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Karl Damschen

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Karl Damschen (born 15 July 1942 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany) is an architect working in Switzerland and mainly in Kerala, India. His buildings are grounded in the climatic and historico-cultural conditions of each place, and they are significant for the recognition of the great architectural resources of India.

Karl Damschen

Education and career

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In 1963, Damschen began his studies at the Staatliche Ingenieurschule für Bauwesen Kassel (now University of Kassel), which he completed as a grad. Engineer. After studying with Paul Friedrich Posenenske at the State College of Arts Kassel (now University of Kassel), Damschen obtained his diploma as Architect HbK in 1970. He then moved to Switzerland, and he worked from 1971 to 1981 as a department head in the Helfer Architekten AG office in Bern.[1]

In 1982 he founded his own company, Architektur Atelier Damschen in Bern, Switzerland. It was here that he worked on the Ascom office building in Bern.[2] In 1985, upon winning a competition for the State College of Technology and Architecture Fribourg (Hochschule für Technik und Architektur Freiburg) [3][4] in Switzerland, he, along with his partner Daniel Herren, founded their office Herren + Damschen Architects + Planners AG in Bern.[5] Here they worked on several competitions including the urban planning of Löwenplatz in Luzern [6] and urban planning of Thörishaus in Switzerland for which they were conferred the highest Award.[7][8]

India

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In 1976, Damschen embarked on a significant one-year trip by caravan to India and Sri Lanka where he explored the architecture of these countries in detail. This marked the beginning of a lasting relationship with India.[9] From then on, he spent several months each year in Kerala, the southern state of India where he studied first hand, the traditional construction technologies of highly skilled local carpenters. He stated this in an interview with Indian Architecture & Builder Magazine (IA&B):[10]

"IA&B: What is your comment on the traditional architecture of Kerala?...
KD: I am now talking about Kerala’s traditional wooden architecture with its most important building, the Padmanabhapuram palace. This kind of architecture was not designed and built by architects but by master carpenters (Acharis)..."

His fascination with India led to his decision to work as a consultant architect in Kerala in 1995. The first hotel project designed by Damschen in Kerala, was the Surya Samudra Beach Garden[11] (Kovalam) in the 1980s, consisting of several traditional wooden houses carefully dismantled and reassembled on site. Karl Damschen earned his reputation as an architect-conservator in India by converting several heritage and colonial buildings in South India, especially in the old port city of Kochi, where the Portuguese established their first trading post in India as early as 1502. A good example of this is the renovation and reconstruction of the Old Harbour House, an approximately 300-year-old house built by the Dutch.[12][13][14]

Another Dutch building once used for the spice trade in Jew Town, Kochi, was converted into the Ethnic Passage.[15] The restoration of the Kashi Art Gallery in Fort Kochi is another example.[16]

These projects became a paradigm for several hoteliers and property owners and resulted in many of the remarkable heritage houses being saved from destruction. His work has also been significant in the country's recognition of its great architectural resources. Asked about his favorite projects of classical Indian architecture, Karl Damschen said:[17]

"Certainly the wooden Padmanabhapuram palace because of its subtle adaptation to the location. It also takes account of all climatic and cultural circumstances. Its richness of detail and the dealing with the inner and outer spaces make this building so unique and special.“

In 2001, he was appointed as Conservation Architect to the World Monuments Fund, New York for the restoration of the clock tower of the 450 year old Paradesi Synagogue in the historic Jew Town of Kochi.[18]

Since 2013 he has been working in a partnership with the young Indian architect Krishnan Varma.[19]

Architectural style

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While in Switzerland, Damschen was inspired by master architect Le Corbusier, whose principles of proportion and scale were adopted into his projects. In his view, architecture that uses the same language universally and neglects reference to its context, leads to an enormous architectural impoverishment in cities. In an interview[10] the architect said:

„While working on the wooden houses and renovating the Jewish Synagogue in Kochi, I realized – like Charles Correa and Geoffrey Bawa – that our so-called modern architecture leads to a visual impoverishment of our cities. To oppose this tendency, architecture must find its roots in a counties culture itself without running the risk of becoming a kind of Disney Land. What I aim at is a kind of timeless architecture which does not pay heed to contemporary trends, as they might not survive."

