www.sefindia.org

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FORUM OF INDIA [SEFI]

 Forum SubscriptionsSubscriptions DigestDigest Preferences   FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups  RegisterRegister FAQSecurity Tips FAQDonate
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log in to websiteLog in to websiteLog in to websiteLog in to forum 
Warning: Make sure you scan the downloaded attachment with updated antivirus tools  before opening them. They may contain viruses.
Use online scanners
here and here to upload downloaded attachment to check for safety.

Tribute to Shirish Patel : In Shirish Patel's death, structural engineering has lost its polestar

 
Post new topicReply to topic Thank Post    www.sefindia.org Forum Index -> SEFI General Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
alpa_sheth
...
...


Joined: 26 Jan 2003
Posts: 298

PostPosted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 12:33 pm    Post subject: Tribute to Shirish Patel : In Shirish Patel's death, structural engineering has lost its polestar Reply with quote

Dear sefians,

Here is my tribute to Shirish Patel in the Indian Express.

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/in-shirish-patel-death-architecture-has-lost-its-polestar-9742166/

The newspaper bungled the title of the piece, but never mind. PDF version Link

warm regards,
Alpa
====== ======= ====== ======
In Shirish Patel's death, structural engineering has lost its polestar
Opinion by
Alpa Sheth

He could not be boxed into labels of 'urban planner', 'structural engineer', 'civil engineer', 'activist', 'innovator', 'aesthete', and so on. He was all of that but also much more. If there is a word that would perhaps describe him, it would be 'thinker'.



On Patel's suggestion, the monotony of the tall, bookend shear walls was broken by affixing thousands of empty beer bottles as a spectacular façade feature, making the towers the most talked about buildings of that time. (PTI)
Dec 24, 2024 16:37 IST
Alpa Sheth

Shirish Patel was unlike any other engineer I have known. He could not be boxed into labels of "urban planner", "structural engineer", "civil engineer", "activist", "innovator", "aesthete", and so on. He was all of that but also so much more. If there is a word that would perhaps describe him succinctly, it would be "thinker".

As a structural engineer, it is difficult for me to find a project of Patel that is not suffused with a flourish of innovation. The Kanchanjunga apartment building on Pedder Road, still holding its own quite regally amongst the ragtag new development that has come up around it, can be attributed as much to Patel's innovative structural design as to architect Charles Correa. A few may know that the upmarket triple towers, Rambha, Urvashi and Silver Arch apartments at Nepean Sea Road were one of the first sets of highrise buildings in Mumbai. Designing tall towers was a novelty enough, but he needed to layer another layer of complexity – the use of new precast technology, of which little was known in India at that time in terms of empirical data.

On Patel's suggestion, the monotony of the tall, bookend shear walls was broken by affixing thousands of empty beer bottles as a spectacular façade feature, making the towers the most talked about buildings of that time.

I have often wondered what made him such a refreshingly different structural engineer, always thinking at a system level and adding something novel to every project he would undertake. I attribute it partly to his education. Undergraduate civil engineering programmes in India appear to be designed with the secret mission to strangle the independent thinking skills of the civil engineering student, making them pliant subordinates to the architect or the Authority that they work for. Patel had the good fortune of escaping this fate, having graduated from Cambridge University with a Master of Arts (Hon.) in Mechanical Sciences. It may explain his refreshingly different take on designing industries, railway stations, bridges and buildings.

A decade-and-a-half ago, Patel and I worked on a paper on urban layouts, densities and the quality of life along with a fellowship student. The topic fascinated him, and he continued to work on it with numerous researchers until the very end. I recall the mild winter Tuesday mornings when he would show up at my little home, week upon week, after his meeting at the nearby Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), where he was working with some scientists on his "Ecocooker". I would always marvel at how lithely he could switch from rice cookers to urban densities. His most recent research project was a study of six metros (published in two volumes) with two young researchers/architects. He could transcend not just one generation but two when it came to working on his passionate projects.

