Ahmedabad based architect, Balkrishna Doshi won the Royal Gold Medal 2022 by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), London. It is considered to be the world’s highest honour for architecture. Prime Minister Modi congratulated Doshi for his 'monumental' contribution in the field of architecture.
94-year old Doshi's career span for seven decades. The award is “approved personally by Her Majesty The Queen and is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence on the advancement of architecture”.
"Spoke to the distinguished architect Shri Balkrishna Doshi Ji and congratulated him on being awarded the Royal Gold Medal 2022," PM Modi tweeted.
"His contributions to the world of architecture are monumental. His works are globally admired for their creativity, uniqueness and diverse nature," the prime minister added.
RIBA said on Thursday that with a 70-year career and over 100 built projects, 94-year-old Doshi has influenced the direction of architecture in India and its adjacent regions through both his practice and his teaching.
Born in 1927 in Pune, Doshi studied at the JJ School of Architecture, before working for four years with Le Corbusier as Senior Designer (1951-54) in Paris and four more years in India to supervise projects in Ahmedabad.
He also worked with Louis Kahn as an associate to build the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.