Charles Correa, face of contemporary architecture in India, dies

Charles Correa, the face of modern Indian architecture, has died at the age of 84 (Photo courtesy RIBA)

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Charles Correa, who defined contemporary architecture in India and was responsible for works as diverse as the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial in Ahmedabad and the assembly of Madhya Pradesh, has died after a brief illness. He was 84.

He passed away late on Tuesday in Mumbai.

The winner of many national and international awards was known for his hold over issues pertaining to urban planning and affordable housing. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1972 and Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour, in 2006.

In the 1970s, he was the chief architect of Navi Mumbai, the new city that came up across the harbor from Mumbai, and was later appointed the first chairman of the National Commission on Urbanisation.

Besides working on Mahatma Gandhi Memorial at the Sabarmati Ashram and the Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur, Correa also focussed on low-income housing and urban planning.

Born in Secunderabad on September 1, 1930, Correa studied at St Xavier's College in Mumbai before going to the University of Michigan and the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Correa taught at several universities in India and abroad and was the awarded some of the highest honours in his field, including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the Praemium Imperiale of Japan and the Royal Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which billed him as “India’s greatest architect” when it mounted an exhibition on him in 2013.

In 1984, he founded the Urban Design Research Institute in Mumbai that is dedicated to protecting the environment and improving urban communities.

Correa once expressed an interest in the way Indian cities work and in ways to improve them during an interview with The Guardian. "Our cities are among the greatest things that we have; they are part of the wealth of India. They are places of hope. The skills we need are urban skills – we never have to ask the World Bank to send us an expert because our cities already provide them," he said.

Earlier this year, speaking at the HT for Mumbai Awards ceremony, where he won the Lifetime Achievement Award, Correa was critical of the haphazard development of the financial hub. "Market forces do not make cities, they destroy them," he said in a message to governments and urban planners.

Among his final works was the Ismaili Centre in Toronto.

Digital Print: The Perfect Match for Interior Designs

Trends in decor are constantly changing, creating a moveable feast for producers of printed graphics and textiles for decorative applications.

Whether for commercial interiors such as offices and retail spaces, or for individual consumers, constant movements in design call for interiors to be more adaptable, personal and dynamic than ever before, as work and living spaces need to change to reflect evolving needs and tastes.

With the economic climate putting pressure on budgets for more structural improvements, commercial and domestic customers are both looking for cost effective ways to ensure that interiors reflect their occupants. 

In the business environment, the focus on motivating and engaging a workforce under pressure is pointing to the use of design to creative inspiring workplaces while reinforcing brand identity and making an impact on the customer. 

Competition in the retail sector means that retail brand owners need to constantly refresh their spaces to attract and retain shoppers, and create an on-brand experience that also adapts to seasons and promotions, and allows the space to change when necessary. 

With the growing trend towards home entertainment, domestic customers are focused on making their homes more liveable, which is driving spend on highly personal interior elements that increase functionality and express individuality.

For all three customer types, digital printing can offer the perfect solution, making interior decorative applications an accessible market niche for many PSPs. 

Here are 8 key reasons why digital print will be booming in interior decor in 2013 and beyond:

1. Cost-effective creativity

Digital can bring bespoke applications to life without the exorbitant costs associated with producing one-offs by traditional manufacturing routes. What’s more, digital print is a productive medium that enables the designer to execute entire creative schemes efficiently, cost effectively and to strict deadlines.  

2. Image is everything

Digital print offers photorealistic image quality and vibrant colours, meeting today’s tastes for zingy, image-led interiors. Wall graphics suggesting the outdoors; giant florals or natural images; life size people shots – anything is possible with digital print.

3. A material world

Print on a range of substrates, from rigid media to flexible materials, without a dip in quality. Explore what you can use in your interiors with vinyls, woods, metals, glass and textiles, then share the possibilities.

4. Creativity, anywhere

With such flexibility, creative printed design elements can be added just about anywhere.  Regardless of the environment, virtually any surface can be used to make a graphical design statement. Walls and floors can be personalised, windows can be decorated or ‘etched’, while furniture can be embellished with graphics, special finishes and treatments. Imagine it, then print it.

5. Adaptable

The beauty of digitally printed graphics is that they need not be permanent, addressing that trend to adaptability. In the home, that means that a room scheme can quickly be changed when the space comes into use for something else, or the owner’s tastes change. Commercially, that flexibility is ideal for temporary restyling linked to promotions or events.

6. Luxe for less

In these straightened times, many designers are wrestling with how to achieve a luxe look on a lower budget – digital print can achieve realistic gloss, metallic, wood and stone effects, for example, that cost a fraction of the real material. And when design moves on – brass and marble may be ‘so this season’, but in a year’s time? – digital print means it can be changed to reflect the next fashion dictat. 

7. Green is still on trend

Eco-conscious designers, particularly those in the commercial sphere serving clients with firm CSR agendas, can rest easy with digital print. More and more environmentally friendly inks and materials are becoming available to meet ‘green’ criteria. Savvy print service providers will also give customers clear guidance on how materials can be disposed of at end of life. 

8. Tactile textiles

Digitally printed textiles often make headlines on the catwalk, but they can work in interiors too. Curtains, sofas, cushions and carpets: these surfaces are not off-limits for print. Digital textile printers deliver colourful and high quality decorated fabrics that can be applied to a wide array of interior design projects in commercial and domestic spaces. 

Digital print does what so many decorative techniques cannot – delivering eye-catching creative interior design elements quickly, cost effectively and with ultimate flexibility. 

If this thriving niche could be for you, let your own imagination loose and build a portfolio to showcase what you are capable of. 

You might surprise them with what digital print can do for them, and give your own business a makeover.

Doors & Privacy Screens

Doors & Screens

Glass sliding doors and privacy screens have become extremely popular. However there are areas that require privacy to obscure direct viewing of interiors or areas behind the glass. Printed Glass doors and privacy screens allows you to keep the modern look and feel by using the glass medium but prevents others from viewing your activities.

Printed Glass Kitchen Splashbacks

Printed Glass Kitchen Splashbacks

Glass splashbacks have been a popular inclusion in kitchens for a number of years now. With the popularity of glass splashbacks has come a push to produce glass splashbacks that have more than one colour option or a graphic or image printed onto the glass. The process followed is very similar to the painted glass splashbacks – the image is printed onto the rear of the glass and sealed to protect it from heat, food and oil residue.

Like painted glass splashbacks, this is very easy to keep clean. With the use of modern software, almost any high resolution image or graphic can be printed onto glass.

Glass Splashback Costs

The choice of splashback is commonly dependant on cost, with tiling often chosen simply because it is the least expensive option. The downside to tiling an area where a lot of cooking is performed is the oil and food residue that accumulates in the grouted joints between the tiles. This is almost impossible to remove and discolours the grout lines over time, leading to a rather unsightly look.

Painted glass splashbacks have become increasingly popular over the past 10 years. The cost of the product has remained fairly consistant and in most cases is around 50% more expensive than the tiling option. The colour is painted on to the rear of the glass, protecting it from heat and food or oil residue. Glass splashbacks are easy to maintain and will retain their colour for longer than the life of a modern kitchen. With no grout lines to worry about, glass is by far the most user-friendly product for the kitchen or bathroom.

For the ultimate though, nothing beats a printed glass splashback – where the opportunities to express yourself are limitless. Colour is one thing but an image is another thing altogether! Costs are generally 25% more expensive than a single colour splashback but the results are stunning and definitely worth the investment.