Dikshu C. Kukreja, the Managing Principal, C. P. Kukreja Architects is well known as the ‘Young Icon of the Decade’ and most recently selected as the ‘Face of 21st Century Architecture in India’. A gold medalist from School of Planning and Architecture, attended the prestigious Taliesin Fellowship at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, USA and received his Masters in Architecture and Urban Design from Harvard University.His firm CPKA is ranked amongst the top 100 architecture firms in the world and top 5 in Asia. The firm has to its credit the outstanding structures like Jawaharlal Nehru University, Rumtek Monastery, New Delhi, Sikkim Legislative Assembly, Gangtok and Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida. Dikshu holds tremendous interest in international relations and has travelled extensively across the world understanding and appreciating the nuances of people and nations.
Hugely influenced by his father ,he shares his success story in a very honest and candid manner.
G. M. We understand, your father Mr. C P Kukreja has been a legend. When did you first understand the nature of your father’s profession? Did it fascinate you at an early age?
D. C. As a child, I was fascinated by the longevity and permanence of the tombs and forts I visited with my parents. To me, architecture is the largest unwritten historical document, and even at a young age, as I wondered at the solitude and beauty of the ruins that I was surrounded by, they would evoke a curiosity in me as to what life would have been like all those years ago. Pioneer Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe has astutely remarked, “Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.” Indeed, architecture does reflect the times it was built in, and I suppose that is what drew me to this profession- how it embodies the essence of the present for generations to come.
Years into the profession, I still hold a special fondness for monuments, not only because of the nostalgic value they hold to me, but because they help me introspect and revisit my motives as an architect.
G. M. When did you decide to become an architect? Was it your decision or a parental pressure?
D. C. My father’s architectural legacy and ideology undoubtedly inspired me. However, oddly enough, Mr. Kukreja was never too keen on me following in the same profession. I was determined to prove my talent and ability to him, and this was the catalyst that propelled me to pursue architecture. Looking back, I believe this was the reason why I never felt entitled or took my architectural background for granted.
G M. Your student life has been full of achievements and challenges in India and abroad. Share the most interesting phase of your student life.
D. C. I cherish my journey through my student years and early years in the profession. I had spent a considerable time in my school years learning Italian language with a dream to go and study architecture in Italy. However, when the time came, I got an opportunity to attend the Taliesin Fellowship which was created by the legendary architect-Frank Lloyd Wright. At Taliesin in Arizona, the experience of having to build your own shelter was an eye opener – I realized the importance & seriousness of being able to design keeping in mind its construct ability.
At Harvard, the diversity of students from across the World-22 nationalities amongst 26 students in the program, and their sheer brilliance added creative talent to the camaraderie rather than competitive spirit. Being the youngest in this group taught me more than any conventional degree program would. The decision of also studying at the Harvard Business School expanded my thinking beyond an architect to understand how the mind of a typical ‘business client’ works. I realized that a successful design often needs to acknowledge if not conform to business diktats as well.
G. M. What was your first achievement as an architect? How do you assess it when you look back? Any lessons that kept you climb the ladder?
D. C. The two initial projects which I handled at C P Kukreja Architects were the renovation of the prestigious Delhi Gymkhana Club and the restoration as well as addition to the iconic Oberoi Hotel property in Srinagar which was taken over by the Lalit Hotel Group; both the projects with different learnings. The Delhi Gymkhana Club exposed me to dealing with the client which comprised of former bureaucrats and armed forces officers. The site itself has strong historical context and the current context of adjoining the Prime Minister’s residence was both exciting and challenging. Working on the Lalit Hotel in Srinagar in a climate which witnesses snow fall, and making site visits when the atmosphere was politically charged (one could hear gun shots at night) was again a new experience. These two projects brought new learnings beyond just architecture, in dealing with clients both private and government.
Hardwork, humility and optimism, I believe, are the qualities that are important in order to climb up the ladder.
G. M. It is a matter of pride but at the same time a huge responsibility to carry on a legacy that one’s parent leaves behind. Undoubtedly you have accomplished yourself. How did your father react to your success?
D. C. My father was one of the toughest mentors or masters that one could come across. Any accomplishment that I achieved was met with a muted and unemotional response. At that point, I always felt that probably there was more that I could have done than what I had achieved. Looking back, I realise, that his endeavour to ensure that I remain humble and grounded at every stage of success. I also believe he felt that I must realise that success and failure go hand in hand and therefore, one should not get carried away by one’s successes. I realise now what he did; every reaction of his, whether muted or otherwise, was only meant to make me a better human being and a better professional.
G. M. There is a long list of your projects in India and other parts of the world. Many buildings have made a mark in the history of architecture. How do you assess yourself?
D. C. At CPKA, we believe that design is a process and not the end product. It is a journey of discovery, innovation, evolution and eventually, creation. With each project, we aim to “read” and “respond” to the built and un-built contexts of the urban scape. The most important exercise in the design process is to read the silent gestures of forms and spaces, to converse with the natural environment and then translate those gestures into architectural ensembles. We refer to it as “Responsive Architecture” – a philosophy which advocates architecture as a response to the various existing forces and systems like nature, climate, society, technology, economy and culture. Our primary objective today is to create architecture that is a collective of all these blended seamlessly as a physical manifestation with the existing geographical setting and at the same time containing within itself a strong potential to live up to the future developments and urban standards.
G. M. A difficult question to answer, but still-what has been your favourite project that you have enjoyed the most while working on it?
D C. Gautam Buddha University and East Delhi Hub represent a significant turning point in the practice of the firm, not only because of their sheer scale but also for the ideology that was embodied in their design. Gautam Buddha University is a 500 acre campus in Greater Noida that underlined the importance of a harmonious coexistence between man and his natural surroundings. Believing this relationship to be the key to fostering intellect, creativity and the dissemination of ideas, our aim was to create a “Centre of Learning” that embraces Mother Nature. The very understanding and realization of “Enlightenment” propagated by Gautam Buddha, the “Enlightened One,” and Buddhist teachings such as the Middle Path stress on the importance of a marriage between binaries like Dhatu (matter/solid) and Shunya (antimatter/void), existence and non-existence, Bhog (consumption) and Tyag (detachment) to maintain a balance that keeps the wheel of life turning.
East Delhi Hub in Karkardooma is conceptualized to be a new Transit Oriented Development (TOD) that imbibes the core values of a sustainable “Smart City”. As a pilot project that experiments with the new TOD policy drafted by DDA, our approach was to incorporate an “organic density” that introduces extensive vertical mixed-use development to tackle the issue of high density and ensure 24-hour active, safer spaces. This includes commercial, residential, medical and recreational facilities and an iconic 100 storey LEED Platinum-rated tower that will be a new landmark in Delhi. East Delhi Hub’s design is based on a sustainable grid and building configuration which combines a sustainable orientation with the complex geometry of the site. The result is a highly efficient radial system that upholds “Smart Mobility”, “Smart Infrastructure” and “Smart Living”.
G. M. Who has influenced you the most in this profession?
D. C. While I am deeply impressed by many architectural legends, my idol remains my father Mr. C P Kukreja. His passionate and determined commitment towards his work, his compassion towards society, his humility towards success and sacrifice for others are qualities that I not only admire but strive to emulate.
G. M. Where do you place India in the field of architecture? Have we made our presence felt on the international scene?
D. C. India has a remarkable history of sustainable, vernacular architecture where buildings use passive design, local materials and respond to the site context. To me, meticulously understanding Indian architecture would not imbibe an identity that is skin deep but rather create designs that are sensitive to the needs of its context- social, political, economic, and geographic. This would result in a meaningful dialogue between the tangible and intangible aspects of the built form, and through it giving up superfluity, for a design that has a true impact on its surroundings.
While in India we have today, at our disposal, the best of technology, materials and construction systems that exist in the world, but I believe we lack the conviction to demonstrate our creative skills the way the country has been known for its architecture in the past. Also, I believe that with the clients, both, in the private and government sectors, the government clients do not encourage breaking the stereotype or being innovative, conservative approach remains their mantra. In the private sector, again, the clients believe that aping the West is only the best way forward. So there is a stranglehold on the profession to reach its unattainable grandeur in the past.
G. M. Any word of caution for the young aspirants in this profession?
D. C. I feel privileged in continuing a legacy which was started with the vision of Mr. C P Kukreja. I begin my work every day with such enthusiasm and I find it so interesting that I don’t know where to stop. My advice for the upcoming architects would be that if they have the passion and conviction to follow their dreams, it can help them overcome any obstacle or barrier. Architecture is a challenging profession where we are constantly expected to create new ideas, be innovative and yet be able to convince others around us of every intention that we have, is for the betterment of their project or their environment. It is therefore, very important that we have our own strong convictions and only then we can be successful in transforming the environment around us. I also believe that human mind is a palace of thoughts with endless possibilities. I would advise young architects and students of architecture that they should be able to explore these endless possibilities and make the world see things through their eyes.
G. M. Mention one direction from your father that has been your guiding force.
D. C. Mr. Kukreja played an instrumental role in influencing me, both at a professional and personal level. He taught me that there is no substitute for hard work, and his actions spoke louder than words. His guidance was invaluable to me, and in retrospect, I cannot think of anyone more befitting for the title “mentor” than him.
