A Tribute To Nimish Patel - A Noted Indian Architect & Conservationist

Nimish Patel - a noted Indian architect and conservationist passed away on December 12, 2018, at the age of 70. The Indian architectural community is shocked by the untimely demise of one of its most respectable and revered colleague. Nimish Patel was the founder Principal Architect of Abhikram - an Ahmedabad based architectural practice which he established in 1979 along with his architect wife Parul Zaveri.

1. 1
A Tribute To Nimish Patel
A Noted Indian Architect & Conservationist
Sarbjit Bahga

2. 2
A Tribute To Nimish Patel
A Noted Indian Architect & Conservationist

Nimish Patel - a noted Indian architect and
conservationist passed away on December 12,
2018, at the age of 70. The Indian architectural
community is shocked by the untimely demise of
one of its most respectable and revered
colleague. Nimish Patel was the founder Principal
Architect of Abhikram - an Ahmedabad based
architectural practice which he established in
1979 along with his architect wife Parul Zaveri.

Throughout his professional career of about four
decades, Nimish Patel has been involved in many
fields like planning, urban design, architecture,
analysis, evaluation and design for housing in
developing countries, conservation, historic
renovations, studies of historic settlements, use
of traditional materials and technologies in
contemporary context, and research / teaching in
these areas.

Nimish Patel did Master of Architecture in
Advanced Studies from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, the USA
with specialization in Urban Settlement Design in
Developing Countries. Prior to that, he did
Diploma in Architecture from CEPT University,
Ahmedabad in 1972, where he was a visiting
faculty also.
On the inauspicious occasion of the untimely
demise of Nimish Patel, Pritzker Award winner,
architect Balkrishna Doshi said, "Nimish was one
of the only architects who believed in
conservation and tradition. The architect couple -
Nimish and Parul - spent their lives on the revival
of tradition, crafts and local materials, and they
worked on the conservation of energy at a time
when everything is either imported or modified.
Architect Nimish Patel (1948-2018)

3. 3




They stood their ground and perceived what they
believed in, which is one of the most important
aspects today. Even though both of them were
my students, over time, we became colleagues
and eventually like family members. He
constantly encouraged me and others to do good
for society. I will miss Nimish."
Architect Bimal Patel too paid his last respect to
the departed soul. He said, "Nimish Patel was a
very important, highly venerated architect. He
was committed to enriching contemporary
architecture with the use of traditional crafts and
was very invested in the idea of sustainability. His
collaboration with his wife, architect Parul Zaveri,
was also a deeply inspiring architectural
partnership. Both of them, who are also CEPT
alumni, have given us some very wonderful
buildings."

Nimish Patel was a very widely travelled person.
He had visited many countries like Australia,
Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy,
UAE, Greece, Turkey, South Africa, Mexico, UK and
USA, where he has given talks/lectures. His works
have been published in several Indian magazines
and newspapers as well as professional journals
in USA, UK, Germany and Australia.
Nimish Patel and his wife Parul Zaveri have
received many prestigious awards for excellence
in architecture, conservation, and restoration.
Some of these include: A+D Spectrum Award
(2011), for Torrent Research Centre, Ahmedabad;
Century Ply Award (2010), for Tree of Life Resort,
Jaipur; A+D Spectrum Award (2005), for Oberoi
Udaivilas at Udaipur; Indian Architect & Builder
Award (2002), for Torrent Research Centre,
Ahmedabad;
Above:Terrent Research Centre, Ahmedabad
Nimish Patel with architect wife Parul Zaveri

