Charles Correa, arguably India's greatest contemporary architect, passed away at 11.45pm on Tuesday in Mumbai following a brief illness. He was 84.

A proponent of 'open-to-skies' spaces, he liked using local techniques and aesthetics in his buildings. He didn't like what was happening to Mumbai's landscape and skyline, and was at the forefront of an intense debate over the shape and form the city should take.

Correa received numerous prestigious national and international awards. He was responsible for designing many landmark buildings, starting with the Gandhi Memorial at Sabarmati, when he was only 28. Other notable structures include Bharat Bhavan and Vidhan Bhavan in Bhopal, the Permanent Mission of India at the UN, New York, Kala Academy in Goa and the Kanchanjunga residential tower in Mumbai.

Recently, he completed three notable buildings abroad — the Ismaili Centre in Toronto, the Brain Science Center at MIT, Boston and the Champalimaud Centre in Lisbon.

TOI/LY