Most of us have heard about the visual magnificence and innovativeness of Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Riverfront. It hit the global headlines when it hosted a dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014 and, five years later, became a VVIP address for organizing the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The riverfront is as grand as the new Parliament building, which has been recently unveiled. Yet we know little about Bimal Patel – a common thread between the two much-talked-about creations.
When Patel was tasked to design the waterfront in 2005, two things happened: critics in political and professional circles were abuzz about “some Gujarati architect” known for his proximity with the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, and second, not many believed the architecture would be as riveting. The controversies and rumours apart, Patel went ahead to design the Central Vista project in New Delhi, better known as the new Parliament House – not a building of concrete but a reproduction of ‘Rising India.’ The Parliament building and India’s rich architectural heritage have had to coalesce for the new design’s visual language.
According to Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Patel’s company would receive Rs 229.75 crore for consultation services, which will be used to create the project’s master plan, which will include designs, cost estimates, plans for integrating the landscape and traffic, parking facilities, and more.
Born on August 31, 1961, to Bhakti Patel and architect Hasmukh Patel, Bimal Patel wanted to be a scientist so that the “desk in a room would be the key area of activity.” But “destiny” drew him to the “difficult world of architecture” – the love of his life now -- for which he has earned global acclaim.
He studied architecture at the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT). Today he is the president of CEPT University in Ahmedabad. He completed his Master’s degree in Architecture and City Planning in 1988 and received PhD in City and Regional Planning in 1995 from the University of California, Berkeley. He completed his doctoral thesis under Marxist urban geographer Richard Walker.
Bimal Patel began working part-time for his company HCP Design Planning and Management Private Limited, in 1984 and has been associated with it full-time since 1990. He is now the CEO of the company, which was formed in 1960 in the walled city of Ahmedabad by his father Hasmukh Patel. It is now a design firm with over 300 employees and has offices in Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Pune. His father Hasmukh Patel successfully built an SBI building in 1964 with the peculiarity that the sunlight would reach the bank’s compound until its doors closed in the evening. Ishmat, Bimal Patel’s wife, and their son are both architects who collaborate with him.
Some of his projects are Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, Ahmedabad Management Association, Bhuj Development Scheme, Swarnim Complex in Gandhinagar, Kankaria Lake Development, Entrepreneurship Development Institute, IIM Ahmedabad’s New Campus, Gujarat High Court, and Himmatnagar Canal front. Prime Minister Modi’s trust in the architect strengthened after 2014 when Bimal Patel was once again granted the job of building the famous Kashi Vishwanath corridor in Modi’s Varanasi constituency.
Bimal Patel was accused of destroying legacy and history while working on Central Vista. In an interview with Sansad TV, he said: “We had to work within the deadline. The Prime Minister had given us a target to complete this building in a certain time, so we sat at home and worked on the design during the Covid period. Secondly, it is always said about India that buildings are built very slowly, so I accepted it as a challenge.”
Bimal Patel says 41 different firms collaborated with HCP in various ways to design the new Parliament building, and he had 450 people working on the Central Vista project at one point. Bimal Patel has received numerous honours for his work. Several honours have been bestowed on his work and projects, including Padma Shri in 2019. He says all projects of an architect are like his children. Just as a father loves each of his children, Bimal Patel loves all his projects. The new Parliament building, however, holds a special place in his heart.