To a first-time visitor, Mumbai presents itself as a kaleidoscope of sensory overload. Architecturally, the peninsula city is host to numerous styles. Mumbai's architectural identity emerges from centuries of cultural exchange and colonial influence. What makes the experience unlike that of other historical cities is the density and the proximity in which juxtapositions occur.
The Indo-Saracenic structures like the Gateway of India and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus blend Gothic styles with traditional Indian elements. Not far away, Mumbai's Art Deco district, the second largest collection in the world after Miami, reveals itself in pastel-colored facades, featuring nautical motifs and geometric patterns. The severe concrete forms of Brutalist architecture make their statement at the Nehru Centre and TIFR campus, while modernist principles shaped institutions like the Homi Bhabha Centre. The city facilitates architectural conversations across centuries within the same visual frame.
