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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.

She is a founder trustee of The Hecar Foundation.
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