Architecture as Diplomatic Instrument? The Multi-Layered Meaning of the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi (1947–83)

In recent decades, the topic of embassy architecture has increasingly drawn the attention of architectural historians. Whereas scholars have already shed light on the building policy of the United States, Great Britain and France, the architectural approach of small state actors such as Belgium has...

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Autores principales:	Bram De Maeyer, Fredie Floré, Anne-Françoise Morel
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Ubiquity Press 2021
Materias:	Architecture NA1-9428
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/9cf7405bb0494cfeaa1268ebf513ce6d
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:9cf7405bb0494cfeaa1268ebf513ce6d2021-11-08T08:06:34ZArchitecture as Diplomatic Instrument? The Multi-Layered Meaning of the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi (1947–83)2050-583310.5334/ah.496https://doaj.org/article/9cf7405bb0494cfeaa1268ebf513ce6d2021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journal.eahn.org/articles/496https://doaj.org/toc/2050-5833In recent decades, the topic of embassy architecture has increasingly drawn the attention of architectural historians. Whereas scholars have already shed light on the building policy of the United States, Great Britain and France, the architectural approach of small state actors such as Belgium has largely remained untouched. The Belgian purpose-built embassy (1980–83) in New Delhi was designed by the Indian artist-architect Satish Gujral. While the unusual design, with its references to indigenous Indian architecture, is often mentioned in the literature on Chanakyapuri, New Delhi’s diplomatic neighbourhood, scholars have not addressed the Belgian rationale for constructing an embassy whose architecture paid more tribute to India than to Belgium. Examining the architectural and political meaning of this project in the context of both the receiving and the sending states, this article asks to what extent Belgium approached this diplomatic building project as an opportunity to cement its bilateral relationship with India. This embassy design was the result of not so much a well-considered building policy of Belgium but rather Gujral’s personal stand with regard to the postmodernist debate in India’s architecture scene at the time. In doing so, we make the case that purpose-built embassies – even the most expressive ones architecturally – are often more complex projects than closely monitored designs upon which governments project ideological and national visions.Bram De MaeyerFredie FloréAnne-Françoise MorelUbiquity PressarticleArchitectureNA1-9428ENArchitectural Histories, Vol 9, Iss 1 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Architecture NA1-9428
spellingShingle	Architecture NA1-9428 Bram De Maeyer Fredie Floré Anne-Françoise Morel Architecture as Diplomatic Instrument? The Multi-Layered Meaning of the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi (1947–83)
description	In recent decades, the topic of embassy architecture has increasingly drawn the attention of architectural historians. Whereas scholars have already shed light on the building policy of the United States, Great Britain and France, the architectural approach of small state actors such as Belgium has largely remained untouched. The Belgian purpose-built embassy (1980–83) in New Delhi was designed by the Indian artist-architect Satish Gujral. While the unusual design, with its references to indigenous Indian architecture, is often mentioned in the literature on Chanakyapuri, New Delhi’s diplomatic neighbourhood, scholars have not addressed the Belgian rationale for constructing an embassy whose architecture paid more tribute to India than to Belgium. Examining the architectural and political meaning of this project in the context of both the receiving and the sending states, this article asks to what extent Belgium approached this diplomatic building project as an opportunity to cement its bilateral relationship with India. This embassy design was the result of not so much a well-considered building policy of Belgium but rather Gujral’s personal stand with regard to the postmodernist debate in India’s architecture scene at the time. In doing so, we make the case that purpose-built embassies – even the most expressive ones architecturally – are often more complex projects than closely monitored designs upon which governments project ideological and national visions.
format	article
author	Bram De Maeyer Fredie Floré Anne-Françoise Morel
author_facet	Bram De Maeyer Fredie Floré Anne-Françoise Morel
author_sort	Bram De Maeyer
title	Architecture as Diplomatic Instrument? The Multi-Layered Meaning of the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi (1947–83)
title_short	Architecture as Diplomatic Instrument? The Multi-Layered Meaning of the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi (1947–83)
title_full	Architecture as Diplomatic Instrument? The Multi-Layered Meaning of the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi (1947–83)
title_fullStr	Architecture as Diplomatic Instrument? The Multi-Layered Meaning of the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi (1947–83)
title_full_unstemmed	Architecture as Diplomatic Instrument? The Multi-Layered Meaning of the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi (1947–83)
title_sort	architecture as diplomatic instrument? the multi-layered meaning of the belgian embassy in new delhi (1947–83)
publisher	Ubiquity Press
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/9cf7405bb0494cfeaa1268ebf513ce6d
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Architecture as Diplomatic Instrument? The Multi-Layered Meaning of the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi (1947–83)

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