H.E. Mr François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, conferred highest French distinction "Knight of the Legion of Honour" on Raj Rewal

Noted architect Raj Rewal has been decorated with the Légion d’Honneur ("Legion of Honour"), the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to their country.The award was bestowed on Mr Rewal last evening here in a gala ceremony by French Ambassador Franois Richier in the presence of many foreign and home dignitaries.''This honour comes in recognition of Mr Rewal's lifelong ties with France, where he started his career and whose embassy in New Delhi he contributed to build with architects Paul Chemetov and Borja Huidobro.''

H.E. Mr François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, conferred highest French distinction "Knight of the Legion of Honour" on distinguished architect Raj Rewal.
H.E. Mr François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, conferred highest French distinction "Knight of the Legion of Honour" on distinguished architect Raj Rewal. - New Delhi, 22 March 2016 On behalf of the President of the French Republic, H.E. Mr François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, conferred the highest French civilian distinction, Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), on distinguished architect Raj Rewal on Tuesday, 22nd March 2016. This honour comes in recognition of Mr Rewal’s lifelong ties with France, where he started his career and whose embassy in New Delhi he contributed to build with architects Paul Chemetov and Borja Huidobro. His work bears a distinct stamp merging traditional Indian architectural forms and modern innovations, giving rise to a contemporary Indian identity that combines the aesthetically pleasing with the functional, and factoring in the very important dimension of climate. In France, he has consistently promoted Indian architecture at prominent venues, including the Paris Fine Arts College and Centre Pompidou.

A statement of the Embassy said further said Mr Rewal has consistently promoted Indian architecture in France at prominent venues, including the Paris Fine Arts College and Centre Pompidou.

Born in 1934 in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, Raj Rewal was educated in Delhi and London. Before rolling out his own architectural firm in New Delhi in 1960s, he worked in French architect and urban planner Michel Ecochard's office in Paris. In 1980s, Mr Rewal was involved in the construction of buildings of the Embassy of France in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave, which are a model of Indo-French cooperation: conceived by Paul Chemetov, French architect and urban planner, and Borja Huidobro, Chilean architect. Mr Rewal drew accolades for Embassy's buildings, inspired by Edwin Lutyens (combining Indian architectural features with the requirements of contemporary times), include the Residence of France, which overlooks a garden laid out in the Mughal charbagh style. In 1986, Mr Rewal organised an exhibition on Indian architecture along with French architect Jean-Louis Veret at the Ecole nationale suprieure des Beaux-arts de Paris (Paris Fine Arts College). Since then, Raj Rewal has been steadfastly involved in Indo-French events in both countries, and donated a part of his archives to the Centre Pompidou, Paris. The prestigious among numerous landmarks in Mr Rewal's building portfolio include Nehru Memorial Pavilion, SCOPE office complex, Asian Games Village and Jang-e-Azadi Memorial Museum at Kartarpur, Punjab.

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