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Prof. Dr.
Christopher Charles Benninger
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.in

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]

Early life and education

Benninger was able to attend United Nations Security Council Meetings as an observer. Sir Robert Jackson, a friend of Benninger's uncle Adlai Stevenson II gifted Benninger a lifetime subscription to the development journal Ekistics, introducing him to a science of human settlement centered around Constantinos Apostolos Doxiadis's theories. Barbara Ward became Benninger's lifelong mentor, inviting him to the 1967 Delos Symposium in Greece.^[9]^[10]

Benninger graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida in 1966. While at the University of Florida, he was a student founder of the "Freedom Party". Under Martin Luther King's leadership, he and his sister, Judith Benninger Brown, actively supported the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), entering segregated cinema halls and restaurants with their African-American friends, and forcing the owners to allow access to African-Americans into their establishments.^[11]

Benninger completed his Master of Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1967. He studied under Josep Lluis Sert, Jerzy Soltan, and Mirko Basaldella. Benninger studied development economics under John Kenneth Galbraith, past ambassador to India and author of The New Industrial State. After this, he first visited India as a Fulbright fellow in 1968. He continued his post-graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under Horacio Caminos, working on the book Urban Dwelling Environments. He received a master's degree in city planning from MIT in 1971.^[12]

Career

Academic and research work

In 1971, Benninger returned to India as a Ford Foundation consultant to the Ahmedabad Education Society to help set up the School of Planning in 1972 along with Yoginder Alagh and B.V. Doshi.^[13] Benninger shifted to Pune in 1976 where he founded the Center for Development Studies and Activities.^[14] In 1983, Benninger wrote the theme paper for the United Nations Commission on Human Settlements 1984. In 1986, he successfully argued to the Asian Development Bank the case for extending financial assistance to the urban development sector.^[15] Benninger was on the board of editors of Cities journal, published in the UK.^[16]

Early projects

One of Benninger's first projects was an Economically Weaker Section (EWS) township in Jamnagar developed with the Gujarat Housing Board in 1972. In 1973, he worked with the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and developed a site-and-services approach to EWS housing in Arunbakkam.^[17] In 1976, Benninger assisted the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority in its first project, a 2000-unit township for government employees.^[18] He designed the SOS Children's Villages in Bawana in 1975 and in Kolkatta three years later in 1978.^[2] In 1976, designed the Alliance Fraincase Centre in Ahmedabad. In 1984, he designed the campus for the Center for Development Studies and Activities which he had founded in 1976.^[19]

Planning

As a World Bank consultant, Benninger planned out the site and services, core housing, and slum upgradation programmes for the Calcutta Metropolitan Development in 1974. In 1979, he was a part of the team to design and programme Indonesia's first National Rural Development Program, in collaboration with the newly established Urban Development Ministry. Later that year, under Christopher Benninger and Aneeta Benninger, CDSA developed India's pilot Integrated Rural Development Program.^[20]^[21] In this period, CDSA also prepared social inputs for Area Development Plans in Goa and Almora.^[22] With UNICEF, he led a CDSA team to prepare a plan of action for the development of Bhutan (1979–80).^[15] He was engaged by the UNCHS to develop plans for six cities in Sri Lanka: Jafna, Ratnapura, Kalutara, Hambantota, Galle, and Matara.^[23] In 1986, Benninger worked on the development plan for Thane and Kalyan with a focus on urban management and poverty upliftment.^[24] In 2001, Benninger was appointed to prepare the structure plan for Thimphu.^[25]^[26] In 2004, the Government of Bhutan along with the Government of India appointed him again to prepare plans for three towns along their shared border.^[27]^[28] In 2012, he designed the new town of Denchi in East Bhutan. Benninger's work in urban design, city management, and town planning resulted in his principles of intelligent urbanism.^[29]

Architectural works

Benninger's designs include the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad , the Mahindra United World College of India, the Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies, the YMCA International Camp in Nilshi, India, the Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies, and Azim Premji University, in Bengaluru.^[30] Liane Lefaivre and Alexander Tzonis have noted Benninger's work as one of the first instances of critical regionalism in India.^[31]