We were comrades-in-arms whenever Patel would want to protest an engineering-related travesty being committed in the city of Mumbai. In 2019, following the partial but fatal collapse of the Himalaya bridge floor at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai, the Municipal Corporation went on an overdrive, declaring perfectly good bridges as unsafe. As a result of a loud protest by Patel and myself and an outreach programme by the online magazine Moneylife, the Municipal Commissioner formed a Citizens' Technical Advisory Committee (CTAC) with three private engineers (Shirish Patel, Dr VV Nori and I), along with other government persons to inspect and opine on the bridges. Patel would be ready at the crack of dawn to inspect the numerous bridges. Our committee deemed a lot of the "unsafe" bridges "good for use". The bridges department of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) demanded a safety guarantee from CTAC if its opinion was to be heeded. It was disingenuous of the bridges department to request this as the committee was working pro bono. Patel nevertheless agreed to provide the stability certificate of the bridges on his license. The bridge department had not bargained for this sort of enthusiasm and desperately tried to find an honourable way to get rid of us.

The most recent project Patel and I had worked on was the Malabar Hill reservoir (MHR), where he took the lead to call out a fraud amounting to more than Rs 650 crores. The MHR was described as dilapidated and in need of demolition and reconstruction. We co-wrote an open letter to the Municipal Commissioner on this issue, which was carried by many newspapers. Deja vu. Thanks to the citizens' protests, a citizen's technical committee was formed, and we made compelling arguments about how the reservoir was safe and in excellent condition. It was a long and fatiguing battle against powerful interests, but for now, at least, I think we have won. All credit to Shirish.

Patel had a sharp eye and a passionate spirit. On his trips to the continent, he fell in love with the works of architect/engineer Santiago Calatrava. He chased Santiago's works all across Spain and Europe, taking extraordinary photographs and putting together a delightful, stunning presentation of Calatrava's works, which he showed in colleges and meetings of engineers and architects.

I think, at some point, he lost interest in structural engineering. Perhaps it was due to his disappointment with the profession as it was being practised, which, in his opinion, left much to be desired. Or, perhaps it was because most projects did not afford room for creativity. I do not think he would ever take up a project simply because it was commercially lucrative. Unless a project seemed to have innovation potential, it would not interest Patel. He was a strong critic of the government's policy of awarding infrastructure consulting projects to the lowest bidder, which has given rise to this spectacularly ugly (and not-so-safe) city and wrote numerous letters and articles on this issue. I think he played a significant role in getting the government to review the tendering process and awarding projects to L1 consultants (albeit after the collapse of scores of under-construction bridges in the past five years).

Patel was disillusioned by the use of FSI as a tool for development and the havoc it has wreaked not just in Mumbai but in many cities across India. He protested against the slum redevelopment schemes of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), which gave rise to monstrous up-market high-rises in essentially low-rise, low-income areas. He raised the alarm about the very tall urban landscape being made without adequate heed to air and light, but alas, his voice was unheeded in the loud clamour of greed.

He taught me to show truth to power. He was an intrepid and independent soul, unbeholden to anybody and refused to carry any brief for anyone. I will miss the annual three-hour lunch ritual with the most distinguished gentleman. In his passing, our profession has lost its polestar.

The writer is a practising structural engineer based in Mumbai and is chairperson of Bureau of Indian Standards Special Structures Committee
Source Link, Download PDF (printable version)

Posted via Email



Warning: Make sure you scan the downloaded attachment with updated antivirus tools  before opening them. They may contain viruses.
Use online scanners
here and here to upload downloaded attachment to check for safety.
Express opinion - Tribute to Shirish Patel by Alpa Sheth.pdf
 Description:

Download
 Filename:  Express opinion - Tribute to Shirish Patel by Alpa Sheth.pdf
 Filesize:  88.48 KB
 Downloaded:  213 Time(s)

Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
anitech
SEFI Member
SEFI Member


Joined: 06 May 2012
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Wed Dec 25, 2024 1:30 am    Post subject: Tribute to Shirish Patel Reply with quote

Dear Alpa,

Your article beautifully commemorates Shirish Patel, portraying him as a visionary thinker and a relentless innovator in structural engineering and urban planning.
Beyond his technical brilliance, Patel’s legacy lies in his steadfast commitment to truth, integrity, and creativity. Whether advocating against unsustainable development practices, exposing corruption, or reimagining infrastructure with resilience and elegance, he consistently prioritized societal well-being over commercial gain.  
His willingness to challenge norms and inspire meaningful change, even in the face of systemic resistance, makes his passing a profound loss for the engineering fraternity and the nation at large. His life serves as a testament to the power of independent thought and moral courage in shaping a better future.
Thanks for sharing your views on this Distinguished pole star, a social engineer by heart.
regards,
Mahendra Barde                    .

