NEW DELHI: What connects the 17th century Fatehpuri Masjid, the exquisite Qudsia Garden and the Tomb of Roshanara apart from their historical significance? The sketches of renowned architect CSH Jhabvala, which centre on obscure streets, overgrown gardens and crumbling bunglows of city, breathe new life into these ancient structures. For Jhabvala, architectural marvels lie in Delhi's ordinary localities.

The architect's eldest daughter, Renana Jhabvala, who recently released his new book Delhi: Phoenix City — a compilation of pencil sketches and writings about the city — recollected how her father would spend hours sketching these buildings and taking their photographs to later assort them into an image of Delhi that often misses the ordinary eye.

"He used to leave early in the morning to escape the traffic rush. He would go around the city scouring for obscure locations he could sketch. After that he would take photographs and compile them at home," Renana said. Jhabvala's journey to the capital dates back to 1950 when he began teaching at the School of Planning and Architecture. And soon, Delhi became the architect-cum-artist's muse. He's known for laying out plans for colonies like Shivaji Park, Model Town, Hauz Khas, Kailash Colony and Dilshad Colony, among others.

Exposed brick work, rubble masonry and the use of brick tile jaali work is part of his signature style. He also built educational institutions like Kirori Mal College and Kurukshetra University.

"My father was innovative as an architect. He was one of the first to use hot-dipped galvanized steel doors and windows," reminisced Renana. The concept, which may seem unfamiliar to a layman, later became very popular among architects. It was introduced by Jhabvala in the Sun Life Insurance building at Ajmeri Gate.

A classmate of Jhabvala at JJ School of Arts and colleague at SPA, MM Rana, who attended the book launch said, "At that time, JJ School of Art was the only college for architecture. It had a library which was locked all the time. If you wanted a book, the librarian would stand behind you till you placed it back to make sure the pages are not torn. Jhabvala and I are products of that time," he said.

Jhabvala may have been born in Mumbai, but he had an affinity towards Delhi. His sketches are inspired by the places he frequented, for example the principal's house at Hindu College when he used to drop his daughter Renana to college. The Roshanara garden caught his attention because he lived in Civil Lines and saw the tomb almost everyday. He often visited the Nizamuddin dargah with filmmaker Ismail Merchant and gradually fell in love with certain aspects of the dargah's architecture.

For him, Delhi was all about finding aesthetics in unexpected places. Jhabvala, who turns 92 in a month, spends most of his time in New York with his wife Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, noted novelist and script writer. But the architect's love affair with the capital continues, in the form of writing.