Reflections

functionalism would need to be stretched to the point of unrecognisability before it
could be made to fit'.
His later buildings in Chicago and New York follow the same pattern and their
pristine quality can well be compared with that of the Parthenon. Corbusier's Capitol
Complex at Chandigarh is in the same strain as Fatehpur Sikri, awesome and grand,
symbolic of power and authority over the common man. Conceptually, the two are the
same, although the styles differ.
This conceptual approach toward monumentality and visually dramatic forms is not
restricted to Mies or Corb, nor is it exemplified by their buildings alone, for these two
are the giants of the modern movement of architecture and their ideas and works have
not only inspired a whole new generation of present architects, but have also greatly
influenced the cultural and financial elite, who, in almost all cases, are the clients and
critics of architects.
Architects, thus caught between the professional pressures to emulate the examples of
giants like Mies and Corb, and the pressure of the client taste to have buildings which
are 'unique', indulge in design exercises, which vary from pure plagiarism to feeble
attempts at 'originality' – in most cases arrived at by clever manipulation of forms and
other design elements. The pre-occupation remains with the end product and what is
visible. The more substantive questions of cultural and socio-economic relationships
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