Photographer Jeroen Verrecht has visited the ‘Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad’ and photographed the wonder of this unique complex, sharing with IGNANT his images below.