Indian architect Anupama Kundoo is experimenting with economical architecture whose modernity opens up vernacular knowledge.

“ In an ideal world, beings architectis to be visionary “, considered Anupama Kundoo. In his case, the visions had not come to him from futuristic speculation. Anchored in the specific context of rural India, his work does seek to find new solutions by composing with existing ones, by making use of available knowledge and materials, in a social and ecological perspective. . Kundoo chose to leave Bombay to settle down in the south, at Auroville in Tamil Nadu.

Auroville, a universal and ecological place

Founded in 1968 by a disciple of the yogi philosopher Sri Aurobindo, this quoted experimental wants to be a place of universal unity between nations, between men and women. There, Anupama Kundoo meetsarchitect French Roger Anger, Auroville planning officer. And immediately get to work. Rejecting industrial materials, preferring local resources such as wood or clay, was implemented in the form of bricks by the residents. ” I’m not interested in Indian craftsmanship, but I fear that an industrial world with standardized solutions and corporate culture diminishes the quality of life, as well as the possibilities for creative expression. », explained the architect.

In his projects, budget constraints played a spurring role. So, in Pondicherry, this dome-shaped home for homeless children was built in an original way. After finished construction in the bricks, this building is fired to cook it like in an oven… while avoiding unnecessary consumption of wood, thanks to the coal included in the bricks themselves. Today, it is no longer about learn from las vegas as Venturi and Scott Brown suggested in the 1970’s, but it’s possible to learn from Auroville…

Anupama Kundoo, Volunteer Home for Homeless Children, Pondicherry, India, 2008-2010 © Javier Callejas

Anupama Kundoo in short​​​​​

1967
Birth of Anupama Kundoo in Pune, India.
1989
Graduated from Sir JJ College of Architecture, University of Bombay.
1990
Installation in Auroville, in Tamil Nadu.
2005
Auroville Town Hall.
2008
PhD at the Technical University of Berlin.
2010
Home for homeless children in Pondicherry.
2021
Received the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) Charles Jencks Award.
2022
Winner of the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture.

OWN

“Global Award for Sustainable Architecture 2022”
City of Architecture, 1, place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 75116 Paris,
From October 15 to January 30