Dr Doshi pays a lot of importance to sustainable and organic development of cities. In his article on re-structuring urban areas, he writes “Planning is not merely physical growth, but also spiritual and cultural growth, all hinged on availability of resources. Visiting several towns and cities in different parts of India, one notices unique regionally connected lifestyle and virtuous skills of the local population”. He envisioned urban areas as walkable cities where all aspects of one’s life from living to working to most basic education and recreation are within a half hour walk.

His deep appreciation for the Indian family and community structures is visible in several of his essays and writings. In his writing titled Give me a break, he recollects how the form and structure of his home kept evolving. He writes, “The expanding structure of the house and its evolving functions were like a big sponge - porous and forever absorbing, constantly providing us with new spatial and aesthetic surprises”. In the article, he further elaborates on the deeply spiritual nature of Indian architecture saying “Likewise, in traditional Indian architecture, each space can be perceived independently to complete a unique experience. One can be transformed through a proactive dialogue with space and time. One can cross a threshold into another space, another time, and another phase of psychological and spiritual experience”.

A critic of quick and result-oriented design of spaces, Dr Doshi brings back the lost architectural elements of India that break the circle of time and gives opportunity for those in leisure to discover the joy of getting lost in space and coping with “stressful life by registering the changing nuances of shadows and rhythms in space, the quality of light, colour, texture, or the sound of falling rain or the smell of flowers. This in turn connects us to our primordial, timeless self”.

In the age of rapidly growing concrete jungles, it is rare to see an architect who deeply connects with the ethos of a place and designs spaces that can evolve organically. His award is well deserved and very timely as India is looking at creating sustainably expanding cities. As Dr Doshi himself says, “I am not an architect. For me it’s a search - it's only a search, search for that unknown which I have not known, neither I know how it will manifest. That’s actually the essence of my work. It begins somewhere, ends somewhere, and in that process I grow, and the work grows, and we both grow together.”

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