Hasmukh Patel: Architect of city’s ambitions

AHMEDABAD: “Human being is at the centre of my creative efforts. This is the only thing I understand and the only thing I practise.” Hasmukh Patel, 84, who passed away on Saturday, firmly believed in human values. The noted architect, whose contributions to post-Independence architecture has few parallels, died in his sleep, leaving behind a repository of works — stadiums, schools, banks, office complexes and uniquely designed homes.
Recalling his first meeting with Patel in Vadodara, master architect B V Doshi says: “I met him in Atmaram Gajjar’s office.I can't forget that day. His sensitivity towards designing details, his compositions and the way he approached his plans! Towards late 1960s, I invited him to become the director of the school of architecture."
“It was his dedication to designing institutional buildings that was simply remarkable. The St Xavier's School and the St Xavier's College are milestones," says Doshi.
“I have seen him working on the RBI and the SBI buildings and also on that of Dena Bank on Ashram Road. These works reflect a unique relationship between contexts and aesthetics.”
“He was like my family. We had travelled together. Our families had become close. He was a friend and a colleague to me too. He was very helpful and kind and these virtues get expressed in his works as well,” remembers Doshi. “Hasmukh Patel was a wonderful human being.”
Patel was born in Bhadran village of Anand district in 1933.
After graduating from the MS University in architecture, Patel began his practice in 1956 in Ahmedabad.
His father was a civil engineer. Among the more than 300 buildings he designed, some notables are Shyamal Row House, Newman Hall, ground work for Sabarmati Riverfront, Bhaikaka Bhavan and Patang restaurant.