Gerard da Cunha (born 1955) is an Indian architect based in Goa. He is the founder and principal architect of the architecture firm Architecture Autonomous. An alumnus of the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, he is known for utilizing locally available materials and traditional construction techniques in harmony with its ecosystem. [1]
Da Cunha runs his architecture firm 'Architecture Autonomous' in Goa, India. His projects are spread across the country, including resorts, townships, institutions, and even private residences. [1] He maintains his practice in 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. [2] [3] [4]
Born on 10 February 1955 in the city of Godhra, Gujarat, da Cunha travelled across the country since childhood as his father worked with the State Bank of India and had a transferable job. He did most of his schooling at St. Mary's in Mazgaon, Maharashtra. [1] Later, he studied at the prestigious School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, which is regarded as the best institution in the country for architecture. During his 3rd year at SPA, da Cunha took a one-year break from the school and travelled to Kerala to work closely with the world- renowned architect Laurie Baker, whom he greatly admired. [5] After his course in architecture from School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), da Cunha joined DDA in 1979, but he found the experience of working there extremely monotonous. Bored with his job, he went to Goa (his home state) hoping for some exciting element in his life. [6] [7] [8]
Da Cunha was briefly married (1978-1982) to Indian writer and author Arundhati Roy while they lived together in Delhi. They subsequently separated and divorced in 1982. [9]
Da Cunha has been the architect of several projects which find places all across India. These include Nrityagram of Bangalore, Hampi's Kannada University's main building and its library, Bangalore's Taj Kutiram Tourist Resort, the Central Library in Panjim, JVSL Township in Torangallu, a house for Mr. Sajjan Jindal at Torangallu, a tourist village in Kerala, and Jimi Gazhdhar's lavish mansion on the banks of the Goan river, to name a few. Da Cunha's projects mostly portray the use of natural material. [1]
One of the most impressive and unusual works of da Cunha's has been the township which he has built for the JSW Steel Plant, about 30 km from Hampi called Vidyanagar. The entire project was built at a cost of Rs 150 crore. This township is spread across 300 acres and the project involved creating housing to settle 10,000 people. With not even a single tree on the site, creating an entire township seemed to be an arduous task. The township also has a movie theatre, school, airstrip, parks, and botanical garden. It also houses a club, temples, shopping centre and restaurants, thus making it a complete city town. This unusual project of creating an entire township from scratch got da Cunha the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design offered by the Ministry of Urban Development in 1998–99. [1]
Another project that gave da Cunha wide recognition is Nrityagram dance village at Bengaluru, designed for famous Odissi dancer Protima Bedi. This center for the study of dance was built using traditional building forms and techniques, with stone and thatch being the primary materials. The whole concept of the 'village' presents a mosaic of texture and colours, earth, bricks, tiles and thatch. Nrityagram received the award for best rural architecture from the Vice- President of India in 1991. [10] [11]
Da Cunha was hired to restore the oldest fort in Goa, Reis Magos Fort, which lay in ruins for a long time. It has now become a successful tourist destination showcasing the history of Goa to the visitors. [12]
Da Cunha also designed the Goa State Central Library located at Panaji (Panjim), which has six floors and houses more than 1,800,000 books. [13]
Da Cunha has also won wide acclaims for the unusual and vernacular designs of two schools in Goa, Nisha's Play School and Shiksha Niketan. Set in a lush green valley with a steep slope, the architect has created different levels of spatial experiences connected vertically by a chute for children and stairs. Brick arches, sometimes set so low that adults have to stoop to enter, become the doorless entryways. The highlight of the outdoor amphitheater is the walls made from recycled beer bottles arranged in artistic patterns. [14]
Just next to the school, da Cunha built a triangular ship-like building made of laterite stones, which is an architectural oddity in itself. It is called the 'Houses of Goa' museum, designed and curated by da Cunha himself. The museum traces Goan architectural traditions, building materials, and styles in an in-depth manner. [15]
Some other selected works by da Cunha include Town Plaza at Aamby Valley City.
Da Cunha won the prestigious Prime Minister's National Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design in 1998–99 for the project Jindal Vijaynagar Steel Limited (JVSL - Now JSW Township as "Vidhya Nagar"), Toranagallu, Bellary (Karnataka, India). [16] He is also credited with winning the 'Commendation Award-1990' for rural architecture for his project 'Nrityagram' at Bengaluru, Karnataka. The design of Nrityagram can be termed as 'Natural Architecture.' [11]
Da Cunha also made it into a shortlist of eight architects, being the only Indian architect in the list, invited by the Government of Japan's Furushima Prefecture region to draw up design proposals for a new capital city of Japan. [17]
Panaji is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary in the Tiswadi sub-district (taluka). With a population of 114,759 in the metropolitan area, Panaji is Goa's largest urban agglomeration, ahead of Margao and Mormugao.
Protima Gauri Bedi (12 October 1948 – 18 August 1998) was an Indian model turned Odissi exponent. In 1990, she established Nrityagram, a dance school in Bangalore.
