50 for 50

This resource is intended as an open celebration of architecture over the past 50 years, created to mark the 50th birthday of Sriram Nadathur, conceived by Raksha Sriram.

There is no attempt to be comprehensive or to compromise on what is selected for inclusion. Rather, these are 50 buildings, gems, and catalysts, which are not just internationally significant but have also stood the test of time.

Our aim is to be as global as possible geographically, yet not to mechanically cover every part of it. The selection also consciously tries to showcase the diverse qualities of architecture – social, technological, aesthetic, cultural, environmental. We dismiss ideas of architecture as the mere product of technocracy, finance, fashion and style. Instead we emphasise the creative spirit and joyous uplift that the very best buildings embody.

Sriram and his wife Raksha are the epitome of what architectural patrons can be: passionate about nature, thoughtful, inquisitive, inspiring that which has not been done before. The selection of these 50 buildings likewise reflects some of their values and interests. We hope that the synergy between Raksha, Sriram, and the project team is evident in what you see, read and enjoy here.

To download images and text for all projects, please click here.

Project team

John Cruwys

Lecturer at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, as well as an independent filmmaker, digital designer and installation artist whose collaborations include the 2018 ‘City of Ladies’ exhibition at the Domobaal Gallery.

Murray Fraser

Professor of Architecture and Global Culture at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, and the General Editor for Sir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture (21st Edition: Bloomsbury, 2020).

Anna Liu

Director of Tonkin Liu Architects and the Visiting Practice Professor at the University of Sheffield, and who endeavours to embed nature in each project as elements, symbols and biomimetic principles informing forms and systems.

Mike Tonkin

Director of Tonkin Liu Architects and a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Bath, where he completed his PhD, and who leads design innovation through a nature-focused storytelling methodology informed by his extensive travels around the world.

For any enquiries, please get in touch.