Raised in Germany and the US, Didi made India her home in 1951, when she married the late Narayan Ramji Contractor. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)Delia ‘Didi’ Contractor was an artist, designer and a self-taught architect. With over 15 homes and numerous public projects, Didi’s name has been synonymous with designing low-waste buildings. In her first project in 1995, a community clinic for a friend in Kangra, she used local materials, adding her own ingredients to tradition techniques. Bengaluru-based architect Chitra Vishwanath, recalls, “Didi championed the hands-on kind of architecture, where she privileged the handmade.

Source: Indian Express July 05, 2021 12:30 UTC