Nrityagram is India's first modern Gurukul for Indian classical dances and an intentional community in the form of a dance village, set up by Odissi dancer Protima Gauri in 1990. The residential school offers training in Indian classical dance forms, Odissi, Mohiniattam, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Manipuri, eight hours a day, six days a week for seven years, following the ancient Guru-shishya tradition. Designed by famous Indian architect Gerard da Cunha, the community is situated near Hesaraghatta Lake 30 km from Bengaluru. Today the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble has performed across India and in many countries abroad.
Mário João Carlos do Rosário de Brito Miranda, popularly known as Mario Miranda or Mario de Miranda, was an Indian cartoonist and painter based in Loutolim in the Indian state of Goa.
The Ponte Conde de Linhares, often shortened to Ponte de Linhares is a 3.2 km (2.0 mi) long causeway connecting Ribandar to the main city of Panjim in Goa, India. It runs along the flood plains of the Mandovi River and is surrounded by various salt pans. There are ducts which act as tide controls. The Ponte Conde de Linhares was built in 1633–34 under the direction of the then Viceroy of Portuguese India, Miguel de Noronha, 4th Count of Linhares, after whom it is named. The bridge is often said to have been the longest in the world at 3.2 km (2.0 mi) when it was completed in 1634.
Reis Magos is a village located on the northern bank of the Mandovi River in Bardez, Goa, opposite to the capital city of Panjim. The village is famous for two of Goa’s famous structures; the Reis Magos Fort, and the Reis Magos Church – the first church in Bardez. "Reis Magos" is the Portuguese name for the Three Wise Men from the Bible.
Goa University is a public state research university headquartered in the city of Panaji, in the Indian state of Goa. In addition to Panaji, it has a campus in Margao, Mapusa, Ponda, Old Goa and Vasco da Gama.
School of Planning and Architecture Delhi is a higher education federal institute located in Delhi, India specializing in education and research, and serving as the national centre of excellence, in the fields of planning and architecture. The institute primarily offers undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and executive education programs. It forms part of the league with other two Schools of Planning and Architecture, namely SPA Bhopal and SPA Vijayawada established by the Government of India to provide quality Architecture and physical planning education.
This is a timeline of Goan history. It overlaps with the histories of other regions in South Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and colonial powers that influenced the region, including Portugal.
Maria Aurora Couto was an Indian writer and educator best known for her book Goa: A Daughter's Story and for promoting literature and ideas within Goa and beyond. She lived in the north Goan village of Aldona. In addition to her books, she wrote for newspapers and magazine, and also taught English literature at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi and Dhempe College of Panjim. She also helped start the DD Kosambi Festival of Ideas in 2008.
The Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPAs) are centrally funded technical institutes located across India. They are a group of autonomous public institutes of higher education under Ministry of Education, Government of India. They were established with the objectives of providing quality Architecture and physical planning education. The SPAs primarily offer undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and executive education programmes.
Goa Medical College (GMC) is a public medical college and hospital located in Goa, India. It is one of the oldest medical colleges in Asia. The medical college is affiliated to the Goa University (GU), being its oldest unit.
Tristão de Bragança Cunha, alternatively spelled as Tristao de Braganza Cunha, popularly known as T B Cunha was a prominent Goan nationalist and anti-colonial activist from Goa. He is popularly known as the "Father of Goan nationalism", and was the organiser of the first movement to end Portuguese rule in Goa.
The Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church is located in Panjim, Goa, India. The Church conducts Mass every day in English, Konkani, and Portuguese.
Jindal Vijayanagar Airport, also known as Vidyanagar Airport, is a public airport serving Bellary, Hampi and Hospet in Karnataka, India. It is located between Vidyanagar Township and a steel mill owned by JSW Steel in Toranagallu. The airport was built by Jindal Vijayanagar Steel, which later changed its name to JSW Steel. It opened in 1997 and began handling commercial flights in December 2006.
JSW Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, based in Mumbai. It is led by Sajjan Jindal and is part of the O.P. Jindal Group. The group's diverse businesses include steel, energy, infrastructure, cement, automotive and paints, across India, the United States, South America, and Africa.
Azad Maidan is a martyrs' monument and ground in the Indian state of Panaji, Goa. It is located opposite the Goa Police headquarters on the Mahatma Gandhi Road, Panaji. It is located at 15°30′0″N73°49′34″E.
Joaquim Heliodoro da Cunha Rivara was a Portuguese physician, professor, intellectual and politician. He excelled as a scholar of the history of the Portuguese presence in India and as a champion of the Konkani language.
Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea in the west. It is India's smallest state by area and fourth-smallest by population. Goa has the highest GDP per capita among all Indian states, two and a half times as high as the GDP per capita of the country as a whole. The Eleventh Finance Commission of India named Goa the best-placed state because of its infrastructure, and India's National Commission on Population rated it as having the best quality of life in India. It is the second-highest ranking among Indian states in the human development index.
Bruno Dias Souza is an Indian architect. He is credited with having "belonged to a generation of architects that sought to rediscover what Modern architecture meant for India" and having had an "illustrious architectural career".