User:Ariel.huber/MahendraRaj



Mahendra Raj (November 11th, 1924, Lahore Pakistan) is an Indian structural engineer living and working in New Delhi. He has made a significant contribution to Indian post-independence architecture.

Career
Mahendra Raj graduated in civil engineering in 1946 from Lahore, Pakistan after which he worked at the Punjab Public Works Departement (PWD) as an assistant engineer in 1946 and worked on the Chandigarh project from its inception. He worked on the structural design of Le Corbusier's High Court and Secretariat Buildings in Chandigarh. He received his MS in Structures from Minnesota (1956) and CE in Structures from Columbia, New York (1959) he started his own practice in Delhi, which he is running until today. Mahendra Raj has worked with some of the leading international and Indian architects such as Le Corbusier, Minoru Yamasaki, Louis Kahn, Joseph Allen Stein, Kerry Hill, Charles Correa, B. V. Doshi, Achyut Kanvinde, Raj Rewal and Kuldip Singh.

He came in contact with new concrete construction technologies working for the American-Swiss engineering office Ammann & Whitney in New York, and was able to work with them soon after returning to India in 1960: For the Sardar Patel Stadium (1962-65) and Tagore Hall (1963-65) in Ahmedabad he used folded concrete plates cast in-situ, for the Hindon River Mills in Ghaziabad he created 48 x 48 m column-free spaces using post-tensioned concrete girders suspended from concrete arches. In one of his most spectacular projects, the Hall of Nations and Hall of Industries in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi (1971-72; Arch. Raj Rewal + Kuldip Singh), he created a pyramidal space frame in concrete cast in-situ, spanning 80 x 80 m.

Important Projects
Ahmedabad: Central Bank of India (1966-69; Architect: B. V. Doshi); Indian Institute of Management (IIM) (Architect: Louis Kahn); Premabhai Hall (1970-74; Architect: B. V. Doshi); Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium (1962-65; Architect: Charles Correa); Tagore Memorial Hall (1963-65; Architect: B. V. Doshi)

Anand: NDDB Office Building Complex (1984-86; Architect: Kanvinde Rai & Chowdhury)

Bangalore: Indian Institute of Management (1983; Architecs: Stein,  Doshi & Bhalla

Bhopal: Vidhan Bhawan (1980-96; Architect: Charles Correa)

Cochin: GCDA Residential Flats (Architect: Kuldip Singh)

Delhi: Gandhi Memorial Hall (1964-64; Architects: Kanvinde & Rai); Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts (1966-68; Architect: Shiv Nath Prasad); Hall of Nations and Hall of Industries, Pragati Maidan (1971-72; Architects: Raj Rewal & Kuldip Singh); Nehru Pavillion, Pragati Maidan (1971-72; Architect: Raj Rewal); Hall of States, Pragati Maidan (1981-82; Architect: Raj Rewal); Akbar Hotel (1967-69; Architect: Shiv Nath Prasad); Maurya Hotel (1975-77; Architect: Rajinder Kumar); Palika Kendra, NDMC City Centre Civic Block (Phase 1: 1973-83; Phase II: 2005-09; Architect: Kuldip Singh); STC Office Building (1976-89; Architect: Raj Rewal); NCDC Office Building (1978-80; Architect: Kuldip Singh); NDDB Office Building (1981-82; Architects: Kanvinde Rai & Chowdhury); LIC Jeevan Bharati Office Building (1979-85; Architect: Charles Correa); SCOPE Office Complex (Architect: Raj Rewal); National Science Centre, Pragati Maidan (Architects: Kanvinde Rai & Chowdhury); British Council (1987-92; Architect: Charles Correa); Hindustan Lever Pavillion, Pragati Maidan (1961; Architect: Charles Correa); Inter State Bus Terminus (1969-74; Architects: Rajinder Kumar); Alliance Francaise (2003-04; Architects: ABRD); International Airport Passenger Terminal (Architect: Charles Correa); Aman New Delhi Resort Hotel (2009; Architect: Kerry Hill)

Ghaziabad: Structural Engineering Research Centre (Architects: Kanvinde Rai & Chowdhury); Danfoss Factory (1967; Architects: Rai & Bali); Hindon River Mills (1970; Architects: Kanvinde & Rai)

Hyderabad: ICRISAT Campus (1976-78; Architects: Doshi & Bhalla)

Kanpur: Indian Institute of Management (1964-67; Architect: Kanvinde & Rai)

Mumbai: Salvacao Church (1973-77; Architect: Charles Correa); Usha Kiran Apartment Building (1964-67; Architect: Karim Noorani; New Great Insurance Company Of India Office Building (1961-63; Architect: Studio Technio); Nehru Science Centre (1979-82; Architects: Kanvinde Rai & Chowdhury)

Srinagar: Conference Complex (1979-1983; Architects: Stein,  Doshi & Bhalla; Indoor Stadium (1979-82; Architects: Kanvinde Rai & Chowdhury); High Court, Legislative Assembly (1979-82; Architects: Kanvinde & Rai)

GERMANY: Indian Pavilion, Expo Hanover (2000)

IRAQ: Water Research Center Baghdad

KUWAIT: Indian Embassy

PORTUGAL: Indian Pavilion, Expo Lisbon (1998; Architect: Charles Correa)

SAUDI ARABIA: Social Insurance Building Jeddah; Mosque at Medina

USA: Permanent Mission of India to the UN, New York (Architect: Charles Correa)