VISIONARY REFORMER

S.C.O.A

NAME :BHAVEN SHAH

ROLL NO :29

• GERARD DA CUNHA is a well known name in modern Indian architecture.

• He prefers working with natural stone and his unique projects are seen all over the country.

• He received the Commendation Award in Rural Architecture, Designer of the Year Award and the Prime Minister’s National Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design. Da Cunha’s Goa based architectural firm Architects Autonomous specializes in eco-friendly , site specific architecture.

• The quintessential architect was conducting exhibitions on the houses of Goa as his contribution towards the renaissance.

• In a short time span, it reached such a zenith that he took it even worldwide

• At that level of saturation, he needed to put the entire work under a single roof.

• The architect conceives that the Goans were looking for a new identity and so embarked on the experiment in architecture to produce something new and unseen anywhere in the world. And this saw the birth of the ‘Museum –Houses of Goa’.

Gerard da Cunha maintains his practice from the old Portuguese colony of Goa, which he considers has a novel history in that it was the site of the ‘first sustained encounter between the East and the West’. This encounter has engendered a unique culture and architecture that is evident in da Cunha's lively and rather Gaudíesque work.

• IF YOU’RE ever in Goa, drive to a place called Torda.

• Here you will come across a strange, bending brick building shaped like a ship.

• It’s the way to discover the heart and soul of Goa and also the creator of this ship-like structure — Gerard da Cunha.

• The building is a museum called ‘Houses of Goa’ that pays homage to the way Goa is built.

• The three storeys of old doors and pillars is this architect-conservator’s way of telling vital stories of how heritage informs identity and why it’s important to keep that alive.

• Even if da Cunha, 57, is now identified more with preserving Goa’s heritage, he’s been renowned equally for being one of India’s first few green architects, one who believes in utilising locally available material in harmony with its ecosystem.

• His design for the Odissi gurukul Nrityagram in Bengaluru, the initiative of dancer Protima Gauri Bedi, is iconic.

• Built in stark stone found in the area, it is very different from traditional Goan architecture that is his mainstay.

• This adaptability got da Cunha an award for rural architecture.• As did his design for a Jindal steel township in Karnataka called

Vidyanagar that won the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design.

• Five years ago, da Cunha was hired to restore Goa’s oldest fort — the Reis Magos.

• Nisha’s Play School of Goa• Nrityagram of Bangalore• Main building • Library of Hampi’s Kannada University• Kutiram Tourist Resort of Bangalore• JVSL Township in Torangallu• Day Care Center• House of goa

• "Houses of Goa", a unique museum by reputed architect Gerard da Cunha, encapsulates for posterity the phenomenal outcome of the amalgamation of eastern and western architectural styles.

• The museum itself is designed to look like a ship, with traffic flowing on all sides of the building.

• Strangely enough it is in the shape of a triangle and resembles a ship. Viewed from the outside it is a mystery , but as you begin your visit , it slowly unfolds its charms.

PLAN SECTION

• Shiksha Niketan stands out with its ideal campus for a primary school in Goa. It’s like a whole new world meant only for kids.

• Some classrooms have tiny entrance openings where adults would have to stoop to enter.

• Also, there are no closed areas in the school so as to enable easy accessibility to each child.

• The school is constructed in fine brick architecture.