A Discussion with Abhinava Shukla addressing the challenges faced by iconic buildings in urban areas, particularly those of developing economies. Abhinava Shukla is the Secretary General of Ahmedabad Textile Mills Association based out of the Mill Owners’ Building designed by Le Corbusier.

Ahmedabad–specifically the city’s textile mill industry–provided an economic engine for the modernization of India upon its post-colonial independence. The modern image, for the city and for the country as a whole, was crystallized in the architectural visions of Le Corbusier. His work took shape in Ahmedabad with several private villa commissions for mill-owning families, a public museum (a contribution by mill owners toward the city’s cultural development), and most famously, the headquarters of the Mill Owners’ Association. While these projects contributed to Ahmedabad’s successful transformation into a leading example of India’s expanding economy, that success now challenges the very same monuments of modernism on which it was built. Soaring property values and continued demand for new emblems of the city’s material prosperity threaten even the home of the Ahmedabad Textile Mills Association.

In this talk, ATMA Secretary General Abhinava Shukla will outline the history of Le Corbusier’s work in Ahmedabad and the challenges facing its continued preservation.