Reviewing the Lotus Temple in New Delhi, the following observation by the late Mr Mirko Ros, one-time professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, about the engineers' creative work come to mind: "The engineer gives new life to apparently inanimate materials, returns them with spirit and new form to mankind. He performs his work for the benefit of technical culture, for progress and common weal. His scientific findings, mastery of form and material, as well as simplicity and clarity, beauty and boldness characterise the real art of construction. That precious heredity ... for the future [is what] he leaves behind."

Mr. Willy Wilk, Director, Technical Research and Advisory Institute of the Swiss Cement Industry

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Below: Visits of the President of India, Deputy Prime Minister of India and Defense Minister of India, to the Bahá'í House of Worship (2003).

Below: H. H. Dalai Lama also visited the Bahá'í House of Worship.
Below: A Bahá'í representative and H. H. Dalai Lama.

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The contribution of the architect is unbelievable. A significant project professionally managed, [which] has brought lustre to the architectural profession. The project will act as a pace setter. The details are perfect, well conceived.

J.R. Bhalla, President, Council of Architects, India August 1986

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One of the most remarkable achievements of our time, proving that the drive and vision of spirit can achieve miracles.

Arthur Erickson, renowned Canadian architect March 1987

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Beautiful concrete structures have always been built, as is amply demonstrated by two examples - the Pantheon in Rome and the Lotus Temple in New Delhi - between which constructions there is a whole 2,000 year gap. It is indeed astonishing how the ancient Romans could build such a superb concrete structure, as is undoubtedly the case with the Pantheon in 27 B.C., long before any theoretical tools for its design were available, and for that matter two thousand years before any symposiums on durability, serviceability, or geometry control were ever held!

It is hoped that future generations will contemplate the recently completed beautiful Lotus Temple in New Delhi with the same admiration and respect, appreciating that in our technological era the sense of beauty and harmony has not been totally lost.

Dr. Rene Walter, Professor,
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology,
Lausanne, Switzerland,
during his lecture at the IABSE
Symposium "Concrete Structure for the
year 2000" in September 1987 at
Versailles, France

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The building must be among the most remarkable conceptions of our time. I cannot think of another like it - clearly symbolic, sculptural - yet impressively accommodating and heroically structural. Truly inspired in form, pattern and material, it is powerfully appealing.

John Bland, Head, School of Architecture,
McGill University September 1991

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The Mother Temple of [the] Baha'i Faith symbolises many concepts, from the spiritual and religious to art, architecture and engineering. It is a monument, not only in the sense of being an outstanding landmark embellishing Delhi ... but it is also a monument of tribute to human skills and craftsmanship.... It is one of the finest examples of science and engineering triumphing in precisely moulding a beautiful and complex artistic form.

C.R. Ramkrishnan,
Vice President (Operations)
Larsen £t Toubro Ltd.
quoted in ECC Concord, India
(October-December 1986)

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Not without justification, the eminent German engineer, Dr. Fritz Leonardt, has described the New Delhi Temple as the Taj Mahal of the 20th century. The Bahá'í Temple will probably be recognised in years to come as one of the building masterpieces of the 20th century.

Construction News, London, April 1986

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The building is remarkable, not only for its form and grace, but also because it is a shining example of the culmination of computer technology, human craftsmanship, and more than a little inspiration.

The building represents a striking marriage of architecture and engineering, a partnership much proclaimed and extolled over the years, but one not always settling down into such an obviously harmonious relationship.

Concrete Quarterly,
Cement and Concrete Association, U.K.
January-March 1987

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The Bahá'í Temple in New Delhi is probably one of the most outstanding contemporary structures in the world. The complexity of the structure, and the very high standards of workmanship expected to be achieved, demand a dynamic construction management with a high degree of innovativeness, team spirit, and quality consciousness.

Asian Architect and Contractor (Hong Kong) February 1987

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The building of this Temple in India with its limited technology is a major achievement. Not only has a large and poured-in-place concrete structure been built on a scale never attempted before, but it has been done with loving care and meticulous attention to detail.

Architecture U.S.A. September 1987

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The Bahá'í Temple in New Delhi (1987) - This Institution Gold Medal winner from Flint ft Neill Partnership must be one of the most elegant buildings of the last half century. It demonstrates most clearly the elegance resulting from a sympathetic relationship between the engineer, the architect, and the client. There is no doubt as to the continuous professional application and patience required to achieve this quality of building.

J.H. Armstrong,
quoted in "The Structural Engineer"
(Journal of the Institution
of Structural Engineers of U.K.)
November 1989

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"A powerful icon of great beauty that goes beyond its pure function of serving as a congregation space to become an important architectural symbol of the city."

World Architecture 1900-2000:
A critical mosaic, Volume 8, South Asia

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