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Hafeez Contractor
Indian architect

Hafeez Sorab Contractor (born 1950) is an Indian architect. He has designed many skyscrapers in India, primarily in the city of Mumbai. As of 2019, he is the architect of the three tallest buildings in India – The 42 in Kolkata, and the twin towers of The Imperial in Mumbai. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in January 2016 by the Government of India.

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Early life

Hafeez Contractor was born in Mumbai on 19 June 1950 into a Parsi family.8 He attended Boys' Town Public School Nasik before moving on to the University of Mumbai's Sir J.J. College of Architecture in 1975. He then won a scholarship to Columbia University, where he completed his master's degree.9

Career

While pursuing his architecture degree, Contractor began working in 1968 as an apprentice under the supervision of his uncle and mentor Tehmasp Khareghat.1011 He joined his uncle's company T. Khareghat in 1977 as an associate partner.12

In 1991, Contractor was enlisted to add buildings to Infosys' Bangalore campus.1314 He went on to design that firm's first software-development park outside Pune,1516 and its corporate educational facility near Mysore.1718 His most famous project is Hiranandani Gardens, a township in Powai, a suburb of Mumbai.19 In 2005, Contractor designed the twin-tower residential skyscraper, The Imperial, whose 254 metre-tall Tower I became the tallest residential buildings in India (with Tower II slightly behind) upon completion in 2010 – a distinction it held until it was displaced by One Avighna Park (266 metre) in 2017. That building was, in turn, displaced by The 42 in Kolkata, which was also designed by Contractor and architecturally topped out at 260m.20 He also designed 23 Marina in Dubai,21 which was briefly the world's tallest all-residential building, and is currently third behind the nearby Princess Tower and 432 Park Avenue in New York City.

Contractor's other projects include the domestic terminal at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport22 and the DY Patil Stadium, which serves as the home stadium for both the Mumbai Indians cricket team and Mumbai City FC football team. He also designed the Turbhe railway station in Navi Mumbai and in 2018 offered to 19 railway stations for free.23 He was the architect for Chief Minister of Telangana's official residence, Pragathi Bhavan completed in November 2016. He has been assigned to design the campus of Indian Institute of Petroleum & Energy, Visakhapatnam. An interview of his was published in the official24 Class 8 English book.

Architectural style

Contractor has referred to the standardized ratings used in Western countries for certifying green buildings as a "joke".25 In his view, conditions in India require a rating system that takes into account the unique problems faced by that country, such as the loss of farmland.26

In a New York Times profile he was described as Bollywood's "Starchitect". The article described Contractor's style as having "no signature, save a penchant for glitz." Contractor said of his own work, "[Y]ou definitely like a woman with lipstick, rouge, eyelashes. So if you make your building more beautiful with some appliqués, there’s nothing wrong."27

List of works

NameYear

completed

ImageCityNotesRef
Apollo Hospital, Indraprastha
Sarala Birla Academy
ITC Grand Central2004MumbaiArt deco styled Hotel skyscraper
ITC Royal Bengal2019KolkataArt deco styled Hotel skyscraper
DY Patil Stadium2008Mumbai
The Imperial2010MumbaiTallest building in India between 2010 and 20182829
23 Marina2012Dubai
One Horizon Center2014Gurgaon30
Mantri Pinnacle2016BangaloreTallest building in Bangalore31
The 422019KolkataTallest building in India between 2018 and 201932
Lokhandwala MinervaMumbai33
Turbhe railway station

Awards and recognition

  • 2016: Hafeez was awarded India's third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, in 2016.34
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References

  1. TNN (18 December 2010). "Architect for conserving rare heritage monuments". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2011. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/Architect-for-conserving-rare-heritage-monuments/articleshow/7119677.cms ↩

  2. "Hafeez Contractor – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/company/173 ↩

  3. "The 42 – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-42/14870 ↩

  4. "'The 42' in Kolkata becomes India's tallest building". The Times of India. 16 April 2019. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/the-42-in-kolkata-becomes-indias-tallest-building/articleshow/68900814.cms ↩

  5. "The Imperial I – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-imperial-i/889 ↩