His buildings are based on the climatic, historical and socio-cultural conditions of the place. He was influenced by its rich culture of India and introduced carefully selected ornamentation into his architecture. All his projects are planned as an architectural unit that includes the interior and landscape design to ensure overall homogeneity:[20]

„Karl Damschen, the German-Swiss architect of the Brunton Boatyard Hotel, treated history and the town’s current appearance as a spur for developing his design along these historical lines. Damschen, who has been commuting between Bern and Cochin with his wife since 1981, has internalised the genius loci, the spirit of the place and found it a very satisfying task to preserve historical stock and to conduct urban repair. He sees his hotel design as a project of this kind, closing a gap in the town's development, and at the same time criticises the unthinking removal of old buildings in favour of new buildings of absolutely no merit. He wanted to express the "value of the old in a new building" (Damschen).“

Selected projects

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Building Location Notes
1971–1973 Helfer Office Building Bern, Switzerland Helfer Architekten AG
1981–1985 Ascom Office Building Bern, Switzerland Architektur Atelier Damschen
1985–1996 Hochschule für Technik
und Architektur Freiburg[3][4]
Freiburg, Switzerland Herren + Damschen, Architects and Planners AG
2005–2006 Indian Forum (Culture Centre) Schwäbisch Hall, Germany Architektur Atelier Damschen
1982–2000 Surya Samudra Beach Garden
(now Niraamaya Retreats)
Kovalam, Kerala, India Architektur Atelier Damschen
1996–1999 The Brunton Boatyard [21][22](Luxushotel) Kochi, Kerala,India In cooperation with A K Prasanth ( Prasanth & associates Architects), Stapati Architects (Tony Joseph)
2002–2004 Taj Garden Retreat Kumarakom, Kerala, India Architektur Atelier Damschen
2001–2005 Restoration of the Clock Tower
of Paradesi Synagogue for the
World Monuments Fund, New York
Jew Town, Kochi, Kerala, India Architektur Atelier Damschen
2004–2006 Restoration of Old Harbour Hotel[23][24][25][26]
(Boutique Hotel)
Kochi, Kerala,India Architektur Atelier Damschen
2005–2007 Restoration of Visalam Palace (Boutique Hotel) Kanadukathan, Karaikudy,
Tamil Nadu, India
Architektur Atelier Damschen
2006–2009 Ethnic Passage[27] (Boutique Shopping-Mall mit Kunstgalerie und Cafè) Kochi, Kerala, India Architektur Atelier Damschen
2010–2012 Vismaya House (serviced pool villa) Cherthala, Kerala, India (at Chenganda on Vembanad Lake) Architektur Atelier Damschen
2012–2014 Upgrading of the Kashi Art Cafe Fort Kochi, Kerala, India Architektur Atelier Damschen
2013–2014 Restoration of Nadulu Hotel – Meriya Heritage (Heritage-Hotel) Kaipamangalam, near Guruvayoor, Kerala, India In collaboration with Architect Krishnan Varma[19]
2011–2015 Restoration of the Cochin Club (sport club with swimming pool) Fort Kochi, Kerala,India Architektur Atelier Damschen
2014–2017 Baymaas Lake House (serviced pool villa)[28] Ernakulam, Kerala India (Cheppanam Island, at Vembanadu Lake) In collaboration with Architect Krishnan Varma
since 2015 Restoration of The Delta Study School Fort Kochi, Kerala,India In collaboration with Architect Krishnan Varma

