American-Indian architect Christopher Benninger passes away at 81

Aneeta, Executive Director and Professor of Sustainability, Centre for Development Studies and Activities, described Benninger as being very honest about his architecture and his work. “He arrived in India in 1968 as a Fulbright Scholar to work in the field of low-cost housing. His work reflected his values and integrity in creation of space,” she said. Aneeta talked about how the campus of CDSA, which she had co-founded with Benninger, is a perfect example of the values that he practiced. “Throughout the year we do not need air-conditioning or fans. The building is constructed using exposed stones — we require some pedestal fans in summer for a few days but that’s all,” she said.

Benninger’s association with Ahmedabad goes back 40 years when he resigned from his tenured professorship at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University to establish the School of Planning (now Faculty of Planning) at CEPT University in Ahmedabad in 1972, along with Prof B V Doshi, founder-director of the School of Architecture (from which CEPT University emerged). Since then, he taught at CEPT and continued to remain associated with Harvard as a Distinguished Professor. He was as a teacher, lecturer, and a member on CEPT Board of Management.

Benninger was introduced to architecture by his aunt Roxane Eberlien at the age of nine who gave him a book on American architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright. Benninger studied modern architecture at the University of Florida Gainesville (BArch) and Graduate School of Design Harvard (March). He was very influenced by the Modern Movement but Frank Lloyd Wright dominated his design in which nature was an integral part. “His work reflects the combination of honest use of materials (exposed stone, exposed concrete) and creation of spaces which merge with nature. Buildings oriented according to the climate of the area. The other pioneering thing he did was to create spaces which are enjoyed by people from all walks of life and income strata. They are people friendly and not awesome or monumental,” Aneeta said.

CDSA’s campus at Bavdhan khurd in Pune is an example. As is the SOS Children’s Village in Bawana and the Mahendra United World College to name a few buildings. “His other pioneering work in India is in low-cost housing. One of the best examples of this is the low-cost housing in Yusufguda, Hyderabad, and the various sites and programmes he promoted in Chennai and Kolkata,” she said.

In his work, he espoused concepts which the American genius was known for. One of the first works that Benninger had taken up in India was the development of economic housing for municipal employees in Hyderabad. “This project saw the participation of people and designing what is known as growing houses,” she said.

Earlier this year, Benninger had donated his extensive collection of books to CEPT University’s Lilavati Lalbhai Library.

“Christopher Benninger was a leading light in the fields of architecture and planning in the country. We are deeply thankful to him for the role he played in founding the School of Planning at CEPT. In his interactions with the Board of Management, he has been a voice of reason, supporting the cause of professionals and students. For me personally, he was a great source of guidance and support in reimagining CEPT. In his passing, we have lost a great friend, philosopher, and guide” said Sanjay Lalbhai, Chairman, CEPT University.

Prof Barjor Mehta, president, CEPT University, who has worked closely with Benninger, said “Christopher was my mentor, advisor, and friend. An entire generation of planners and architects across India sought his insights and took inspiration from his professional work.”

Benninger had designed the Suzlon green building as well as the Azim Premji University Campus. As Pune and other Indian cities grew, the plethora of building materials like steel and glass started becoming more and more common in Indian cities. “He said such material was not suitable for India due to our hot weather. Benninger had trained many architects,” she said.

Benninger was an alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and taught at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design from 1969 to 1972, after which he permanently moved to India. He first moved to Ahmedabad, where he worked as Ford Foundation advisor to CEPT and co-founded the Faculty of Planning with B V Doshi and Yoginder Alagh. Earlier this year, Benninger was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from CEPT University.

Among his most appreciated and lauded works are the designing of IIT Hyderabad, Azim Premji University in Bengaluru, Samudra Institute of Maritime Studies in Lonavala and the Mahindra United World College in Pune that also won him the Designer of the Year award in 1999.

His firm CCBA designed the Balwantrai N Brahmbhatt Lecture Hall, the venue for many of CEPT University’s significant events, in 2022. Some of his well-known award-winning projects in Gujarat include the Gandhinagar Capital Project; New Town for Economically Weaker Sections (HUDCO), Jamnagar.

In Pune, he constantly engaged himself with the challenges of rebuilding the city and the viability of various infrastructure projects. In an Idea Exchange at The Indian Express office in 2015, while raising concern about the way the city was growing and suggesting solutions for the same, he said, “What I absolutely love about Pune is the spirit of people here. I think it has kept the city going.”

His last rites were carried out by his son, Siddharth, at the Pashan Sutarwadi crematorium. “We will hold a memorial meeting for him in CDSA in some time,” Aneeta said.