  6. "The Imperial II – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-imperial-ii/890 ↩

  7. "Padma Awards 2016". pib.nic.in. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2017. http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=135783 ↩

  8. Veer, Peter van der (19 May 2015). Handbook of Religion and the Asian City: Aspiration and Urbanization in the Twenty-First Century. Univ of California Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-520-28122-6. 978-0-520-28122-6 ↩

  9. Brook, Daniel (19 June 2014). "The Slumdog Millionaire Architect". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/magazine/the-slumdog-millionaire-architect.html ↩

  10. Manohar, Prathima (2006). Architect Hafeez Contractor. Architecture Publishing. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-81-901758-0-7. 978-81-901758-0-7 ↩

  11. "Hafeez Contractor AIIAGD ARCH. MS ARCH. & UD (USA): Executive Profile & Biography – Bloomberg". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=43832635&privcapId=49531279 ↩

  12. "Hafeez Contractor AIIAGD ARCH. MS ARCH. & UD (USA): Executive Profile & Biography – Bloomberg". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=43832635&privcapId=49531279 ↩

  13. "Infosys Bangalore". The Future of Design. 21 September 2017. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.tfod.in/photo-space/1792/garden ↩

  14. Brook, Daniel (19 June 2014). "The Slumdog Millionaire Architect". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/magazine/the-slumdog-millionaire-architect.html ↩

  15. "Infosys office at I T Park at Pune". The Future of Design. 21 September 2017. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.tfod.in/photo-space/1774/exterior-at-night ↩

  16. Brook, Daniel (19 June 2014). "The Slumdog Millionaire Architect". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/magazine/the-slumdog-millionaire-architect.html ↩

  17. "Exterior – Infosys Global Education School, Mysore". The Future of Design. 21 September 2017. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.tfod.in/photo-space/1809/exterior---infosys-global-education-school--mysore ↩

  18. Brook, Daniel (19 June 2014). "The Slumdog Millionaire Architect". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/magazine/the-slumdog-millionaire-architect.html ↩

  19. Brook, Daniel (19 June 2014). "The Slumdog Millionaire Architect". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/magazine/the-slumdog-millionaire-architect.html ↩

  20. "The 42 – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-42/14870 ↩

  21. "23 Marina – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/dubai/23-marina/247/ ↩

  22. "Award-winning airport renovation relies on Indian granite". stoneworld.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2020. https://www.stoneworld.com/articles/85979-awardwinning-airport-renovation-relies-on-indian-granite ↩

  23. "Architect Hafeez Contractor Offers To Design 19 Railway Stations For Free". NDTV.com. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2020. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/architect-hafeez-contractor-offers-to-design-19-railway-stations-for-free-1816958 ↩

  24. CBSE ↩

  25. "Green buildings are a joke: Hafeez Contractor". The Times of India. 14 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2012. https://m.timesofindia.com/city/chennai/Green-buildings-are-a-joke-Hafeez-Contractor/articleshow/9973928.cms ↩

  26. "Green buildings are a joke: Hafeez Contractor". The Times of India. 14 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2012. https://m.timesofindia.com/city/chennai/Green-buildings-are-a-joke-Hafeez-Contractor/articleshow/9973928.cms ↩

  27. Brook, Daniel (19 June 2014). "The Slumdog Millionaire Architect". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/magazine/the-slumdog-millionaire-architect.html ↩

  28. "The Imperial I – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-imperial-i/889 ↩

  29. "The Imperial II – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-imperial-ii/890 ↩

  30. "One Horizon Center – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 4 December 2022. https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/one-horizon-center/27293 ↩

  31. "Mantri Pinnacle – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 4 December 2022. https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/mantri-pinnacle/14522 ↩

  32. "The 42 – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017. http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/the-42/14870 ↩

  33. "Lokhandwala Minerva – The Skyscraper Center". skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 4 December 2022. https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/lokhandwala-minerva/10431 ↩

  34. "Padma Awards 2016: Complete list | India News – Times of India". The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/padma-awards-2016-complete-list-of-padma-vibhushan-padma-bhushan-and-padma-shri-awardees/articleshow/50719773.cms ↩