THE LATROBE CHAPTER OF THE SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS PRESENTS
Documentary: The Promise: Architect BV Doshi
Hosted by the National Building Museum Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Before the screening of the documentary, The Promise – Architect BV Doshi, join architectural historian Adnan Morshed for a talk that will contextualize Balkrishna Doshi’s work within architectural history, exploring the global impact of his teachings and approach. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about Doshi’s significant contributions to architecture.
About The Promise - Architect BV Doshi The Promise – Architect BV Doshi is a documentary that chronicles the life and career of the late Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi. Directed by Jan Schmidt-Garre, the film traces Doshi’s evolution from European modernism to his pioneering work in humanistic architecture. Having practiced under Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, he is considered as the pioneer of modernist and brutalist architecture in India. With stunning visuals of Doshi’s buildings in Bangalore, Indore, and Ahmedabad, the documentary reflects on his mastery of materials as well as his socially driven projects. Through storytelling and personal insights, Doshi connects his architectural journey to the broader cultural and social context of his time, demonstrating how his buildings are not just structures, but living spaces that serve people’s needs
Program Schedule Doors open at 6 pm Talk starts at 6:30 pm Screening starts at 6:45 pm Light reception from 7:30 to 8:30 pm
About Adnan Zillur Morshed Adnan Zillur Morshed is an architect, architectural historian, and professor at the School of Architecture and Planning, Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He received his Ph.D. and master’s in architecture from MIT. He also serves as the Founder-Director of the Centre for Inclusive Architecture and Urbanism at BRAC University (Dhaka, Bangladesh) and a Fulbright Specialist (2021-2025). Author of multiple books, including Impossible Heights: Skyscrapers, Flight, and the Master Builder (2015) and Dhaka Delirium (2022), Adnan Morshed’s forthcoming book project explores issues of justice in the built environment. He was featured in the acclaimed documentary, Louis Kahn’s Tiger City (2019), and was a TEDx speaker at George Washington University, Wyeth Fellow at the National Gallery of Art, and Verville Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution. A practicing architect, Adnan Morshed’s design includes, among others, eight regional offices for BRAC across Bangladesh.
