Jun 09 2014 : Mirror (Pune)
Mr Tata's Class act
It was in December last year that the prestigious Tata Hall, named after and funded by Ratan Tata, was inaugurated at Harvard Business School. The arc-shaped, seven-storey, glass and brick building includes residential space, classrooms, and common areas for Executive Education participants and has been designed by William Rawn Associates.But it was only last week that one had a virtual tour of the 100-crore project, thanks to Nisha Jamvwal, who was invited for lunch there and made copious notes of the architectural masterpiece that it is. The building reflects Mr Tata’s distinctive aesthetic sense —
minimalistic, detailed and elegant.Class rooms and conference halls overlook the river, while abstract Indian art adorn the walls. We are told the art is from Mr Tata’s personal collection, as he was closely involved in the planning of the centre of learning for world leaders. The other striking feature of the hall are the two long sculptural benches facing each other created by Matthias Pliessnig and the three open gardens flanking the hall.
“I think it should make every Indian proud, it did make my chest swell with pride because its an Indian landmark on the banks of the Charles River...” says Nisha. Indeed.
minimalistic, detailed and elegant.Class rooms and conference halls overlook the river, while abstract Indian art adorn the walls. We are told the art is from Mr Tata’s personal collection, as he was closely involved in the planning of the centre of learning for world leaders. The other striking feature of the hall are the two long sculptural benches facing each other created by Matthias Pliessnig and the three open gardens flanking the hall.
“I think it should make every Indian proud, it did make my chest swell with pride because its an Indian landmark on the banks of the Charles River...” says Nisha. Indeed.
