Christopher Benninger is an American architect known for his philosophy of critical regionalism. He founded the School of Planning in Ahmedabad, India and designed the Mahindra United World College of India campus in Pune. The campus design integrated local materials like basalt stone and terracotta tiles and was planned around a central academic quadrangle with pathways radiating outwards. Benninger also designed India House in Pune, which took inspiration from traditional haveli and wada structures with a central courtyard surrounded by activity zones and layers of privacy.

1. CONTEMPORARY
ARCHITECTURE
CHRISTOPHER BENNINGER
TOPIC :
PRESENTED BY :
BHARAT SHARMA
OMKAR BIRADAR
VINAYSINGH R. SURYAWANSHI

2. CHRISTOPHER
CHARLES
BENNINGER
BORN : 23 NOVEMBER , 1942
LOCATION : HAMILTON, OHIO, USA
FIRM : CCBA
CHRISTOPHER BENNINGER IS AN AMERICAN-INDIAN DESIGNER,
PLANNER, EDUCATOR, AND THE FOUNDER OF SCHOOL OF
PLANNING IN AHMEDABAD
“A BUILDING MAY BE BAD WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING WRONG, YET ANOTHER
WORK MAY HAVE TO SIN AGAINST ARCHITECTURE TO REACH PERFECTION”,

3. DESIGN
PHILOSOPHY
NATURE
TRADITION
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
EFFICIENCY
HUMAN SCALE
CONVIVIALITY
OPPORTUNITY MATRIX
BALANCED MOVEMENT
INSTITUTENAL INTENCITY
REGIONAL INTEGRATION

4. DESIGN
PRINCIPLES
HONESTY IN EXPRESSION :
Use of materials in their form
HUMANISM :
Use of human scale as a
measuring stick
CRITICAL REGIONALISM :
Integrate structures with their
contexts assessing what is
positive and what is the context
BALANCE WITH TRADITION :
Draw elements from local
vernacular
BALANCE WITH COMMUNITY :
Create public domains and convivial
spaces
BALANCE WITH NATURE
Bring the natural landscape into the
buildings and vive versa
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY :
Use materials which are fabricated
and use of local labour force
PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST :
Make the pedestrians the king and the
vehicle the servant: Separate out all
machine movement from within the
campus, or urban neighborhood.
ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE :
Draw ones proportions from the
nearby physical features and find
order from the landscape

5. MAHINDRA
UNITED WORLD
COLLEGE OF INDIA
LOCATION : Pune, Maharashtra, India
BUILT UP AREA : 19,973 Square Meters
SITE AREA : 120 Acres
COMPLETION : 1998
LOCATED ON A PLATEAU 100M ABOVE THE MULA RIVER BASIN, AMONG THE SAHYADRI
HILLS OF THE WESTERN GHATS, MAHINDRA UNITED WORLD COLLEGE IS AN
INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN INSTITUTION UNDER THE BANNER OF THE UNITED WORLD
COLLEGE WITH 12 CAMPUSES AROUND THE WORLD.

6. LICATION OF NODES & VISTAS STUDY OF BUILT FORM & OPEN SPACES BUILT FORM & CONNECTIVITY OF SPACES
• THE BUILDING ARE A REFLECTION OF THE MOUNTAINS
SURROUNDING THE CAMPUS.
• A MINIATURE MODEL REFLECTING THE JAGGED CONTOURS.
• CONTINUITY AND HARMONY ACHIEVED THROUGH
CONSISTENCY BETWEEN THE ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE
AND ENVIRONMENT.
• ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE EVOLVED THROUGH THE
SELECTION OF FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS LIKE DOOR
LINTELS, WINDOW SHADE BOXES, VENTILATORS AND
WATERSPOUTS.
DESIGN
CONCEPT

7. DESIGN
FEATURES
• The campus in Pune includes administrative and academic buildings,
residential quarters for students and faculty, a catering center, multiple
studios and lawns, a swimming pool, and a medical center all constructed
with exposed concrete and local materials like Basalt stone and terracotta
tiles.
• The walls and roofs are
punctures with square cut-outs
for ventilation. The buildings
reflect its surroundings with its
jagged walls and size that seem
to be in the same proportion as
the hills when seen in
perspective.
• The campus was planned using the
North-South axis around the Mandala
concept, with the academic
quadrangle in the center and stone
pathways that radiate from it leading
to separate zones, each having its
own private garden.
• The massive entrance called
the ‘Mahadwara’ welcomes
the visitors to the reception
area while the meandering
walls, steps, and ramps help
them navigate through the
campus.
• The residences on the campus
were inspired by the ‘Wada’
concept used in traditional
homes of the area. The UWC
Mahindra College integrates all
the principles of Intelligent
Urban Planning to create a
modern yet unique campus that
becomes a home for students
and teachers at a global level.

8. INDIA
HOUSE
LOCATION : Pune, Maharashtra,
India
BUILT UP AREA : 1,500 Square
Meters
SITE AREA : 0.27 Acres
COMPLETION : 2008
INDIA HOUSE IS CONCEPTUALLY DERIVED FROM A TRADITIONAL URBAN PROTOTYPE CALLED A HAVELI, OR A WADA IN PUNE.

9. DESIGN
FEATURES
Wada form the urban fabric of Pune’s
core, old city, where they enclose central
courtyards, from where one moves into
activity zones for various social, cultural
and occupational activities. These central
courtyards also facilitate movement, air
circulation and gift privacy to structures
facing upon chaotic urban streets.
India House was conceptualized with layers of spaces that
provide both security, as well as segregation of business and
cultural activities from residential areas.
The central courtyard is used for
celebrating festivals, pujas, music and
dance programs, large formal dinners
and public seminars.

10. Apromenade with Lotus pools, statues and
Bhutanese prayer wheels creates an
introductory layer of privacy between a busy
public street and the semi-public courtyard.
This area acts as a breakout space during
cultural events, where refreshments are often
served.
DESIGN
FEATURES
Atraditional street-facing, stone façade,
with seventy-eight relief carvings, and no
windows, is punctuated by a large wooden
door, or Mahadwara marking the formal
portal into the central courtyard, while
disconnecting visitors and inhabitants
emotionally from the busy street life.
India House is a
systematic composition
of three equal sized
volumes, with the
middle volume left open
as the atrium
courtyard, admitting
sunlight and breezes.
This atrium acts as
the studio breakout
space at for design
teams, and an
outdoor café for
lunches, catalyzing
communication and
interaction. Visiting
student and
professional groups
meet here for
discussions and
lectures.

11. Operable aluminum louvers, run down the internal courtyard
elevations of the house and the studio, and span across the
courtyard, creating an atrium. They draw their inspiration from
traditional screens, or “jaalis,” and can be opened and closed to
temper the north light in the studio, lend privacy to the residence, or
to welcome the warm winter sun in this chilly mountain climate..
These louvers, and the ceiling vaults, are 1.2 meters wide,
bringing a discipline of measure into the composition
The interiors of India House include various contemporary and traditional art
works and folk crafts. Various vernacular artists, craftsmen and
contemporary painters come as artists-in-residence, reviving fading skills
and embellishing the ambiance.