Mahindra United World College of India won the Designer of the Year Award^[32] in 1999. It also was the recipient of the Business Week Architectural Record Award for Excellence in 2000. Business Week called the Mahindra United World College of India one of the ten super structures of the world in 2000.^[33]

Personal life and death

Benninger was married to Aneeta Gokhale Benninger, an environmentalist, and had a son, Siddhartha Benninger.^[34]

Christopher Benninger spent his significant part of his life with his long term companion Ramprasad Akkisetti since 1993.^[35] They both founded CCBA, an architecture and planning firm in 1995. Ramprasad Akkisetti was instrumental in the realisation of Benninger's quest for avant garde architecture and literary contribution.^[36]^[37]

Benninger died following a prolonged battle with cancer in Pune, Maharashtra, on 2 October 2024, at the age of 81.^[38]^[17]

Publications

Benninger, C. (2011). Letters to a Young Architect. India House Art Gallery. ISBN 9788192156804
Falvo, R. M., & Akkisetti, R. (Eds.). (2015). Christopher Benninger: Architecture for Modern India. Skira editore SpA. ISBN 9788857226873
Benninger, C. (2024). Great Expectations: Notes to an Architect. CEPT University Press & India House Art Gallery. ISBN 9789383184880

Awards

2024

Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal - Indian Institute of Architects^[39]
Honarary Doctorate of Philosophy in Architecture - CEPT University, Ahmedabad.^[40]

2023

India’s Top 10 Architects Awards - Construction World Architect and Builder (CWAB) Awards^[39]

2019

Excellence in Architecture for Industrial category - Indian Institute of Architects^[39]

2017

AD 50 Most Influential Architects & Interior Designers - Architectural Digest ^[39]

2015

Lifetime Achievement Award - BERG Awards for Real Estate (Singapore)^[39]

2014

Excellence in Architecture for Industrial category - Indian Institute of Architects^[39]

2013

Excellence in Architecture Green Architecture - Indian Institute of Architects^[39]

2000

Excellence in Architecture for Public Building - Indian Institute of Architects^[39]

