Philadelphia 2026 Paul Mellon Lecture: An Architect’s Journey through the Indian Landscape Conserving the Old, Building the New
World Monuments Fund’s (WMF) annual Paul Mellon Lecture brings influential voices in historic preservation to the stage.
date & time
Location
Penn Museum
Widener Lecture Room
3260 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
The Paul Mellon Lecture at World Monuments Fund is made possible, in part, by the Paul Mellon Education Fund.
Enabling audiences to learn about critical issues in the field of cultural heritage, the 2026 Paul Mellon Lecture will be held in both New York and Philadelphia.
In 2026, the annual Paul Mellon Lecture given by architect and urban conservationist Brinda Somaya will be held in both New York and Philadelphia. Drawing on decades of experience, she will explore the idea that architecture is not just about buildings and aesthetics, but also about people, politics, heritage conservation, and social responsibility.
Shaped by Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Islamic, colonial, and modernist traditions, India’s built environment reflects centuries of cultural exchange and transformation. Today, architects in South Asia work across an extraordinary range of contexts—from informal settlements to heritage sites and from major corporate headquarters to public buildings. The region’s architects navigate stark social and economic divides, with projects spanning conservation, cutting-edge design and grassroots engagement.
Placing inclusion and cultural sensitivity at the core of her work, Somaya sees diversity as essential to building a just society, enriching creativity, and producing powerful design solutions. She advocates for a new kind of architect who moves easily between rural and urban worlds; works closely with communities; and sees design as a collaborative, evolving process.
In conversation with Penn Museum Williams Director Christopher Woods and President and CEO of WMF, Bénédicte de Montlaur, Somaya will explore how new buildings can arise from historic settings, honoring the past while meeting the needs of the present and future. Together, they will reflect on the architect’s role, underscoring how thoughtful design can bridge heritage conservation and community engagement.
Co-presented with Penn Museum, this event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.
Inaugurated in 2003 and supported in part by the Paul Mellon Education Fund at World Monuments
The Paul Mellon Lecture at World Monuments Fund is made possible, in part, by the Paul Mellon Education Fund.
Enabling audiences to learn about critical issues in the field of cultural heritage, the 2026 Paul Mellon Lecture will be held in both New York and Philadelphia.
Philadelphia 2026 Paul Mellon Lecture: An Architect’s Journey through the Indian Landscape Conserving the Old, Building the New
World Monuments Fund’s (WMF) annual Paul Mellon Lecture brings influential voices in historic preservation to the stage.
date & time
Location
Penn Museum
Widener Lecture Room
3260 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
The Paul Mellon Lecture at World Monuments Fund is made possible, in part, by the Paul Mellon Education Fund.
Enabling audiences to learn about critical issues in the field of cultural heritage, the 2026 Paul Mellon Lecture will be held in both New York and Philadelphia.
In 2026, the annual Paul Mellon Lecture given by architect and urban conservationist Brinda Somaya will be held in both New York and Philadelphia. Drawing on decades of experience, she will explore the idea that architecture is not just about buildings and aesthetics, but also about people, politics, heritage conservation, and social responsibility.
Shaped by Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Islamic, colonial, and modernist traditions, India’s built environment reflects centuries of cultural exchange and transformation. Today, architects in South Asia work across an extraordinary range of contexts—from informal settlements to heritage sites and from major corporate headquarters to public buildings. The region’s architects navigate stark social and economic divides, with projects spanning conservation, cutting-edge design and grassroots engagement.
Placing inclusion and cultural sensitivity at the core of her work, Somaya sees diversity as essential to building a just society, enriching creativity, and producing powerful design solutions. She advocates for a new kind of architect who moves easily between rural and urban worlds; works closely with communities; and sees design as a collaborative, evolving process.
In conversation with Penn Museum Williams Director Christopher Woods and President and CEO of WMF, Bénédicte de Montlaur, Somaya will explore how new buildings can arise from historic settings, honoring the past while meeting the needs of the present and future. Together, they will reflect on the architect’s role, underscoring how thoughtful design can bridge heritage conservation and community engagement.
Co-presented with Penn Museum, this event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.
Inaugurated in 2003 and supported in part by the Paul Mellon Education Fund at World Monuments
The Paul Mellon Lecture at World Monuments Fund is made possible, in part, by the Paul Mellon Education Fund.
Enabling audiences to learn about critical issues in the field of cultural heritage, the 2026 Paul Mellon Lecture will be held in both New York and Philadelphia.
About the Speakers
Brinda Somaya
Brinda Somaya is an architect and urban conservationist. She founded Somaya and Kalappa Consultants (now Somaya Sampat) in 1978 after studying at Mumbai University and Smith College. Somaya served as A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University; chaired the Board of Governors at the School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada; and served on the board of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction. She was conferred an honorary doctorate by Smith College in 2012 and received the Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the Indian Institute of Architects in 2014. She was named among the top 75 Indian women in STEAM by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India and was made an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2025. Over four decades, Somaya has merged architecture, conservation, and social equity in projects ranging from institutional campuses and the rehabilitation of an earthquake-torn village to the restoration of an eighteenth-century cathedral, demonstrating that progress and history need not be at odds. Her work is guided by the belief that “the architect’s role is that of guardian—hers is the conscience of the built and unbuilt environment.”
Bénédicte de Montlaur
Bénédicte de Montlaur is President and CEO of World Monuments Fund, the world’s foremost private organization dedicated to saving extraordinary places while empowering the communities around them. She is responsible for defining and implementing WMF’s strategic vision in more than 30 countries and leading an international team that spans the globe. Her background mixes culture and the arts, politics, international diplomacy, and human rights. Prior to joining WMF, de Montlaur spent two decades working across three continents as a senior diplomat at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Christopher Woods, Ph.D
Christopher Woods, Ph.D is Williams Director of the Penn Museum, the largest university research museum in the U.S. with active projects around the globe, and Avalon Professor of Humanities in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. Cultural heritage and co-creation with communities are at the heart of his strategic plan for the Museum. His scholarly interests and publications span the origin and development of early writing systems, early Mesopotamian history and religion, and the Sumerian language. Prior to joining Penn, Woods was director of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures and Wilson Professor of Sumerology at the University of Chicago.