The spiritual father of, among others, the energy-neutral Stad van de Zon district in Heerhugowaard and De Bijlmer in Amsterdam-Southeast is no longer: architect and urban planner Ashok Bhalotra died on Tuesday at the age of 79 in Rotterdam.
This reports KuiperCompagnons, the design agency that Bhalotra had been associated with since 1970. His name may not immediately ring a bell, but tens of thousands of North Hollanders live in neighborhoods designed by him.
For example, Indian-born Bhalotra was responsible for the energy-neutral district City of the Sun in Heerhugowaard and for the renovation of De Bijlmer†
The architect felt that stronger ties should be created between the different parts of the Bijlmer. Under the title ‘De Bijlmer is my city’ he developed designs for the Bijlmerkade, the Street of 1000 kulturen, the Plein der Kontinenten, and the Bijlmermeer.
Facelift Bijlmer
To give the entire Bijlmer a facelift, Bhalotra proposed to excavate the Gooiseweg near the Bijlmer Park and turn it into a new lake with islands for expensive housing. However, that plan was never picked up by the Bijlmermeer Renewal Project Bureau and therefore largely disappeared in the drawer.
Abroad, he designed, among other things, the national airport in Dubai, the King Saud University in Saudi Arabia and a city hall in New Delhi.
Colorful connector
According to KuiperCompagnons, Bhalotra ‘brought color, imagination and seduction to our cities and landscape – to combat dullness and indifference’. The architect attached great importance to social bonding and involvement in his projects, which was reflected in his designs, for example by mixing income groups in residential areas. “That is the core of the modern city: the convergence of the different cultures that are present there,” he once said during a information meeting in 1997 about a new structure for the Bijlmer.
According to KuiperCompagnons, he achieved this by ‘enthusing municipal councils, official organisations, corporations and residents, in order to arrive at a coherent plan’.
The architect had been associated with KuiperCompagnons since 1970, where he was director and chairman of the board for 21 years. ‘With projects such as the energy-neutral district ‘City of the sun’ in Heerhugowaard and ‘Kattenbroek’ in Amersfoort, he has meant a lot to our office and to urban planning and architecture in the Netherlands’, the design office reacts with sadness to his death. Even after his resignation, he remained attached to KuiperCompagnons as ambassador until his death.
Mayor Peter Rehwinkel van Dijk and Waard expressed his condolences on Twitter. In the municipality a bridge and a bicycle path are named after him. Mayor Tjeerd van der Zwan of Heerenveen also commented on the death of Bhalotra on Twitter, who designed the Skoatterwâld district in his municipality.