Sustainable Architecture: My Journey Through the Years

As an architect, the first project holds a very special place in our hearts. It is always the turning point that determines an architect’s future in the industry. Moreover, the appreciation and trust of clients and teachers are crucial to one’s growth.

This talk by Dr. Benny Kuriakose at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Ramapuram walks down the memory lane of his career, from a civil engineering student to a designer of Laurie Baker buildings predominantly in Kerala to settling down in Chennai and building film star Mammootty’s home and the living museum Dakshina Chitra. He talks in detail about how he landed on these projects and the strategies used to design a comfortable home that tackles the scorching heat of Chennai. We could witness the various emotions he faced through his experiential journey that moulded him into the person he is now.

He posed various questions throughout his career that were clues to heritage conservation. He also discusses the origins of Dakshina Chitra at a time when vernacular architecture was a foreign concept and students showed little interest in learning about heritage conservation. His invitation at the time of transplantation could have been a fruitful experience back then, when most of the buildings were coming up.

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