Bruno Dias Souza

Bruno Dias Souza (6 October 1925 – 2 March 2025) was an Indian architect who was credited with having "belonged to a generation of architects that sought to rediscover what modern architecture meant for India"^[2] and having had an "illustrious architectural career".^[2]

Bruno Dias Souza
Souza in 2020
Born	(1925-10-06)6 October 1925 Goa, Portuguese India
Died	2 March 2025(2025-03-02) (aged 99)[1]
Nationality	Portuguese (until 1961) Indian (from 1961)
Alma mater	St. Xavier's College (BSc) Columbia University (B.Arch, 1955) Harvard University (M.Arch, 1957)
Occupation	Architect
Spouse	Edna Miranda Souza
Children	4
Awards	Sócio Honorário -- Ordem dos Arquitectos
Buildings	Government Primary Schools in Portuguese Goa Community Hall at Santo Estêvão Cine Alankar at Mapusa, Goa Sesa Goa Head Office at Panjim Junior Staff Quarters Embassy of Brazil at New Delhi Indian Social Institute at New Delhi Okhla Parish Church at New Delhi Indian Institute of Management at Calcutta Education Development Centre (UNESCO), Maldives

Early life

Bruno Dias Souza was born on 6 October 1925 in Goa, Portuguese India. He was raised in the Goan village of Badem in Salvador do Mundo, building models of boats and little houses as a child. He was educated at the Liceu Nacional Afonso de Albuquerque in the then Portuguese-ruled Goa.^[3] He moved to Dharwad and Bombay for inter-science and a stint in mathematics and physics as part of the B.Sc. programme at St Xavier's College.^[4]

After his undergraduation and postgraduation in the United States, he worked for international firms in Central as well as South America—including in Brasília, Brazil, before returning to Goa. In Goa, still under Portuguese rule, he designed government primary and secondary schools.^[4]

Career

Souza was educated at Columbia University and Harvard University. He spent his early years as a young professor and practitioner at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), in New Delhi. He also served as a United Nations consultant, won the national competition for the Goa High Court, besides receiving a special honor from the Government of Portugal. His acclaimed works include Okhla Parish Church and Loretto Convent in New Delhi, his own house Altinho in Panjim, Goa, the Goa Assembly, and other World Bank-UNESCO projects. Souza had worked on projects in Sudan, Vietnam, Liberia, Republic of Cape Verde and the Republic of Guinea.^[4] He served as the Director of the School of Planning and Architecture from 1983 to 1988.^[4] In Goa, Souza had been critical of bureaucratic functioning and corruption in the system, where he won two competitions but was edged out of the same.^[4][5] His contemporaries were Charles Correa and Raj Rewal.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Souza died on 2 March 2025, at the age of 99.^[6]

Legacy

The Ahmedabad-based CEPT University Archives had undertaken the archiving of Souza's collections digitally and also through Oral History Recordings. This archive included hand drawings, photographs, magazine articles and other related material from architect Souza's work.^{[citation needed]}

Personal views

Souza argued that the Goan capital of Panjim is "forgetting its past by trying to redesign open spaces." He had argued that the scenic capital" was a space of parks...."^[7]