Description
Auroville was based on the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, who sought to create a new paradigm for humanity. Auroville was inaugurated 10 kilometers north of Pondicherry on a barren wasteland with the participation of 5,000 people from 125 countries and all Indian states, each of whom brought a handful of earth from their homeland to a marble clad lotus-bud shaped urn that still stands at the center of this planned city. French architect Roger Anger designed this city. The final plan housed four zones- in a radiating spiral movement around the city-center, and the Matrimandir, a central structure representing the soul of the city. Auroville is home to astounding creations like Town Hall Complex, by Anupama Kundoo Architects, and Auromodèle Houses by Roger Anger and André Hababou, to name a few. 150 kilometers south of Chennai, there is a Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, where he left complete responsibility of his ashram and disciples in the hands of The Mother. Pondicherry also has a stimulating cross-cultural history; hence, its built form lends to the town, a unique identity. One can witness a subtle blend of Tamil and French architecture in structures like, Golconde Dormitory by Antonin Raymond and George Nakashima (which is considered the first modernist building in India) and INTACH Pondicherry. While maintaining their individual identities, the two styles influence one another, evolving into a magnificent synthesis: Franco-Tamil architecture.
Anupama Kundoo was born in Pune, India in 1967. She graduated from Sir JJ College of Architecture, University of Mumbai in 1989, and received her PhD degree from the TU Berlin in 2008. In 2013 Kundoo received an honorable mention in the ArcVision International Prize for Women in Architecture for ‘her dedication when approaching the problem of affordability of construction and sustainability in all aspects’.