Chartered Engineer & Consultant


http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mahendra-barde/2/b86/9b1  
Email: mbarde@gmail.com (mbarde@gmail.com), Cell: 91 98205 05145  Skype: anitech9



On Tue, Dec 24, 2024 at 7:51 PM alpa_sheth <forum@sefindia.org (forum@sefindia.org)> wrote:

Quote:
            Dear sefians,

Here is my tribute to Shirish Patel in the Indian Express.

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/in-shirish-patel-death-architecture-has-lost-its-polestar-9742166/

The newspaper bungled the title of the piece, but never mind. PDF version Link

warm regards,
Alpa
====== ======= ====== ======
In Shirish Patel's death, structural engineering has lost its polestar
Opinion by
Alpa Sheth

He could not be boxed into labels of 'urban planner', 'structural engineer', 'civil engineer', 'activist', 'innovator', 'aesthete', and so on. He was all of that but also much more. If there is a word that would perhaps describe him, it would be 'thinker'.



On Patel's suggestion, the monotony of the tall, bookend shear walls was broken by affixing thousands of empty beer bottles as a spectacular façade feature, making the towers the most talked about buildings of that time. (PTI)
Dec 24, 2024 16:37 IST
Alpa Sheth

Shirish Patel was unlike any other engineer I have known. He could not be boxed into labels of "urban planner", "structural engineer", "civil engineer", "activist", "innovator", "aesthete", and so on. He was all of that but also so much more. If there is a word that would perhaps describe him succinctly, it would be "thinker".

As a structural engineer, it is difficult for me to find aproject of Patel that is not suffused with a flourish of innovation. The Kanchanjunga apartment building on Pedder Road, still holding its own quite regally amongst the ragtag new development that has come up around it, can be attributed as much to Patel's innovative structural design as to architect Charles Correa. A few may know that the upmarket triple towers, Rambha, Urvashi and Silver Arch apartments at Nepean Sea Road were one of the first sets of highrise buildings in Mumbai. Designing tall towers was a novelty enough, but he needed to layer another layer of complexity  the use of new precast technology, of which little was known in India at that time in terms of empirical data.

On Patel's suggestion, the monotony of the tall, bookend shear walls was broken by affixing thousands of empty beer bottles as a spectacular façade feature, making the towers the most talked about buildings of that time.

I have often wondered what made him such a refreshingly different structural engineer, always thinking at a system level and adding something novel to every project he would undertake. I attribute it partly to his education. Undergraduate civil engineering programmes in India appear to be designed with the secret mission to strangle the independent thinking skills of the civil engineering student, making them pliant subordinates to the architect or the Authority that they work for. Patel had the good fortune of escaping this fate, having graduated from Cambridge University with a Master of Arts (Hon.) in Mechanical Sciences. It may explain his refreshingly different take on designing industries, railway stations, bridges and buildings.

A decade-and-a-half ago, Patel and I worked on a paper on urban layouts, densities and the quality of life along with a fellowship student. The topic fascinated him, and he continued to work on it with numerous researchers until the very end. I recall the mild winter Tuesday mornings when he would show up at my little home, week upon week, after his meeting at the nearby Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), where he was working with some scientists on his "Ecocooker". I would always marvel at how lithely he could switch from rice cookers to urban densities. His most recent research project was a study of six metros (published in two volumes) with two young researchers/architects. He could transcend not just one generation but two when it came to working on his passionate projects.

