SURFACES REPORTER remembers architect, modernist, mentor, and thinker Sen Kapadia, who leaves behind a legacy that redefined the language of Indian architecture.
The Indian architecture community mourns the passing of Ar. Sen Kapadia, a seminal architect, academic, and theorist whose work consistently challenged conventions and sought deeper meaning in the built environment. With a career spanning over four decades, his contribution went far beyond buildings; he shaped a way of thinking about architecture as an experiential, cultural, and intellectual pursuit.
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Trained during India’s post-Independence architectural evolution, Ar. Sen Kapadia belonged to a generation that helped define contemporary Indian architecture. Early in his career, he worked closely with American master architect Louis Kahn, contributing to the iconic Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad project before establishing his own practice in 1977. This formative exposure instilled in him a lifelong engagement with modernism -- one he both embraced and critically reinterpreted.
National Institute of Design, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
His built work reflected a relentless exploration of space, light, and human experience. Among his most notable projects are the postgraduate campus of the National Institute of Design in Gandhinagar, the Computer Management Centre in Hyderabad, and a Buddhist pilgrimage centre in Kushinagar. His architecture resisted spectacle; instead, it unfolded as a series of spatial narratives -- fragmented yet cohesive -- inviting users to engage, interpret, and inhabit meaningfully.
Beyond his practice, Kapadia was deeply invested in pedagogy and discourse. As an academic and mentor, he influenced generations of architects, encouraging them to question norms and engage with architecture as a cultural act. His body of work -- rich with drawings, collages, and experimental representations -- revealed an architect constantly searching, iterating, and refining his ideas.
Buddhist Pilgrimage Centre, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh
Ar Sen Kapadia’s philosophy found its most comprehensive articulation in his book In Pursuance of Meanings, a reflective compilation of his projects and thoughts developed in collaboration with architect-editor Pinkish Shah. The book offers a rare first-person insight into his design process, framing architecture not merely as construction, but as an ongoing inquiry into “the inner essence of things.” This commitment to inquiry and dialogue extended beyond the written word into public platforms of exchange. The book was also featured in the 'Book Corner'' at THE WADE ASIA exhibition in 2023.
In Pursuance of Meanings by Sen Kapadia Architects
Those who knew him often speak of his intellectual rigor and exacting standards, balanced by a deep generosity towards students and collaborators. His work did not seek easy answers; instead, it posed questions -- about context, perception, and the role of architecture in shaping human experience.
Gujarat Research Centre, Khar, Mumbai, another project executed by Ar.Sen Kapadia
In an era increasingly driven by speed and spectacle, Ar. Sen Kapadia stood apart -- quietly, persistently advocating for depth, reflection, and meaning. His legacy endures not only in the institutions and spaces he shaped, but in the minds he influenced and the questions he leaves behind.
As the architectural fraternity reflects on his life and work, one thing remains clear: Sen Kapadia did not merely design buildings -- he crafted ways of seeing, thinking, and understanding the world around us.