4. 4
IIA-Kitply Conservation Award (2001), for
Ranchhodlal Chhotalal ki Haveli, Khadia,
Ahmedabad; JIIA-Anchor Award (2000), for
Torrent Research Centre, Ahmedabad; Unesco
Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award (2000),
for Chanwar Palkhi Walon ki Haveli at Amber;
Rajasthan Stone Architecture Award (1999), for
Trident, Udaipur; IIA-Dharmasthala
Manjunatheshwara Award (1999), for the
Digantar Low Cost Rural School; and, IIA-Kitply
Conservation Award (1994), for conservation of
Amber Town and its Environments.
Nimish Patel's mission was to explore the design
directions and processes, which make the built
environment, functionally, psychologically,
environmentally and spiritually, more contextual
and more comfortable for all. Conservation of
resources was the primary guideline for all his
projects. He was always committed to design
buildings, which in their form, space and
technology, reflect the continuity of the Indian
traditions. Patel endeavoured to contextualize the
design in all its aspects to be able to evolve the
responsible architecture.

Nimish Patel believed that innovativeness for a
developing society is a necessity and not a luxury.
All his buildings are a testimony to this belief. He
always remained optimistic, as to him, every
problem, irrespective of its nature, magnitude or
constraints, has an appropriate solution. He
opined, that appropriate solution will only come
through clarity in the identification of the
problem, the selection of appropriate tools and
their judicious application.

During a period of 1979 to 2018, Nimish Patel and
his wife Parul Zaveri remained involved in a
number of projects. Some of these are included
in this discourse to enable the readers to have an
overview of their works.
Above: The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur

5. 5
Torrent Research Centre, Ahmedabad is a
complex of pharmaceutical research laboratories.
It is said to be India's largest passive cooled
building with its energy consumption at 1/9th of
India's high-end consumption. For this building,
the architect has evolved a Passive Downdraft
Evaporative Cooling. It was applied through a
system of designated inlets and outlet shafts
which generate the required movement of air in
different spaces without using any mechanical or
electrical energy.

The Oberoi Udaivilas at Udaipur is another
prominent complex designed by Nimish Patel.
Spread over 35 acres, it is super luxury heritage
resort on the banks of Lake Pichola. In this
complex, the architect has created spaces which
resemble traditional palace structure. Series of
courtyards have been incorporated in the
complex as this feature is the essence of the
traditional architecture of the region.
To create a historic ambience, the architect has
used a number of elements like thick walls with
openings and niches, lime-plastered domes,
spherical doorsteps, brass doors, stone columns
carved by hand, etc. The design shows that
contemporary needs can be blended well with
the historic ambience without any compromise
on quality. It also establishes that it is possible to
respect the land, the landform, the rocks, the tree
cover, the skyline, and many other natural
features of the site while designing a project of
such a magnitude and complexity.
At the Trident, Udaipur, the architect designed
two-storied structures and located them along
the contours of the land with least disturbance to
the landform and existing flora and fauna. The
project shows that local traditions and richness of
crafts has the quality of timelessness that
transcends nationalities and technologies to
redefine grandeur in public spaces.
Above: The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur

6. 6
Likewise in another project - Tree of Life Resort at
Jaipur, architect blended the built form with local
terrain ingeniously. In this complex too, he used
local materials, technologies and crafts to create
a contemporary product. Great emphasis has
been laid on greening the area with easy to
maintain plants and trees which also blend well
with water bodies created all over.

This brief description of some of the projects is
aimed at to acquaint the readers about Nimish
Patel's design approach and a wide spectrum of
projects he has dealt with. Apart from designing
buildings and complexes, he has numerous
projects of sustainable interior design as well as
conservation/restoration of historical buildings
and built environments.

To do full justice to explain the large number and
variety of projects he has handled, there is a need
for a volumetric monograph which the
architectural fraternity is eagerly awaiting. Let
some young researcher/author come forward for
this gigantic work. It is hoped that with the
wholehearted cooperation and support of
architect Parul Zaveri and her team, this
herculean task can be accomplished surely. This
shall be a true tribute to the great architect -
Nimish Patel, and the legacy he has left behind.

Above: The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur Above: Trident, Udaipur

7. 7

Above: Tree of Life Resort & Spa, Jaipur

8. 8

Above: Tree of Life Resort & Spa, Jaipur