References

^ Misra, Sumantra (2018-11-16). "Critical Regionalism in the Post-Colonial Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent". Issuu. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
^ ^a ^b 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.
^ "Christopher Benninger: Cyrus Jhabvala Memorial Lecture 2018". THINKMATTER. 28 March 2019.
^ Shoshkes, Ellen (April 2006). "Jaqueline Tyrwhitt: a founding mother of modern urban design". Planning Perspectives. 21 (2): 179–197. Bibcode:2006PlPer..21..179S. doi:10.1080/02665430600555339. ISSN 0266-5433. S2CID 143844331.
^ Debeljak, Aleš (1998). Reluctant Modernity: The Institution of Art and Its Historical Forms. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8476-8583-7.
^ Falvo, Rosa Maria; Akkisetti, Ramprasad (2015). Christopher Benninger: Architecture for Modern India. Skira editore S.p.A. ISBN 978-88-572-2687-3.
^ "Cept School of Planning founders look back over 40 years". DNA India. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
^ Dutta, Apurva Bose. "Christopher Charles Benninger speaks on Architecture". Archi Times. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07.
^ ^a ^b Benninger, Christopher C. (1988). "Human resources development for the improvement of human settlements". Ekistics. 55 (328/329/330): 12–30. ISSN 0013-2942. JSTOR 43622047.
^ Elsevier.com
^ ^a ^b Kumar, Sujatha Shankar (2024-11-01). "People's architect Christopher Charles Benninger". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
^ Jain, AK (2019). Housing for All. Khanna Publishing House. pp. 74, 78. ISBN 9789386173560.
^ Lang, Jon (2002). A concise history of modern architecture in India. New Delhi: Permanent Black : Distributed by Orient Longman Ltd. ISBN 978-81-7824-017-6.
^ Benninger, Christopher C. (1987-01-01). "Training for the improvement of human settlements". Habitat International. Special Issue Land Use Control. 11 (1): 145–160. doi:10.1016/0197-3975(87)90044-0. ISSN 0197-3975.
^ Settlements, United Nations Centre for Human (1989). Women and Human Settlements Development. UN-HABITAT. ISBN 978-92-1-131118-1.
^ George, Kolanjiyil Kuriakose; Oommen, Malayil A., eds. (1997). Economics, development, and the quest for alternatives: essays in honour of professor M. A. Oommen (1. publ ed.). New Delhi: Concept Publ. Co. ISBN 978-81-7022-678-9.
^ Benninger, Christopher C. (1988). "Seminar on urban management and finance for South Asian countries". Cities. 5 (2): 194–199. doi:10.1016/0264-2751(88)90008-x. ISSN 0264-2751.
^ Centre, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Development; Centre, Asian and Pacific Development; Pacific, Association of Development Research and Training Institutes of Asia and the (1989). Register of Development Research Projects in Asia and the Pacific. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. ISBN 978-92-64-03237-8.
^ Benninger, Christopher Charles (2002). "Principles of intelligent urbanism: The case of the new Capital Plan for Bhutan". Ekistics and the New Habitat. 69 (412/413/414): 60–80. doi:10.53910/26531313-E200269412-414386. ISSN 0013-2942. JSTOR 43619538.
^ SONAM, DHENDUP; SHERAB, JATSHO; SONAM, TSHERING (2021). "Exploring Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Development: A Research Study Undertaken in Thimphu District Schools". I-manager's Journal on Educational Psychology. 14 (3): 29. doi:10.26634/jpsy.14.3.17523. ISSN 0973-8827. S2CID 236726094.
^ Benninger Architectonics USA Inc. (2004) Gelephu Structure Plan, Bhutan
^ Benninger Architectonics USA Inc. (2004) Samtse Structure Plan, Bhutan
^ Dudh.gov.bt Archived 2010-06-23 at the Wayback Machine
^ G-therapy.org Archived 2010-05-12 at the Wayback Machine
^ Tzonis, Alexander; Lefaivre, Liane (2003). Critical regionalism: architecture and identity in a globalised world. Architecture in focus. Munich New York: Prestel. ISBN 978-3-7913-2972-7.
^ "Christopher Benninger". New Jersey Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
^ "Businessweek.com". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
^ "People". CDSA.
^ D., Aastha (11 October 2024). "Christopher Charles Benninger: A reflective obituary". Stir World. Retrieved 14 October 2024. His studio at India House, Pune, is a site of knowledge in the arts, culture and architectural practices, a mini institute of its own standing, now headed by Ramprasad Akkisetti (Ram), his loving life partner.
^ Rao, R Raj (8 October 2024). "Christopher Benninger Obituary: A True Friend Who Assisted In Life's Nitty-Gritty, Writes R Raj Rao". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 14 October 2024. It was in the early 2000s that I first met Christopher Benninger and his partner Ram.
^ Benninger, Christopher (2024). Great Expectations: Notes to an Architect (1st ed.). CEPT University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-93-83184-88-0.
^ "American-Indian architect Christopher Benninger passes away at 81". The Indian Express. Express News Service. 2 October 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Awards". CCBA Designs. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
^ "CEPT University to bestow two Honorary Doctorates".

External links

Official website

[1] Misra, Sumantra (2018-11-16). "Critical Regionalism in the Post-Colonial Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent". Issuu. Retrieved 2023-08-17.

[:0-2] 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.

[8] 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.

[9] "Christopher Benninger: Cyrus Jhabvala Memorial Lecture 2018". THINKMATTER. 28 March 2019.

[10] Shoshkes, Ellen (April 2006). "Jaqueline Tyrwhitt: a founding mother of modern urban design". Planning Perspectives. 21 (2): 179–197. Bibcode:2006PlPer..21..179S. doi:10.1080/02665430600555339. ISSN 0266-5433. S2CID 143844331.

[11] Debeljak, Aleš (1998). Reluctant Modernity: The Institution of Art and Its Historical Forms. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8476-8583-7.

[12] Falvo, Rosa Maria; Akkisetti, Ramprasad (2015). Christopher Benninger: Architecture for Modern India. Skira editore S.p.A. ISBN 978-88-572-2687-3.

[13] "Cept School of Planning founders look back over 40 years". DNA India. Retrieved 2024-01-06.

[14] Dutta, Apurva Bose. "Christopher Charles Benninger speaks on Architecture". Archi Times. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07.