Published projects

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  • Herbert Ypma: HIP Hotels Beach. Thames and Hudson (Econ), London 2004, ISBN 3-430-19889-5
  • Olaf Krüger and Michael Neumann-Adrian: Zeit für Indien. Bucher-Verlag, Munich 2012, ISBN 3-7658-1288-9
  • Olaf Krüger, Michael and Edda Neumann-Adrian: Zeit für Kerala, Traumziele im Garten der Götter. Bucher-Verlag, Munich 2006
  • Klaus-Peter Gast: Moderne Traditionen : zeitgenössische Architektur in Indien. Birkhäuser, Basel-Boston-Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-7643-7753-3
  • Inderjit Badhwar, Susan Leong: India chic hotels. bolding books, Singapore 2006. ISBN 981-4155-57-8
  • Kim Inglis: Cool hotels India – Maldives – Sri Lanka, Periplus Editions 2004, ISBN 0-7946-0173-1

References

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  1. ^ Work at Helfer Architekten AG: https://www.architekturbibliothek.ch/architekt/damschen-karl/
  2. ^ Alte und neue Kunst-Stücke aus dem Berner Ostquartier. In: Der Bund, 3. April 1992, p. 29.
  3. ^ a b Preisgekrönte Arbeiten vorgestellt, Freiburger Nachrichten Nr. 107, 10. Mai 1986, S.7
  4. ^ a b Eine neue Ingenieurschule in Freiburg. Neue Zürcher Zeitung vom 3. Februar 1989
  5. ^ Cooperation with Daniel Herren in Bern: https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=sbz-004:2011:137::3941
  6. ^ Zuerich, ETH-Bibliothek. "Schweizer Ingenieur und Architekt". E-Periodica. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  7. ^ Schweizer Ingenieur and Architekt 10 (1995), p. 246
  8. ^ Schweizer Ingenieur und Architekt 11, (1995), p. 275
  9. ^ "Karl Damschen". outlookindia.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021.
  10. ^ a b Looking for substance: Indian Architect & Builder Magazine, Mumbai, India, March 2000, S. 22; https://issuu.com/iab_archives/docs/iab_march_2013
  11. ^ "Best Luxury Wellness Resort & Spa in India | Niraamaya Retreats". www.niraamaya.com. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  12. ^ Tanya Abraham: Due respect for the old. In: Metro Plus, Kochi, The Hindu, 12 August 2006 ; Weblink
  13. ^ Tabitha May: The Old Harbour Hotel, Cochin: where to stay. The Telegraph, 26 August 2008
  14. ^ Restoration area, Fort Kochi: Old Harbour House makeover. Indian Express, 4 October 2006
  15. ^ An ancient flavour, Inside Outside Magazin, November 2009, S. 190–195
  16. ^ "Kashi Art Gallery". Kochi Biennale Foundation. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  17. ^ Looking for substance: Indian Architect & Builder Magazine, Mumbai, India, March 2013, p. 22
  18. ^ Photo of the plaquette placed in the synagogue
  19. ^ a b "Meister Varma Architects". www.meistervarma.in.
  20. ^ Peter Gast, Modern Traditions: Contemporary Architecture in India. Birkhäuser 2007, p.111. ISBN 978-3764377540
  21. ^ "In eigener Sache – Schliessung "SRF Shop"". 9 December 2021.
  22. ^ Inderjit Badhwar, Susan Leong: India chic hotels. bolding books, Singapore, 2006. ISBN 981-4155-57-8
  23. ^ Manuela Kessler: Architekt hilft Handwerkern. Süddeutsche Zeitung, 30 December 2006, S.16
  24. ^ Mathew T. Georg: Old Harbour Hotel. The Week, 25 November 2005
  25. ^ Priyadarshini Sharma: Heritage homes turn hotels. The Hindu, 6 August 2005
  26. ^ Prema Manmadhan: Anchored to the past: Old Harbour House. The Hindu, 23 January 2010
  27. ^ An ancient flavour, Inside Outside Magazin, November 2009, S.190–195
  28. ^ Baymaas Lakehouse Kochi. In: Condé Nast traveller magazine, November 2018
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