Stonehenge Architects, Goa. Architect-Elizabeth Kurian. Homes, Resorts, Institutes, Restoration

BUILDING HOMES AND HOPE: ELIZABETH KURIAN

A vision, an idea and ultimately a work of art. Elizabeth Kurian, an architect in Goa uses her client's vision and experiments with ideas to create a personalized structure that is unique and special. After majoring in architectural design, Elizabeth worked with renowned architect Dean D'Cruz but it was in 1999 that she gave shape to Stonehenge her own design company.

Elizabeth Kurian: My clients would vary from domestic help who would want a small home to middle income group people who want budget homes and then of course the resorts coming in Goa and the high profile people coming to settle in Goa, who want hide away homes and who want distinct unique homes and resorts.

So Elizabeth's first independent project was Hotel Gautam - a 72-room castle style resort in Goa. In fact, it even made it to the architecture and design awards.

Elizabeth is also working on a center for Sanskrit studies based on traditional Indian design principles.

Elizabeth Kurian: My future plans would be continuing to do very detailed works, which are environmentally sensitive. I would like to develop some innovative construction techniques that are feasible for the middle class budget because now architecture has become a field, which is so ostentatious in terms of catering to the rich and the famous there has to be some effort to innovate old construction techniques, which can be fitted in today's times.

But Elizabeth's job doesn't end with architecture. Mother to an autistic child, she has started a parent support group called Jyot society in 2000. Presently the secretary of the group with 100 members, the main objective is to facilitate the education and rehabilitation of autistic children.

Elizabeth Kurian: There are about 100 members in the group. But the classrooms are catering to about 40 children. The other children, some of them are in special schools, some of them are in other schools but we do have activities for parents, for caregivers, for regular schoolteachers and for principals. Programs basically to increase awareness; programs to get them integrated into the society.

Jyot Society is a non-profit organization supported by the parents with small grants from the government. Plans are on to build the vocational center to outsource work from industries like the food and service sector and the packaging sector, to generate revenues.

Elizabeth Kurian, surely has her heart in the right place.