Sarto Almeida
Sarto Almeida | |
|---|---|
 Sarto Almeida | |
| Born | 5 July 1924 |
| Died | 26 May 2020 (aged 95) Seraulim, Goa, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | J. J. School of Architecture, Mumbai |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse | Therese Almeida |
Sarto Almeida (5 July 1924 – 26 May 2020) was an Indian architect who designed buildings and houses in Ahmedabad and Goa.
Biography
[edit]Almeida's grandfather had a large plantation in East Africa. Sarto grew up with his father and brother Tony in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.[1][2] He lost his mother at a very young age. His ancestral family hailed from Chinchinim in Goa.[1]
Sarto was born on 5 July 1924[1] in Comba, Margao, Goa, Portuguese India.[3] Soon after his birth, he travelled with his mother to Dar es Salaam to join his father. In 1930s, he studied at St. Joseph's School, Bangalore and later at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai.[2] He joined Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai where he studied sketching and drawing.[1][2][4] He worked with Piloo Mody in Mumbai. Later he moved to Ahmedabad and worked with B. V. Doshi. He was influenced by Le Corbusie's modernist architecture while working there.[1][5][6][4]
In 1962 Sarto went on his grand tour of Greece, France, Monte Carlo, Italy, Spain, England, Egypt and the USA. He travelled light on this study tour of great Architecture (and jazz festivals). He met with B. V. Doshi in the US and visited Louis Kahn along with Vikram Sarabhai and attended the Design Conference at Aspen and the Jazz Festival in Newport. He sought out great experiences and in the process he interacted with respected professionals, art historians and the many students who became his ardent supporters.
During his time in Ahmedabad with B. V. Doshi Sarto worked on many prestigious projects such as The Physical Research Laboratories and The Institute Of Indology. In 1960, Doshi was commissioned to build a campus for the Shreyas School by Leenaben Sarabhai. Shreyas was founded by Maria Montessori while she lived as a guest of the Sarabhai's during World War II.[7]
He returned to Goa from Ahmedabad in 1963.[5][2] Initially he had his office and home in Margao.[6][5] He bought an old heritage house in Seraulim, South Goa and moved there with his family.[1][5] He designed several buildings in Goa during his career. He was the first Chairman of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority. He was a member of the Ecological Control Committee and the Conservation Committee in Goa.[8]
He died on 26 May 2020 in Seraulim, Goa.[5][3]
Works
[edit]Almeida combined modernism with regionalism and prioritized functionality and rationality.[6][5][4] He also worked for conservation and environmental protection as well as conservation of heritage buildings.[4]
He had designed educational institutions, religious buildings, government buildings and several homes; mostly in Goa. These include Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industries building in Panaji, the Goa College of Art in Panaji, Carmelite Monastery Church at Aqueum, Partagali Math in Canacona, Laxmi Narayan Temple at Veling, Goa International Centre in Dona Paula, the auditorium at Father Agnel Polytechnic in Verna, SOS Children's Village, the Science Block at Carmel College, Padre Conceicao College of Engineering at Verna, Guardian Angel School at Sanvordem.[5][2][4]
Personal life
[edit]On a visit to the USA, to attend the International Design Conference, Sarto along with Doshi and Vikram Sarabhai went to meet the renowned architect Louis Kahn, to invite him to design the Indian Institute Of Management and Sarto was asked to work with Kahn in Ahmedabad. Soon after he married Therese Almeida so they opted to pursue better educational options. When they moved Goa, they founded the Manovikas English Medium School https://manovikas.edu.in/.[1][5]
His brother Anthony Almeida was an architect in Tanzania. Cartoonist Mario Miranda and urban planner Edgar Rebeiro were his close friends.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Team, Herald (2020-05-27). "An architect of ethics, of heritage and of the land he loved". Herald Goa. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ a b c d e Team, Herald (2017-07-01). "Getting an edge with age — that's Sarto for Goa!". Herald Goa. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
- ^ a b "Arch. Sarto António da Piedade 'Sa de Almeida". geni_family_tree. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
- ^ a b c d e Grover, Satish (1987). "Sarto Almeida". Architecture + Design. II (4): 16 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Goa's Guru, architect Sarto Almeida passes away". The Indian Express. 2020-05-30. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ a b c d Times, Navhind (2020-06-03). "The joyous legacy of Sarto Almeida". The Navhind Times. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ "[Goanet] Sarto -- Skilled Mentor, Dedicated Architect, and Husband for Five-Plus Decades.... (Therese Almeida)". www.mail-archive.com. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ Desai, Madhavi; Desai, Miki; Lang, Jon (2020-05-26). "Architect Sarto Almeida is no more". Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects. 61 (1).