Martand Khosla, the architect of the newly-opened Lawh Wa Qalam: M F Husain Museum says that the museum was designed to spark inquiry and discourse.

Khosla says that Education City has buildings designed by some of the great masters– Arata Isozaki, Rem Koolhass.“

I've always admired the elegance of the architecture in Education City but also how it is rooted in purpose – a great foundation for any urban landscape. I hope that the presence of our building in Education City adds, in some way, to the wider discourse of learning and to broader ideas around architecture.”

He noted that the design of the new museum embodies certain South Asian, Central Asian, West Asian, and North African references, bringing together cultures that have, over centuries, had very strong ties.“Hopefully it will become a space of discourse and another layer to Education City's architectural landscape. It also stands out because of its 'blueness' – that is an important attractor in itself; people can be drawn to a place because they're curious and want to know more,” he explained.

“When we were designing it, we were aware that this isn't simply a building to house the artworks of M. F. Husain; it's a building within Education City. We wanted it to be a space of inquiry, of debate, and it has architectural clues that allude to this: for example, it sits on a platform, which we imagined as a stage, a space of discourse. The museum is surrounded by institutes of learning, and making it a place of learning and inquiry in itself was central to this project,” he continued.

He remarked that architecture is one of the most important subjects or professions in formulating not just an educational institution, but also what cities essentially start to become and the experiences their citizens have.“It's very important that architecture acknowledges the human scale: the journeys that a student or teacher would take across a campus, for example,” he said.

Khosla noted that the more someone can take from artworks and architecture, the better; it makes for a far richer and more layered and nuanced understanding of the world. The primary conversation visitors should have is with the artworks – the architecture should complement rather than counter the art experience, and act as a facilitator of the visitor's journey.

I would hope that everyone who comes to the museum leaves with their own understanding of Husain – who he was, what he meant to India and to this region, and what he means to them – and their own questions and sense of inquiry. They can choose the sequence of how they experience his work, and hopefully that allows them to build their own chronology of Husain.

The architect felt that it is very exciting to think the museum can help to strengthen ties between Qatar and India, and between South and West Asia“ I also hope the vision and worldview of Husain becomes a subject of education discourse for students at QF. By bringing universities and places of learning together, QF enables discourse and inquiry and the ability to question, and I hope the museum can be a place of learning where questions about the regional identities of South and West Asia are explored and answered,” he highlighted.

“Of much of the architecture around the region, to me the architecture of Education City is probably the most meaningful. It responds to the region, it responds to our times, and it responds to the climate much better than a lot of architecture that may become non-sustainable in the years to come. The importance placed on sustainable architecture at Education City is admirable, and very much the direction I hope the wider region takes a cue from,” Khosla added.

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