What Is an Urban Heat Island?
March 28, 2024
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Urban Designers in India you need to know about
Urban design is a complex concept. Large-scale development by urban designers of an entire city or town considering the people, infrastructure, and necessary green pockets, that promote interaction of all these aspects harmoniously is what forms the basis of Urban design and planning. The impact of a successful urban plan belies its equally important aesthetic aspect. It controls people’s lifestyle, from the ease of daily commute to living sustainably with a small patch of greenery at every junction, maintaining an adequate built to un-built ratio are important considerations in Urbanism.
In this article, we examine a few of notable urban designers in India who have contributed to the process of giving shape, form, and personality to entire neighbourhoods, including the architectural and social aspects that comprise the vivid, colourful places where we live and move.
KT Ravindran
Professor and Head of Urban Design at the School of Planning and Architecture of New Delhi, his work focuses on the development of cities, and more specifically on the inclusion and conservation of heritage buildings in modern urban spaces. Founder and president of the Institute of Urban Designers, he teaches classes such as “Urban Morphology” and “Humanizing Cities”. Under these baroque terms, there is a necessary architectural, geographical and sociological assessment of the explosion of urban landscapes. Amidst the obvious anomie in the development of Indian cities, KT Ravindran offers theoretical and practical solutions to the architectural and geopolitical issues which have appeared in the last two decades.
He was the founder and president of the Institute of Urban Designers, India, vice-chairman of the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee of the Government of India, chairman of the Delhi Urban Art Commission, dean emeritus at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) School of Built Environment, Noida, and was also one of the five members on the Advisory Board, drawn from around the world, on the UN project in New York.
Pradeep Sachdeva
His pioneering work in the planning of Public Spaces and the design of streets is visible in throughout the country. His firm PSDA is an award winning architecture and urban design practice based in New Delhi.
Pradeep Sachdeva, the award-winning, New Delhi-based architect who was well known for designing several landmark public spaces in the capital city, passed away at the age of 62 on May 31. He was considered one of India’s foremost designers of urban spaces. The iconic and popular Dilli Haat at INA Market, Garden of Five Senses in Said-ul-Ajaib, and Emporia Plaza at Baba Kharak Singh Marg are some his most interesting contributions to New Delhi.
Sachdeva’s work, however, transcended architecture. He often said his intention was to capture the soul of the place and allow the common man to enjoy an aesthetic he may not have access to in a wildly developing city such as New Delhi. Sachdeva certainly achieved his goal, for he will always be remembered as the man who, keeping inclusiveness and accessibility as a priority, created several beautiful spaces in the city.
Sheila Sri Prakash
Sheila Sri Prakash is an internationally acclaimed Architect, Urban Designer, and Sustainability Expert, who founded Shilpa Architects Planners Designers in 1979. Builders, Architects and Building Materials (BAM), in association with CII Real Estate & Building Technology Exhibition, has conferred upon her the Lifetime Achievement in the field of Architecture Award 2019 for her outstanding achievements and contribution to sustainable design thinking and the growth of Indian real estate sector. She is considered as one of India’s leading architects and is counted among the most influential female architects in the world today, having designed and completed over 1200 architectural projects, many of which are known for use of local arts, culture and heritage as inspiration for her designs.
She is the founder of Shilpa Architects and is the first woman in India to have started and operated her own architectural practice. She is also a bharathantyam dancer, musician, and a passionate patron of the Arts.
Bimal Patel
Dr. Bimal Patel is an architect, urbanist and academic who has traversed disciplinary, professional and institutional boundaries to explore the ways in which architecture, urban design and urban planning can enrich the lives of people in India’s cities. He heads HCP as its Chairman and Managing Director. Bimal received a Diploma in Architecture from the CEPT, Ahmedabad, in 1984. He received a Master’s in Architecture and a Masters in City Planning in 1988 and a PhD in City and Regional Planning in 1995 from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1996, Bimal founded Environmental Planning Collaborative (EPC), a not-for-profit consultancy and policy-research and advocacy organization. Since 2012, he has also been heading CEPT University as President. His work has won numerous awards, including the Padma Shri in 2019, which is amongst the highest civilian honors conferred by the President of India.
Dikshu C. Kukreja
Dikshu C. Kukreja is the Managing Principal Architect of C. P. Kukreja Architects. He received his B. Arch Honours as a Gold Medalist from School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi, India. He attended the prestigious Taliesin Fellowship at Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, USA and received his Masters of Architecture & Urban Design from Harvard University. He was elected the founding Vice President of Asia GSD, which grew to become one of the largest student organizations at Harvard University.
He has worked in India, France and USA and has lectured and taught at institutions both, in India and abroad. He has been Guest Writer for The Times of India and Hindustan Times newspapers on Urban Issues and featured by CNBC TV on the programme ‘Young Turks’. He was selected as Cultural Ambassador by Govt. of Finland. He is Member, Governing Body, Sushant School of Art & Architecture and elected as the youngest President of Harvard Club of India and the first architect to achieve this distinction. His firm CPKA has been consecutively ranked amongst the top 100 Architecture firms in the world and the Top 5 in Asia.
