Brinda has delivered analytical and critical talks as well as presented papers in India and abroad on her work and other related subjects. She has given lectures in the USA, UK, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. Her work has been exhibited in the USA, UK and Japan. She has served as an examiner and jury member in India and Abroad. Some of her selected works are given below:

ZENSAR SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES CAMPUS – PUNE 

It is a Greenfield project of 11 acres. It has been designed for 2000 Engineers with all supporting buildings such as the corporate block, cafeteria and creational facilities. The  concept of this project consisted of individual buildings being linked together through landscaping. The landscape consisted of stonewalls, sunken courtyards, an open-air amphitheatre, water bodies and greenery. In this campus the individual buildings are linked together through a core idea: a stone wall that meanders through the landscaping. She worked on a concept of simplicity and serenity, harmony and balance.

TCS HOUSE – MUMBAI  

  

To restore this Grade II Heritage building, that now serves as the global headquarters of software major Tata Consultancy Services was complex and one of the first restoration projects of its kind in Mumbai. The unique feature of the process was that, the external stone wall or shell of the building was left standing while the entire unstable inside was gutted. A modern office interior with state-of-the-art technology was created inside the shell that stood intact. The challenge of restoring this structure was further compounded by various other factors such as working on a site located in Fort, in the heart of Mumbai's commercial district and fighting the torrential monsoon rain with the stone walls propped and the high ground water table which required the constant use of dewatering pumps to enable work to proceed. The metamorphosis that commenced in October 2005 concluded in June 2007 and demonstrates how historic buildings need not be razed to the ground for reconstruction even if they are damaged by fire or other disasters.

Ar Brinda Somaya

Brinda Somaya is an architect and urban conservationist. Upon completion of her Bachelor of Architecture from Mumbai University and her Master of Arts from Smith College in Northampton, MA, USA, she started her firm Somaya and Kalappa Consultants in 1978 in Mumbai, India. 

In May 2012 she was the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from her alma mater, Smith College. In 2014 she was awarded the Indian Institute of Architects – Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement. In 2015 she was honoured as Distinguished Professor by the Indian Education Society’s College of Architecture (IES), Mumbai.

Over three decades she has merged architecture, conservation and social equity in projects ranging from institutional campuses and rehabilitation of an earthquake-torn village to the restoration of an 18th century Cathedral, showing that progress and history need not be atODDS . Her philosophy: ‘the Architect’s role is that of guardian – hers is the conscience of the built and un-built environment.’