People’s architect Christopher Charles Benninger

Christopher Charles Benninger
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

It is said that to write a great book, you must love your characters. To build great cities, an architect must care about its people. An American who made India his home for over half a century, architect, urbanist and educator Christopher Charles Benninger’s great achievements grew out of his love for humanity. Tall and robust, a cheerful raconteur with a zest for life, he was seen by many as a gentle giant, an intellectual and a wonderful human being. Benninger wrote, “We must understand that our talent and our wealth are only loaned to us, in trusteeship, to use towards the greater good.”

‘A special relationship with Christopher’

“We were half a generation apart, but because he embarked on an architecture practice late in life, we ended up being fellow practitioners for over three decades. During that period, I was also president of CEPT. He was a highly skilled architect, a professional and a generous collaborator. But above all, he was my friend.”Bimal PatelHead, HCP Design Planning and Management Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad

Benninger passed away at 82 on October 2, but his influence, the design community agrees, is spread across Southern Asia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and China, as well as South Africa. He assumed many roles, from advisory to the World Bank and UNICEF to planning six state capitals for Sri Lanka.

‘Benninger’s theory of intelligent urbanism’

“One of Christopher’s greatest gifts to humanity was the theory of intelligent urbanism that advocates compact, high density, mixed development habitats of substantial scale. This doctrine explains the strategy for the efficient and effective distribution of physical and social infrastructure to society at the lowest per capita cost.”Senaka DharmatillekeChief Architect, Overseas Realty (Ceylon) PLC

Be it the Azim Premji University campus in Bengaluru or Suzlon One Earth Headquarters in Pune (the company sold it for ₹440 crore in September), he brought joy and wonder with his architecture.

Azim Premji University, Bengaluru
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Azim Premji University, Bengaluru
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The influential architect first came to India in 1968 on a Fulbright Scholarship to work with architect B.V. Doshi at CEPT (Centre for Environment Planning and Technology) in Ahmedabad and returned in 1971 to help establish a School of Planning. He lived and worked in India ever since, and later registered as an Overseas Citizen of India. His association with CEPT would be long and fruitful — as a student, as a teacher, on the board of directors, and finally, as an architect to design the New Academic Block (2020-2023).

Suzlon One Earth Global Corporate Headquarters, Pune.
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Benninger met his future wife Aneeta Gokhale in the School of Planning’s first batch of students, and together they established CDSA (Centre for Development Studies and Activities) in Pune in 1976. Barbara Ward was the first patron, and they named the library and documentation centre after her. Gokhale’s and Benninger’s son, Siddhartha, is a director at CDSA.

‘He was an Institution builder’

“I saw Christopher’s poster in the library at Gokhale Institute, liked what it said, and decided to apply to the new School of Planning at CEPT. We were the first batch, 14 of us. I think in terms of exposure and education, we were the most privileged batch of the School of Planning. Institution building is a very hard and long process, but it is rewarding. After we set up CDSA, we decided to start our Master’s course in Development Planning in 1978. I am happy to say that we were funded by the very prestigious Jamshetji Tata and Dorabjee Tata Trusts for five years.”Aneeta Gokhale BenningerExecutive Director, CDSA & Professor of Sustainable Development, Pune

Former colleagues reiterate that Benninger was as honest and open in his personal life as he was in his architecture. He met Ramprasad Akkisetti Naidu in 1993, who would become his life partner and instrumental for a tremendously creative phase of over 30 years. With him, he set up CCBA (Christopher Charles Benninger Architects) in 1995. His design for their home and office in Pune, India House, is based on the plan of a Maharashtrian wada, with a wide central courtyard between two wings.

‘Many firsts, from Mahindra to Forbes’

“There were many eminent architects competing for Mahindra United World College, such as Charles Correa and B.V. Doshi. We only had the CDSA brochure to show. The selection committee asked Christopher, ‘If you had to build an international school, what difference would you bring?’ He answered, ‘I would make really clean toilets!’ Everyone laughed. I think we got the project because they felt Christopher would truly understand the needs of an academic institution. We would go on to have many such firsts – our award-winning factory for Forbes Marshall at Chakan (Pune) was the first of its kind in India.”Akkisetti Ramprasad NaiduManaging Director, CCBA Designs, Pune

He wrote three books, and the first, Letters to a Young Architect (2011) was a bestseller. Its sequel, Great Expectations: Notes to an Architect was launched posthumously on October 22. This year, CEPT conferred a Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture on Benninger, a long-cherished dream come true.

‘He encouraged entrepreneurship’

“I was in my mid-40s and I’d left my partnership. I thought, this is it. But then, Christopher gave me a space in India House to rethink my way forward. I was inspired by Christopher, who embarked on his architectural career when he was 52. Why shouldn’t I restart? My firm Indi Design was born, named after India House. It was with Christopher’s encouragement that I launched a magazine in 2011 to showcase Indian design. I called it Pool, after watching Christopher swim laps in his pool.”Sudhir SharmaFounder and Chief Executive, IndiDesign, Pune

The writer is a brand strategist with a background in design from SAIC and NID.