I’m James Hamilton, and in this episode, we turn our attention to B. V. Doshi — one of India’s most revered architects, and the first from the country to win the Pritzker Prize.

This conversation took place in 2018, at his home in Ahmedabad. What unfolded was more than a professional interview. It was a rare, personal insight into the philosophy and life story of a man who saw architecture not just as construction, but as culture.

Doshi speaks about his early years working with Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, his love of Indian tradition, and his belief in architecture as a social act. We talk about the importance of shade and breeze, the meaning of thresholds, and why life—not form—should always be the starting point for design.

This episode isn’t just about buildings. It’s about attention. About values. About how we choose to live, and what architecture can do to support that.

Key Moments & Topics of Conversation

● Working under Le Corbusier and how it shaped Doshi’s sensibility

● Founding School of Architecture and CEPT University in Ahmedabad

● Why he believed modernism must be adapted to Indian culture and climate

● Reflections on Aranya Housing, Sangath, and IIM Bangalore

● Architecture as a form of storytelling and spatial choreography

● The body, the senses, and the everyday as foundations of design

● A deep commitment to community, humility, and place

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi (1927–2023) was an architect, educator, and urbanist whose work defined post-independence architecture in India. Known for combining modernist principles with vernacular sensitivity, his legacy includes over 100 built projects and generations of students. He was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2018.

Host Info

James Hamilton, founder of James Hamilton Architects. Trained at Cambridge and Harvard, James brings a practitioner’s eye to every episode - offering grounded insight, clear storytelling, and a deep respect for the buildings under discussion.

Links and Resources

● James Hamilton Architects

● Watch the full episode on YouTube

● CEPT University

● Sangath Studio Project Page (Vastushilpa Foundation)

● Aranya Low Cost Housing

Quotes

“Architecture is not the building. It’s the space between the buildings. It’s the thresholds. The breeze. The possibility of meeting.”

“You don’t design from the mind. You design from the body — from the senses, from experience, from life itself.”

“What we need is not monuments. We need memories. And memory comes from living well.”

Website: www.jameshamiltonarchitects.com

Instagram: @jameshamiltonarchitects

Production: OneFinePlay.com