There
are some buildings that connect
us to the past and to each other
and that show us who we are These
are worth holding onto
The
Cathedral Senior School is one such
building group
The challenge here was to seamlessly
introduce today's requirements
of the school without disturbing
the original design. A balance
had to be created between preserving
the character of the building, designing
changes within this building and
the contiguous additions.
The
end result had to, through sympathetic
massing, design and materials, create
a unified
statement
"Total
architectural preservation for
buildings in use is almost impossible
due to the change
of social and physical needs.
So we have to interpret the past
the way we see best and provide
for the future without losing
the spirit
of the place We have attempted
to prove that old buildings can
eloquently fulfil the expression
of life today."
Brinda
Somaya, Architect and Conservationist, completed her Master
of Arts degree from Smith College, USA after graduating
from the Sir J. J. College of Architecture, Mumbai.
She believes that development and progress must proceed
without straining the cultural and historic environment.
This belief underlines her work at "Somaya and Kalappa",
the practice she started with her sister,
Ranjini Kalappa in 1978. Her work, spanning
corporate, industrial and institutional buildings, extends
to building conservation and design of public spaces.
The practice has won several awards and their work has
been extensively published.
Brinda was a member for several years of the Mumbai Heritage
Conservation Committee and helped formulate policy for
the protection of heritage buildings and precincts. She
is now a member of the advisory committee to the Municipal
Commissioner of Mumbai for the Protection and Improvement
of Streets and Public Spaces. She has served as University
Examiner and on Juries for many years and lectures extensively
both in India and overseas.
