Letters To A Young Architect

by Christopher Benninger

Amongst the Top Ten Best Selling Books, Non-Fiction in India for 18 running weeks, this is a must read for the layman and the architect alike. Born an American, celebrated in India as a leading architect and urbanist, Benninger possesses a sense of timelessness that spreads across oceans and over mountains. Letters to a Young Architect is a sensitive memoir of his life in India and his personal concerns about architectural theory and contemporary urban issues. The book represents a mature reflection of lessons learned along an ardous journey. Through the medium of articles and lectures presented over the past decade, a lucid collection of essays emerges to testify to the commonality of the human condition. The book documents a fifty-year passage, beginning in America in the 1960’s, studying under the great master Jose Luis Sert, and continuing in the Indian subcontinent through a critical period of India’s ascendance. This is a collection of autobiographical narratives and ideas reflecting a man’s journey of the spirit from America to India and the philosophical considerations that matured from his experiences. Letters to a Young Architect reflects on the role and the direction of architecture in framing a new man and a new society in the new millennium. He notes his encounters with gurus like Walter Gropius, Arnold Toynbee and Buckminster Fuller and the manner in which their personal passion for humanity shaped the lives of others. His journey is not only stories from the dusty roads he travelled on, but also of the passions and emotions of those he met along the way. Benninger is a strong believer in tradition, in gurus and in students and in a linage of values, ideals, principles and practices that have evolved and matured from generation to generation. His “Principles of Intelligent Urbanism” have provided an alternative to a new generation of urban planners and designers, who feel the fatigue of imported ideas impaled over the global landscape. Benninger is concerned with the education of architects; the very nature of architecture itself; and, the role of urbanism and planning in the creation of a new society. The role of Indian masters, like Balkrishna Doshi who guided him in his searches, are touching tributes to the Indian “Guru-Shishya” tradition. Benninger has a clear agenda to create human scale relationships within his spatial arrangements; to link indoor activities with exterior settings, utilizing the salubrious Indian climate to create live-work spaces; to employ local motifs, signs and symbols to bring meaning to the environment; to reduce energy consumption in both the construction and the life cycle operation of his buildings; to celebrate traditional materials and crafts; and to use the “charisma” of architecture to bring a sense of identity to a place and its inhabitants. His narrative presents a language that lies between American ideals found in its wooded, Arcadian landscapes, and sacred notions enshrined within Asian courtyards, generating a unique approach to architecture and place making.

Genres: Architecture

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 13, 2011

Reviews

[Ankush Rai · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Book Review*** Letters to young Architect is a book written by one of most celebrated Architect in Indian subcontinent Christopher Benninger of American origin.
His life story as a student from America where he was born, his days in MIT and Harvard studying Architecture and planning, how be landed up in India and still continues his practice as an Architect and urbanist in the country.
He shares his projects in India and Bhutan in an explicit way, also shares his views on design principles, philosophies. Also he answers various question which an aspiring Architect in the world has.
He elaborates his views on Urbanism, customs and traditions in India, future of Indian cities, government policies etc .
This book is written in a QnA format, also Benninger's interviews mentioned are in comprehensible manner.
He mentions about his Gurus, the privilege he had working with pioneer Indian Architect BV Doshi.
This is a must book for all Architect students as they may get an insight to the world of Architecture !
Rating 4.5/5
Reviewed by Ankush Rai
For My Architectural View
IG @myarchitecturalview

[Gaurav Varshney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently finished this book. Well, This is more than just a book. Written by sir Christopher Benninger, This book Explains different analogies and misconceptions about architects and architecture in a way that it can easily reach a mass larger than just architects. This starts with his affection for FLW, then travels through the lessons that he learned in his journey, to what are our duties in the society. Explaining principles of architecture, the author gives us a brief about the current scenario of architecture education in India. He also talks about new architecture and effetism.
This book is for architects and students of architecture who are new to the profession and wants to explore CONSCIOUS architecture. Don't Seem, Be.

[Shikha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is pleasant to read with "food for thought" ideas. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Good book to start with architectural reading.

[Hafsa Muhammad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The philosophy, Aristotelian at times, is self-imposing and bluntly didactic, but Benninger inculcates the idea of having a strong philosophy when it comes to the design process, without which the building crumbles. Despite the fact that I don't agree at all with his definition of beauty as a "search for a Golden Mean," I still believe an aspiring architect needs to read this book letter by letter, one at a time, everyday, for perhaps the rest of their lives.

[Anandh Sundar · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a professional myself(albeit of the non engineering type), many of the points in the book resonate with me, whether it is to not grudge the 'boring work', professionals firms vs KPOs, public interest responsibility and so on. A must read for anyone interested in Indian real estate.

[Aditi · Rating 4 out of 5]

i did issue it twice and still didnt read it each letter completely except the starting ones..,, only the highlighters.. n yes they were inspiring , a look back..

[Sriraam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring. Amazing and thought provoking.