Snehal Shah

de Haig Beck

Snehal Shah believes in making architecture that is 'of its time', as a Gujarati proverb states. History confirms that buildings appropriate to their time, place and climate endure. In learning to build, his architecture adopted a variety of expressions - with the constant being the will to manipulate light and ventilation to best advantage. He studies vernacular techniques as well as learning from wider Indian exemplars and also Western architectural history. References from all these find their way into his buildings, along with his debt to the geometry of Louis Kahn and Mario Botta. In this book, Shah exhibits the work of 25 years in practice. He describes his concerns and development as an architect in parallel with the emergence of India onto the world stage as a mighty, populous, modern nation rich in contradictions.