[Benninger_1988_12–30-15] Benninger, Christopher C. (1988). "Human resources development for the improvement of human settlements". Ekistics. 55 (328/329/330): 12–30. ISSN 0013-2942. JSTOR 43622047.

[16] Elsevier.com

[:2-17] Kumar, Sujatha Shankar (2024-11-01). "People's architect Christopher Charles Benninger". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-11-02.

[18] Jain, AK (2019). Housing for All. Khanna Publishing House. pp. 74, 78. ISBN 9789386173560.

[19] Lang, Jon (2002). A concise history of modern architecture in India. New Delhi: Permanent Black : Distributed by Orient Longman Ltd. ISBN 978-81-7824-017-6.

[20] Benninger, Christopher C. (1987-01-01). "Training for the improvement of human settlements". Habitat International. Special Issue Land Use Control. 11 (1): 145–160. doi:10.1016/0197-3975(87)90044-0. ISSN 0197-3975.

[21] Settlements, United Nations Centre for Human (1989). Women and Human Settlements Development. UN-HABITAT. ISBN 978-92-1-131118-1.

[22] George, Kolanjiyil Kuriakose; Oommen, Malayil A., eds. (1997). Economics, development, and the quest for alternatives: essays in honour of professor M. A. Oommen (1. publ ed.). New Delhi: Concept Publ. Co. ISBN 978-81-7022-678-9.

[23] Benninger, Christopher C. (1988). "Seminar on urban management and finance for South Asian countries". Cities. 5 (2): 194–199. doi:10.1016/0264-2751(88)90008-x. ISSN 0264-2751.

[24] Centre, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Development; Centre, Asian and Pacific Development; Pacific, Association of Development Research and Training Institutes of Asia and the (1989). Register of Development Research Projects in Asia and the Pacific. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. ISBN 978-92-64-03237-8.

[25] Benninger, Christopher Charles (2002). "Principles of intelligent urbanism: The case of the new Capital Plan for Bhutan". Ekistics and the New Habitat. 69 (412/413/414): 60–80. doi:10.53910/26531313-E200269412-414386. ISSN 0013-2942. JSTOR 43619538.

[26] SONAM, DHENDUP; SHERAB, JATSHO; SONAM, TSHERING (2021). "Exploring Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Development: A Research Study Undertaken in Thimphu District Schools". I-manager's Journal on Educational Psychology. 14 (3): 29. doi:10.26634/jpsy.14.3.17523. ISSN 0973-8827. S2CID 236726094.

[27] Benninger Architectonics USA Inc. (2004) Gelephu Structure Plan, Bhutan

[28] Benninger Architectonics USA Inc. (2004) Samtse Structure Plan, Bhutan

[29] Dudh.gov.bt Archived 2010-06-23 at the Wayback Machine

[30] G-therapy.org Archived 2010-05-12 at the Wayback Machine

[31] Tzonis, Alexander; Lefaivre, Liane (2003). Critical regionalism: architecture and identity in a globalised world. Architecture in focus. Munich New York: Prestel. ISBN 978-3-7913-2972-7.

[32] "Christopher Benninger". New Jersey Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2010-06-23.

[33] "Businessweek.com". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2024-10-05.

[34] "People". CDSA.

[35] D., Aastha (11 October 2024). "Christopher Charles Benninger: A reflective obituary". Stir World. Retrieved 14 October 2024. His studio at India House, Pune, is a site of knowledge in the arts, culture and architectural practices, a mini institute of its own standing, now headed by Ramprasad Akkisetti (Ram), his loving life partner.

[36] Rao, R Raj (8 October 2024). "Christopher Benninger Obituary: A True Friend Who Assisted In Life's Nitty-Gritty, Writes R Raj Rao". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 14 October 2024. It was in the early 2000s that I first met Christopher Benninger and his partner Ram.

[37] Benninger, Christopher (2024). Great Expectations: Notes to an Architect (1st ed.). CEPT University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-93-83184-88-0.

[38] "American-Indian architect Christopher Benninger passes away at 81". The Indian Express. Express News Service. 2 October 2024.

[:1-39] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Awards". CCBA Designs. Retrieved 2024-03-07.

[40] "CEPT University to bestow two Honorary Doctorates".

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Christopher Charles Benninger