Christopher Benninger

Christopher Benninger grew up in Gainesville, Florida where his father was a Professor at the University of Florida. A chance gift of THE NATURAL HOUSE by Frank Lloyd Wright ignited a love for architecture that lead him to studies in urban planning at MIT, and architecture at Harvard University. He studied under the Spanish architect Jose Luis Sert and worked in his studio in Cambridge. He became an Assistant Professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Design at the age of twenty-six. In 1968 a Fulbright fellowship began a long adventure in India, where he founded the School of Urban Planning at Ahmedabad and the Centre for Development Studies and Activities in Pune, in an academic life that spanned from the 1960's until 1996, when he began practicing architecture form his studios in Thimphu, Bhutan and in Pune India.

Benninger's travels brought him in contact with Balkrishna Doshi, Charles and Ray Eames, Jane drew and Maxwell Fry, Konstantinos Doxiadis, Fumihiko Maki and many other well known architects of the Twentieth Century.

At the age of 52 he retired from teaching and devoted his full time to architecture, soon becoming a leading name in architecture, especially in his chosen home of INDIA. Articles on his works appear in the USA, UK, Europe, China, India and across asia. His life has been an adventure of travels and exciting personal encounters. In 1971 he came over land to India through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and on to Ahmedabad and Mumbai. He trekked up to Bhutan in the late 1970's before foreigners were generally given visas into the Dragon Kingdom, where he later prepared the national Capital Plan and the design for the Supreme Court of the Kingdom. His works in India include the Mahindra United World College of India, Suzlon One Earth, the Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies, and the Indian Institute of Management at Kolkata.

His book, LETTERS TO A YOUNG ARCHITECT, published in India by the INDIA HOUSE GALLERY and in America by CREATESPACE, sold out the original 1,500 hard copies in India within three weeks and within a month a contract for a Chinese translation was signed ! it has become India's best selling architectural book ever!

The book is available globally and is the first architectural book in India to "go digital" being on Kindle and Kindle Applications on devices like Ipad!

This is a must read for all young architects around the world; for those thinking of a career in architecture; and for travelers and adventurers!