Feature: Building Blocks of the Indian Skyline - TOP 10 Architectural Firms in India

Suzlon One Earth Global Corporate Headquarters, Pune by CCBA Designs | Courtesy: Ramprasad Akkisetti, Harminder Singh, Owen Raggett & Ritesh Ramaiaha

In the changing sceneries of India's architectural language, a select group of architects have emerged as pioneers of design excellence. Their visionary creations have shaped post-independent India, seamlessly blending aesthetics with functionality by giving birth to a new design dialect that echoes the spirit of the nation. 

Boasting a rich legacy of 25 years, their portfolios cover an array of projects, ranging from single dwellings to large-scale housing, monumental public and government projects, and institutional buildings. These firms are not only practitioners in the field but are also active contributors to academia, enriching the Indian community with their written works and much-needed discourses. 

Ranking in the Top 10 Architectural Firms in India is CCBA Designs, headed by master architect and urban planner, Prof. Christopher Benninger. As qouted in the article by Abir Pothi, it states..... "CCBA Designs is a multi-disciplinary design company headed by the celebrated Architect and Planner Prof. Christopher Benninger. Originally from the USA and with a formal education at Harvard and MIT, Benninger's projects range from master planning of capital cities and new towns to housing developments and institutional campuses located, both pan India and abroad. Based in Pune, the firm is renowned for its innovative and contextually sensitive creations. 

Suzlon One Earth Global Corporate Headquarters, Pune | Courtesy: Ramprasad Akkisetti, Harminder Singh, Owen Raggett & Ritesh Ramaiaha

Benninger has been practising in India since 1972. His firm has since created a great number of institutions around the world, harbouring the identity and symbolic relationship between the built environment and the social fabric. Their project Suzlon One Earth Global Corporate Headquarters, built in 2009, wonderfullly represents the design language the firm is celebrated for. Their most recent endeavour tackles a larger scale featuring the world's tallest hostel at the Azim Premji University Campus in Bengaluru. 

Azim Premji University, Bengaluru | Courtesy: Achyuth. R.B

The firm has won numerous prestigious accolades and is the only one in the country to have received six awards from the Indian Institute of Architects. Apart from practising, Prof. Benninger is also an academician and author of the beloved book 'Letters to a Young Architect’, a memoir of his life in India."