Christopher Charles Benninger

Christopher Charles Benninger
Benninger in 2016
Born (1942-11-23) November 23, 1942 (age 81)
Alma materHarvard Graduate School of Design
MIT
University of Florida
OccupationArchitect
AwardsGreat Master Architect of India
IIA Excellence in Architecture
Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) in Architecture, CEPT University
PracticeCCBA Designs
ProjectsMahindra United World College
Suzlon One Earth
India House
Supreme Court of Bhutan
CEPT University
College of Engineering Pune
Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad
DesignPrinciples of Intelligent Urbanism
Websiteccba.in

Christopher Charles Benninger (born 23 November 1942) is an Indian architect and urban planner. Born in the US, 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 as 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 serves 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 has worked with various banks concerning policies, and with various countries and states to create development plans.

Benninger has written two books, Christopher Benninger: Architecture for a Modern India, a collection of his works, and Letters to a Young Architect, a collection of lectures and articles, which is a bestseller in India [7]

Benninger's architectural studio CCBA Designs is based out of Pune, which specialises in sustainable design solutions.

  1. ^ Misra, Sumantra (2018-11-16). "Critical Regionalism in the Post-Colonial Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent". Issuu. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "CEPT University". CEPT University. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  5. ^ "Board of Management CEPT University". 5 October 2017.
  6. ^ "CEPT University: Honorary doctorates for noted urban planner Bertaud and architect Benninger". The Indian Express. 2024-01-02. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  7. ^ "Acclaimed architect Christopher Benninger launches book on architecture". The Indian Express. 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2024-01-06.