India’s Most Iconic and Influential Architectural Projects in 21st-Century

The tallest statue in the world is one of the most iconic and influential buildings of 21st-century India. The Statue of Unity depicting former Indian Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was designed by Michael Graves Architecture and Design and stands 182 meters tall (almost twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in New York City). The statue required over 18,000 tonnes of reinforced steel and 1,700 tonnes of bronze. This architectural marvel is today India’s biggest victory worldwide. 

The new building for the Parliament of India is the first purpose-designed Parliament building for India. The design addresses the present and future needs of efficient Parliamentary functioning. Designed by HCP Designs, is the most impactful and influential building of the 21st century. The building is located on a triangular plot therefore, a triangular building allows for the most efficient use of available space. The trinity of functions – Lok Sabha (the Lower House), Rajya Sabha (the Upper House), and Central Lounge – also work efficiently within the triangular plan. The design is inspired by the present Parliament building, the construction crafts of India, India’s national symbols, and the other buildings at Central Vista. 

The modern and most influential architectural structure that has a cultural, spiritual, social, communal, and sustainable impact on architecture is the Matrimandir in the Auroville village of Pondicherry. A space for yoga, peace, and the soul. It took 37 years to build since its foundation. The entire structure is in the form of a geodesic dome with twelve petals around it, where the exterior façade design has golden discs that reflect the sunlight to generate a radiating surface. 

The National War Memorial is constructed on the idea of the rebirth of those unsung heroes through their stories, journeys, and struggles communicated and expressed in a spatial tangible form. A culmination of the historical Rajpath extending through the India Gate, the National War Memorial is an open landscaped public space spread over 42 acres in the C -hexagon. Progressive acts of protection, sacrifice, bravery, and becoming immortal translate as a concentric arrangement in which the ‘Thyag Chakra’ holds the name of each fallen soldier who becomes another brick in the nation’s defensive wall. India’s influential architectural building motivates and inspires the public while also being an additional plan for nation-building. 

Located in Bhuj, Gujarat, India on the Bhujiyo hill, the museum is a part of the larger Smritivan earthquake Memorial masterplan, which was made to commemorate the 2001 earthquake of which Bhuj was the epicenter. The museum anchors its journey in the city of Bhuj and the Kutch region’s unique heritage, culture, crafts, and its many villages and wildlife sanctuaries. The design intent was to create not just a museum but a civic space where the citizens could gather and celebrate their many festivals and more. 

Designed by Sameep Padora and Associates, a Hindu temple complex partially surrounded by a moat for the village of Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh. The temple complex is stepped from local black limestone slabs to create a modern look on the traditional Hindu temple forms. The concept is the key to this iconic design, where the blend of modernism and traditionalism is maintained to derive spiritual and cultural significance from the purpose of the building. Without hindering the functions and the purpose of the building, modern minimal aesthetics were creatively incorporated to make it an iconic and influential building. 

An urban planning and designing initiative that has changed the pattern of perceiving architecture in India in the 21st Century is the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk Street in Old Delhi, Designed by Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates. The 1.3 km stretch which was once overly chaotic with vehicles and vendors is now redeveloped into a car-free zone with formal footpaths and seatings at regular intervals. This Urban initiative has helped transform the face of architecture in India. 

Designed by Rahul Mehrotra, is an impactful architectural building of contemporary Indian architecture in the 21st century. The library building is located on the CEPT campus in Ahmedabad. The design is not just an institutional mass of identity but is designed with a sense of spatial understanding of the function of space and its users and also has exemplary standards of climate-responsive design. The library building is an inspiration for the future generation of architects to build a contextual, aesthetic yet green building.

MVRDV, working alongside co-architects StudioPOD, has completed the construction of a section of One Green Mile, transforming a series of neglected spaces under Mumbai’s Senapati Bapat Marg flyover. Turning an overbearing element of concrete infrastructure into a public space for the entire local community, the design adds much-needed amenities and greenery, improves mobility, and creates a strong visual identity for the area. On a broader scale, the design offers a repeatable approach to sustainable urban development that asserts a new benchmark for underused public spaces in the intense Indian metropolis. 

The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School is an architectural marvel designed by Diana Kellogg of Diana Kellogg Architects and commissioned by CITTA, a non-profit organization that supports development in some of the most economically challenged, geographically remote, or marginalized communities in the world. Located in Salkha, Jaisalmer, India it is one of the most influential and iconic institutional buildings in modern-day India. It serves more than 400 girls, from kindergarten to class 10. The school also consists of a Medha – a performance and art exhibition space with a library and museum. 

These are a few of many such architectural marvels built by great architects in the 21st century in India. In the last two decades, India has seen tremendous growth in architecture and construction. Architecture in the 21st century no longer only serves the purpose of safety and security, instead, it also represents the values of culture and community, tradition and modernism, Sustainability, and economic awareness. With technology advancing, the infrastructure is also moving at a faster pace. 

Today India is constructing the tallest skyscrapers and smart buildings, planning cities and transit-oriented connectivity, at the same time it is designing contextual structures, sourcing materials locally, saving energy consumption and resources, and building green and eco-friendly buildings. This is the concept of modernism in architecture in the 21st-century India. Today India is no less than the developed countries in terms of Modern conceptual architecture to bring the people of the country together. 

Architecture in India today is inspiring to bring people together, it is helping build a purpose of nation-building, a sense of responsibility, and ownership as a nation. Architecture is no longer a statement or a monumental building, it is about the essence of spatial quality and communication between the built and unbuilt. India has come a long way in evolving, Today in the 21st century the buildings of the country show the evolving graph. 

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Text provided by Pooja Gosar - 

An Architect aiming to redesign the idea of design. She believes that architecture is a story of built and unbuilt. The architecture we see is not the whole story, there are multiple layers to it. Pooja believes in unfolding these layers to the world and exploring architecture beyond perception.