The majority of the most recent Aga Khan Award winners actually come from outside the Middle East from the countries of India, Pakistan, and Malaysia. Three of the five projects come from India and are a Lepers Hospital in Chopda Toluka, the Vidhan Bhavan in Bhopal, and the Slum Networking Of Indore City. The other two projects are the Alhamra Arts Council in Lahore, Pakistan, and the Salinger Residence in Selangor, Malaysia.
Lepers Hospital- Chopda Toluka, India
Built as a refuge for the outcast victims of Leprosy, a treatable disease that still afflicts a small percentage of people in South Asia, the Lepers Hospital was intended literally to be a garden amidst a desolate area of land. The site is located 13 kilometers from Chopda on a donated piece of land. A Norwegian missionary (Clara Lerberg) is actually responsible for creating the project with two Norwegian architecture students (Jan Olav Jensen and Per Christian Brynildsen) being responsible for the design. Since the building was meant to be a haven for the lepers, the architects developed a rectangular plan around the concept of a paradise garden. Because of limited resources the architects needed the building to be simple in design and materials use. Their long buildings with curved roofs positioned around the garden and made of locally purchased steel and bricks and locally quarried sandstone achieved both those things while also bringing to mind the pleasant paradise garden concept not normally associated with a building of this function.
Vidhan Bhavan- Bhopal, India
In contrast to the Lepers Hospital is the much larger project in Bopal India by the much better known architect Charles Correa. The Vidhan Bhavan sits on a hill located above the city of Bhopal, capital of the state Madhya Pradesh of India. This building for the State Assembly contradicts the usual pattern of a government building symbolizing political power and instead "reflects the architect Charles Correa's concern for humanist values in the seat of governmental authority".1 The building was intended to encompass an array of functions including governmental ones such as the Lower House, the Upper House, the Combined Hall, and the Library, as well as offices, cafeterias, and the usual assortment of spaces associated with the main parliamentary functions. The architect chose to unify this project with a circular enclosure while breaking up the functions with courtyards and pathways to bring that human quality to the building. Rather than being a modern building which gives no acknowledgment to its context or a weak imitation of vernacular architecture, the design "primarily reflects Indian cultural and historical references, including the Parliament Building in New Delhi and the ancient Buddhist stupa in nearby Sanchi". 2 The architect seemed to attempt to give reference to the architectural region while carefully not letting that overpower the design of a truly modern government building and the end result embodies both qualities.
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