Meinhard Von Gerkan, a partner in the German architectural firm GMP, was in Delhi recently to prospect for ventures in India, particularly in light of the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi. He speaks to Kaushik Das Gupta

On architecture Architecture, like all arts, originates from the human desire to give form and shape to ideas. But unlike other arts it has a utilitarian aspect: the physical maintenance of human beings. However, this aspect has produced the unfortunate distinction between buildings that are erected purely on utilitarian grounds and those constructed for a