Brinda Somaya
Works & Continuities
An architectural monograph of the Founder and Principal Architect Brinda Somaya of SNK India, a prestigious and well-known design firm. The book is a journey of her life as one of the first woman architects in the country and her practice spanning over 40 years. The intent behind publishing the book was not only to showcase her work but a way to evaluate her contribution to the field through dialogues and essays with and by prominent colleagues.
The book takes you through her varied works, hand-picked to showcase scale, typology and range - from schools and campuses to houses, resorts, streets, entire villages and large urban interventions. The dialogues are engaging discussions between colleagues on history, culture, society, the architectural profession and India.
The book takes a different approach with regards to its imagery. The buildings shown are as they stand today, seldom maintained and far from their pristine original state. The many traces of occupation show in the photographs and have been left untouched. The book is narrated by Somaya herself, which adds to the authenticity of her ideas and values.
