Twitter
Advertisement

Meet Bimal Patel, master architect who is the face behind Central Vista and other grand projects of Modi government

His work has won numerous awards, including the Padma Shri in 2019, which is among the highest civilian honour conferred by the President.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

For master architect Bimal Patel, the ambitious Central Vista project is not the first task in his hands. The urban planner and academician has been the face behind several mega projects across the country including Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi, Sabarmati Riverfront Development in Ahmedabad and Jagannath Temple in Puri. 

Patel is an architect, urbanist and academician who has traversed disciplinary, professional and institutional boundaries to explore the ways in which architecture, urban design and urban planning can enrich the lives of people in India's cities.

He is President of CEPT University in Ahmedabad and leads HCP Design Planning and Management Private Limited, an architecture, planning and project management firm.

Apart from these landmark projects, the work profile of HCP Design says that many of the recent big urban projects in cities of Gujarat involve the services of Patel and his company.

Whether it is Central Vista of Gandhinagar, multiple riverfront parks in Ahmedabad, walled city revitalisation plan in Ahmedabad, transit oriented zone of Ahmedabad or Centre for Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, Patel's company is involved with all these projects.

Similarly, Aga Khan Academy of Hyderabad, Amul Dairy of Mumbai, Container Terminal of Chennai, architectural design of IIT Jodhpur and many other such urban structures landscaped in parts of the country have some architectural contributions of Patel and his company.

Bimal received a Diploma in Architecture from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad, in 1984. He received a Master's degree in Architecture and City Planning in 1988 and a PhD in City and Regional Planning in 1995 from the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1996, he founded Environmental Planning Collaborative, a not-for-profit consultancy and policy-research and advocacy organisation. Since 2012, he has also been heading CEPT University as its President.

His work has won numerous awards, including the Padma Shri in 2019, which is among the highest civilian honour conferred by the President.

Ever since Patel won the design contest for the Central Vista Project, Patel has been facing criticism from the opposition with liberals labelling him as “Modi’s architect”. 

However, Patel’s growth seems to have coincided with Modi’s rise, starting from Gujarat to Delhi. The 1995 CG Road project landed in Patel’s lap after it was cleared by senior BJP leader and then chairman of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority Surendra Patel in pre-Modi years. Patel then brought Bimal Patel on board for the Sabarmati riverfront project. Impressed by his work, Modi got him to redevelop the Kankaria lake front.    

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement