Hafeez Contractor

Hafeez Contractor
Born 1950 (age 66–67)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality Indian
Alma mater University of Mumbai, Columbia University
Occupation Architect
Practice Zoroastrianism
Buildings 23 Marina-Dubai, Imperial Towers-Mumbai, Infosys GEC & SDB 4- Mysore, ICICI Headquarters, Hyderabad

Hafeez Contractor (born 1950) is an Indian architect.[1] He was a member of the Bombay Heritage Committee and New Delhi Lutyens Bungalow Zone Review Committee. He made Oakwood Estate in Gurgaon as well, and the apartments are cosy and comfortable and hospitable.

He was awarded Padma Bhushan in January 2016 by the Government of India.

Early life

Hafeez Contractor was born in Mumbai in a Parsi family. He earned his graduate diploma in architecture from the University of Mumbai in 1975 and completed his graduation and MS in Architecture from Columbia University, New York City on a Tata scholarship.[2] He studied at the Academy of Architecture in Mumbai and then went on to pursue a post graduation degree from Columbia University in New York.

Career

The Imperial Towers

Hafeez Contractor started working in 1968 as an apprentice with his uncle T. Khareghat even while working toward his architecture degree. In 1977, he became the associate partner in the firm. Between 1977 and 1980, he was a visiting faculty member at the Academy of Architecture, Mumbai.

He designed The Imperial I and II, the tallest buildings in India.[3]

Despite being one of India's most successful architects, he publicly stated that Western standards for "green" buildings are a joke arguing that the problems present in India require unique solutions and the country should not blindly follow the west,[4] although according to an article in the New York Times, one of his works were cited to look like the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.[5]

For Infosys, he built a software-development park outside Pune that features two avant-garde office orbs, which Contractor calls his “dew drops,” and a 337-acre corporate educational facility near Mysore that is laid out around a columned structure Contractor designed to look like St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. In New Delhi’s D.L.F. CyberCity, Contractor constructed a sprawling office development for blue-chip companies including Microsoft, KPMG, Lufthansa and American Express. His most famous project is Hiranandani Gardens, in suburban Mumbai, not far from the airport, where Contractor designed the domestic terminal. The 250-acre mixed-use neighborhood achieved some measure of fame when it served as the backdrop for India’s breakneck development in the 2008 film “Slumdog Millionaire.”

In an interview with the New York Times,[6] he was profiled for his influence on modern architecture in India and as Bollywood's "Starchitect". According to the article, "Stylistically, Contractor’s buildings have no signature, save a penchant for glitz." Ar. Hafeez Contractor said, "I always say... that you definitely like a woman with lipstick, rouge, eyelashes. So if you make your building more beautiful with some appliqués, there’s nothing wrong."

References

  1. ↑ TNN, Dec 18, 2010, 09.53pm IST (2010-12-18). "Architect for conserving rare heritage monuments — The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  2. ↑ "Building dreams". Indian Express. 1998-12-30. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  3. ↑ "From 50 floors to 80 plus, Mumbai grows taller". IBN Live. 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  4. ↑ "Green buildings are a joke: Hafeez Contractor". The Times Of India. 2011-09-14.
  5. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/magazine/the-slumdog-millionaire-architect.html
  6. ↑ Daniel Brooks (June 19, 2014). "The Slumdog Millionaire Architect". New York Times.
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