2016_03_16 NIT

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know News India Times March 16, 2018 8 Community By StaffWriter alkrishna Doshi, an Indian archi- tect and educator, has been awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize for Architecture 2018, which honors a living architect or archi- tects whose work shows talent, vision, and commitment, and who has consistently made significant contributions to humani- ty. The international prize was established by the Pritzker family of Chicago through their Hyatt Foundation in 1979, and is often referred to as “architecture’s Nobel” and “the profession’s highest honor.” The award consists of $100,000 (US) and a bronze medallion. The award is conferred on the laureate/s at a ceremony held at an architecturally significant site throughout the world, the Pritzker website says. Doshi, 90, was born in Pune into an extended family that had been involved in the furniture industry for two generations. His artistic inclinations were recognized by a teacher who exposed him to the disci- pline of architecture. He began his archi- tecture studies in 1947, the year India gained independence, at the Sir J.J . School of Architecture Bombay (Mumbai), the old- est and one of the foremost institutions for architecture in India. Doshi’s studied at the Royal Institute of British Architects, and also famous French architect Le Corbusier, returning to India in 1954, to oversee Le Corbusier’s projects in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. Those build- ings include the Mill Owner’s Association Building (Ahmedabad, 1954) and Shodhan House (Ahmedabad, 1956), among others. Beginning in 1962, Doshi also worked with Louis Kahn as an associate to build the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and they continued to collab- orate for over a decade. In 1956, Doshi hired two architects and founded his own practice, Vastushilpa, which has since been renamed Vastushilpa Consultants and grown to employ five partners and sixty employees, and has completed more than 100 projects since its inception. Doshi is known for infusingWestern idea with Eastern culture and a deep rever- ence for life and the forces of nature, “laced with sights, sounds, and memories from his past” Pritzker says on its website. “Alongside a deep respect for Indian his- tory and culture, elements of his youth— memories of shrines, temples and bustling streets; scents of lacquer and wood from his grandfather’s furniture workshop—all find a way into his architecture,” Pritzker notes. His built works include institutions, mixed-use complexes, housing projects, public spaces, galleries, and private resi- dences. Doshi recalls one of his most per- sonal endeavors, Sangath (Ahmedabad, 1980), his architecture studio. “Sangath fuses images and associations of Indian lifestyles. The campus integrates, and memories of places visited collide, evoking and connecting forgotten episodes,” Doshi is quoted saying. “Sangath is an ongoing school where one learns, unlearns and relearns. It has become a sanctuary of cul- ture, art and sustainability where research, institutional facilities and maximum sus- tainability are emphasized,” Doshi adds. A retrospective of his works, “Celebrating Habitat: The Real, the Virtual and the Imaginary,” opened at the National Gallery of Modern Arts, Delhi, India (2014), before traveling to the Power Station of Art Shanghai, China, (2017). He recently deliv- ered the 27th Annual Architecture lecture at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, U.K. (2017). Published texts include Paths Uncharted (Vastushilpa Foundation, 2011); “Community Building in Indore, India” in Where are the UtopianVisionaries?: Architecture of Social Exchange by Hansy Better Barraza (Periscope Publishing, 2012); and numerous works in relevant international journals such as A+U (Japan), Architectural Review (United Kingdom), and Abitare (Italy), among many others. Doshi was a member of the International Committee for preparing the International Charter on the Education of Architects, and holds honorary doctorates from the University of Pennsylvania, and McGill University, Canada. He has been a visiting professor at several universities in the U.S. including Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; and University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign; Rice University, Houston; Washington University in St. Louis. Indian Architect, Educator Wins Top U.S. Architecture Prize Pritzkerprize.com Architect and educator Balkrishna Doshi, 90, who has been awarded the Pritzer Prize for Architecture 2018, often referred to as the Nobel prize for architecture. B By StaffWriter I ndian American Manish Engineer has become the first Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the Seattle Art Museum, according to Artdaily.org. According to the Seattle Art Museum, this newly created position oversees tech- nology and digital efforts across the insti- tution to amplify the museum’s mission and improve business operations. “As our first CTO, Manish will lead the museum to greater levels of engagement with exciting new technologies in support of SAM’s mission to connect art to life. His expertise, experience, and genuine love of art will help us deploy technology to serve broad audiences more effectively than ever,” Kimerly Rorschach, the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO, said, in a statement. Prior to working at the Seattle Art Museum, Engineer worked as a Project Director in the membership and develop- ment departments at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). He also worked as MoMA’s IT Associate Director of Applications, where he oversaw their financial systems, internal mobile point of sale app and e-commerce plat- form, along with several other museum applications and databases, according to Artdaily.org. Engineer also worked at Penguin Random House on several high profile projects developing apps and complex e- books for former First Lady Michelle Obama, Giada De Laurentiis and Max Brooks’ WorldWar Z novel. He also spent eight years at Oracle Corporation as a Principal Consultant where he worked on a variety of customer vertical markets and as a Senior Product Manager where he managed and designed analytics for CRM applications. According to Artdaily.org, Engineer holds a Master of Arts degree in contempo- rary art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, as well as an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He also has an undergraduate degree in computer science and engineering from Ohio State University and loved to per- formed stand-up comedy throughout New York while he held volunteer positions at the Guggenheim and MoMA. Manish Engineer Becomes First CTO At Seattle Art Museum Courtesy:Seattle ArtMuseum Manish Engineer Source: Forbes By StaffWriter F orbes released their recent list of The World’s Billionaires on March 6, which features 10 Indian Americans. The richest one on the list is Rakesh Gangwal, the co- founder of the airline Indigo and is worth $3.3 billion, after he made an extra $1.2 bil- lion in the past year. The second richest is Romesh T. Wadhwani, an IT entrepreneur and philan- thropist with a net worth of $3.1 billion, who ended up topping the list last year. Forbes recent list has a record of 2,208 members including two new Indian Americans, Niraj Shah who is worth $1.6 billion and Jayshree Ullal who is worth $1.3 billion. Shah is the CEO and co-founder of Wayfair while Ullal is the CEO of Arista Networks. Other Indian American billionaires who are on the list include Vinod Khosla ($2.3 billion), Google investor Kavitark Ram Shriram ($2.1 billion), Vista Equity Partners cofounder Brian Sheth ($2 billion), phar- maceutical executive John Kapoor ($1.8 bil- lion), software execu- tive and investor Aneel Bhusri ($1.6 bil- lion) and Syntel co- founder Bharat Desai ($1.1 billion). Sheth is the youngest Indian American billionaire on the list whose wealth went up by $900 million, while Khosla’s net worth increased by $700 million. The combined net worth of Indian American billionaires is $20.2 billion and the richest Indian American of all is Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, with net worth of $7.2 billion. Forbes Billionaires List Includes 10 Indian-Americans Name Rakesh Gangwal Romesh T. Wadhwani Vinod Khosla Kavitark Ram Shriram Brian Sheth John Kapoor Niraj Shah Aneel Bhusri Jayshree Ullal Bharat Desai Rank on Forbes List 703 766 1070 1157 1215 1339 1477 1477 1756 1999 TOP 10 INDIAN AMERICAN BILLIONAIRES Age 64 70 63 61 42 74 44 52 56 65 NetWorth $3.3 B $3.1 B $2.3 B $2.1 B $2 B $1.8 B $1.6 B $1.6 B $1.3 B $1.1 B

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