 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (December 2023) |
Prof. Dr. Christopher Charles Benninger | |
|---|---|
 Benninger in 2016 | |
| Born | 23 November 1942 Hamilton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | 2 October 2024 (aged 81) India House, Pune, Maharashtra, India |
| Alma mater | Harvard Graduate School of Design MIT University of Florida |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | Great Master Architect of India IIA Excellence in Architecture Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) in Architecture, CEPT University |
| Practice | CCBA Designs |
| Projects | Mahindra United World College Suzlon One Earth India House Supreme Court of Bhutan CEPT University College of Engineering Pune Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad |
| Website | ccba |
Christopher Charles Benninger (23 November 1942 – 2 October 2024) was an Indian architect and urban planner. Born in the United States, he permanently migrated to India in 1971. Benninger contributed to the field of critical regionalism[1][2] and sustainable planning in India.[3]
Following his departure from the position of professor at Harvard in 1971, Benninger came to Ahmedabad, where he was appointed a Ford Foundation advisor to the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology.[4] At CEPT, he co-founded the Faculty of Planning with Yoginder Alagh and BV Doshi in 1972. He also founded the Center for Development Studies and Activities in 1976 with Aneeta Gokhale Benninger. He served on the board of directors of CEPT University.[5] In 2024, he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) in Architecture from CEPT University.[6]
He worked with various banks concerning policies, and with various countries and stateates to create development plans.
Benninger wrote three books, Christopher Benninger: Architecture for a Modern India (2015), a collection of his works, and Letters to a Young Architect (2011), a collection of lectures and articles, which is a bestseller in India. [7] In October 2024, Great Expectations: Notes to an Architect, a sequel to his 2011 book was released posthumously.
Benninger's architectural studio CCBA Designs, which he founded with Ramprasad Akkisetti, is based out of Pune, which specialises in sustainable design solutions.[8]
- ^ Misra, Sumantra (2018-11-16). "Critical Regionalism in the Post-Colonial Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent". Issuu. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- ^ Bahga, Sanyam; Raheja, Gaurav (2018-12-01). "An account of critical regionalism in diverse building types in postcolonial Indian architecture". Frontiers of Architectural Research. 7 (4): 473–496. doi:10.1016/j.foar.2018.09.001. ISSN 2095-2635.
- ^ Rajput, Aman Singh (2020). "Intelligent Urbanism Guiding the Smart City Region Development: Case Study of Bhopal". In Ahmed, Sirajuddin; Abbas, S. M.; Zia, Hina (eds.). Smart Cities—Opportunities and Challenges. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering. Vol. 58. Singapore: Springer. pp. 423–442. doi:10.1007/978-981-15-2545-2_36. ISBN 978-981-15-2545-2. S2CID 219093510.
- ^ "CEPT University". CEPT University. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- ^ "Board of Management CEPT University". 5 October 2017.
- ^ "CEPT University: Honorary doctorates for noted urban planner Bertaud and architect Benninger". The Indian Express. 2024-01-02. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
- ^ "Acclaimed architect Christopher Benninger launches book on architecture". The Indian Express. 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ Patel, Bimal (5 October 204). "Architect-urban planner Bimal Patel on friend and colleague Christopher Charles Benninger, who was a mind with great expectations". Indian Express.