We were comrades-in-arms whenever Patel would want to protest an engineering-related travesty being committed in the city of Mumbai. In 2019, following the partial but fatal collapse of the Himalaya bridge floor at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Mumbai, the Municipal Corporation went on an overdrive, declaring perfectly good bridges as unsafe. As a result of a loud protest by Patel and myself and an outreach programme by the online magazine Moneylife, the Municipal Commissioner formed a Citizens' Technical Advisory Committee (CTAC) with three private engineers (Shirish Patel, Dr VV Nori and I), along with other government persons to inspect and opine on the bridges. Patel would be ready at the crack of dawn to inspect the numerous bridges. Our committee deemed a lot of the "unsafe" bridges "good for use". The bridges department of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) demanded a safety guarantee from CTAC if its opinion was to be heeded. It was disingenuous of the bridges department to request this as the committee was working pro bono. Patel nevertheless agreed to provide the stability certificate of the bridges on his license. The bridge department had not bargained for this sort of enthusiasm and desperately tried to find an honourable way to get rid of us.

The most recent project Patel and I had worked on was the Malabar Hill reservoir (MHR), where he took the lead to call out a fraud amounting to more than Rs 650 crores. The MHR was described as dilapidated and in need of demolition and reconstruction. We co-wrote an open letter to the Municipal Commissioner on this issue, which was carried by many newspapers. Deja vu. Thanks to the citizens' protests, a citizen's technical committee was formed, and we made compelling arguments about how the reservoir was safe and in excellent condition. It was a long and fatiguing battle against powerful interests, but for now, at least, I think we have won. All credit to Shirish.

Patel had a sharp eye and a passionate spirit. On his trips to the continent, he fell in love with the works of architect/engineer Santiago Calatrava. He chased Santiago's works all across Spain and Europe, taking extraordinary photographs and putting together a delightful, stunning presentation of Calatrava's works, which he showed in colleges and meetings of engineers and architects.

I think, at some point, he lost interest in structural engineering. Perhaps it was due to his disappointment with the profession as it was being practised, which, in his opinion, left much to be desired. Or, perhaps it was because most projects did not afford room for creativity. I do not think he would ever take up a project simply because it was commercially lucrative. Unless a project seemed to have innovation potential, it would not interest Patel. He was a strong critic of the government's policy of awarding infrastructure consulting projects to the lowest bidder, which has given rise to this spectacularly ugly (and not-so-safe) city and wrote numerous letters and articles on this issue. I think he played a significant role in getting the government to review the tendering process and awarding projects to L1 consultants (albeit after the collapse of scores of under-construction bridges in the past five years).

Patel was disillusioned by the use of FSI as a tool for development and the havoc it has wreaked not just in Mumbai but in many cities across India. He protested against the slum redevelopment schemes of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), which gave rise to monstrous up-market high-rises in essentially low-rise, low-income areas. He raised the alarm about the very tall urban landscape being made without adequate heed to air and light, but alas, his voice was unheeded in the loud clamour of greed.

He taught me to show truth to power. He was an intrepid and independent soul, unbeholden to anybody and refused to carry any brief for anyone. I will miss the annual three-hour lunch ritual with the most distinguished gentleman. In his passing, our profession has lost its polestar.

The writer is a practising structural engineer based in Mumbai and is chairperson of Bureau of Indian Standards Special Structures Committee
Source Link, Download PDF (printable version)
     



     




Posted via Email
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ajay2612
SEFI Regulars
SEFI Regulars


Joined: 14 Oct 2013
Posts: 36

PostPosted: Wed Dec 25, 2024 4:30 am    Post subject: Tribute to Shirish Patel Reply with quote

miss you sir. thanks alpa ji for enlighting his work and personality for every one not in touch about him. regards

From: forum@sefindia.org
Sent: Tue, 24 Dec 2024 19:51:50
To: general@sefindia.org
Subject: [SEFI] Tribute to Shirish Patel
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
vikram.jeet
General Sponsor
General Sponsor


Joined: 26 Jan 2003
Posts: 3917

PostPosted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 6:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Madam Alpa sheth for enlightening  about  Respected Sri  Shirish Patel  who is now no more  but will be remembered  not only for his perfection in profession  but also as great VISIONARY.

Your post provides a highly comprehensive view about this Tall Personality, Sri Shirish Patel saheb,,  and his works will keep him alive, not only on Technical fronts but also on social  areana.

Thanks once again Madam
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topicReply to topic Thank Post    www.sefindia.org Forum Index -> SEFI General Discussion All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


© 2003, 2008 SEFINDIA, Indian Domain Registration
Publishing or acceptance of an advertisement is neither a guarantee nor endorsement of the advertiser's product or service. advertisement policy