Rahul Mehrotra
Rahul Mehrotra (b.1959) is an architect, urbanist and educator who is the Founder Principal of RMA Architects and is Professor of Urban Design and Planning at the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Mehrotra has designed projects that range from recycling urban land and master planning in Mumbai to the design of art spaces, boutiques, weekend houses, factories, social institutes and office buildings across India – thereby engaging diverse issues, multiple constituencies and varying scales: from interior design and architecture to urban design, conservation and planning.
He studied at the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad graduated with a Master’s Degree in Urban Design with distinction from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard (1987). Apart from his engagement with the design of buildings, Mehrotra has been actively involved in civic and urban affairs in Mumbai, having served on commissions for historic preservation and environmental issues, with various neighborhood groups. He was the Executive Director (1994–2004) of the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), where he is now a Trustee and has taught at the University of Michigan (2003–2007) and at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at MIT (2007–2010).
Brinda Somaya
Brinda Somaya(born 28 June 1949) is an Indian architect and urban conservationist. She later joined the Cathedral & John Connon School’s science program. Somaya won 1966 a prestigious American Field Service International Scholarship to study in the United States (North Carolina). Afterwards, she was highly inspired to take up architecture. In 1967, she returned to India and completed her Bachelor of Architecture from Sir J.J. School of Architecture in Mumbai, graduating in 1971. Somaya chose to return to the U.S. and joined Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she graduated in 1973 with a Masters of Arts degree. She attended a short design course at Cornell University in 1972.
She is an architect and urban conservationist who has merged architecture, conservation and social equity in projects ranging from institutional campuses and rehabilitation of a village impacted by an earthquake, to the restoration of an 18th century cathedral. She founded SNK in 1978.
Arunava Dasgupta
Arunava Dasgupta is an architect and urban designer currently engaged as Head of the urban design program in the Department of Urban Design at School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. As founder member and Vice President of the Institute of Urban Designers – India (IUDI), Dasgupta has been actively promoting the idea of holistic urban design while creating alternative development frameworks using community participation as a central tool for local area design. He is presently an expert member of the State Heritage Advisory Committee of Himachal Pradesh and the Heritage Conservation Committee of NCT, Delhi.
Dasgupta has been involved in multiple projects at urban scale for a range of Indian cities as adviser and consultant to various state and municipal government agencies. The projects include urban redevelopment and renewal schemes, multi-transit mobility nodes, local area planning and design, riverfront and ecosystem rejuvenation, social infrastructure and techno-spatial solutions among many others. He is presently the Project Coordinator (India) for the UTFORSK funded joint project on Smart and Sustainable City-regions in partnership with NTNU Trondheim, Norway as well as the Principal Investigator of Design Innovation Projects on Climate and Housing Form as well as on Eco-smart Infrastructure for Less-catered Communities funded by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
In terms of the academic arena, Arunava is currently involved in initiating Urban Form Labs within the Center for Urban Design Innovation (CUDi) for developing interdisciplinary, experimental, research-by-design methodologies that encourage exploration by students as citizen designers while theoretical pursuits revolve around contemporary discourses concerning urban transformation and city futures.
Ujan Ghosh
Ujan Ghosh did his undergraduate studies in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi in 1975. After working for two years in Delhi, he went to the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia where he completed Master of Architecture and Master of City Planning in Urban Design. He worked for a few years in the USA before coming back to India and joining Upal Ghosh Associates as a partner. Since then, he has been practicing architecture and urban design in various parts of the country. He is also a visiting professor at SPA, New Delhi, and has been teaching Urban Design for the last 34 years. He was nominated to the Senate of SPA, Bhopal, and has been a member of the Board of Studies in different departments of SPA, New Delhi. He is the founder member of the Institute of Urban Designers-India and it’s former President.
Ranjit Mitra
A career spanning over 40 years, largely devoted to academics, professional practice and research and continuing post-retirement, in the field of urbanism, urban design and urban research. Have been a member of several Statutory, Governmental and Educational positions of eminence enabling a varied experience of governance and assistance in matters related to urban affairs, conservation and the environment; such as AICTE, CII Educational Council, Environmental Assessment Committee of the Delhi Government, Director SPA Vijayawada etc. Delhi Urban Art Commission, Indian Design Council, , Institute of Urban Designers India, etc.
Retired as Head of the Department of Urban Design in September 2014 at the end of my tenure at the School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi (SPA) which I joined in 1990, a premier institution of the Government of India, held the position of its Director from November 2007 to November 2010. I have also had the privilege of being appointed as Visiting professor in the faculty of Built Environment at the University of New South Wales, Australia and at the centre for South Asian Studies at the Institute of Geography University of Cologne, Germany.
Shimul Javeri Kadri
Shimul Javeri Kadri is an Indian architect and Urban Planner who is the founder of SJK Architects, an architectural firm in the city of Mumbai, India, a firm that values culture and climate and builds gently in the context.
A woman with a mission she uses her 5 foot nothing frame to pursue her causes – building naturally and lightly, and supporting equality through education and feminism.
The added responsibilities as an occasional writer, jurist, speaker, and teacher result from her overwhelming desire to present, engage, and discuss her passions and concerns of 32 years of practice!
Kiran Kalamdani
Having completed over 200 projects of various sizes our most prestigious and successful works include New Annexe at Council Hall premises; Conservation of the Council Hall Building; ‘Revitalizing Environs of Shaniwarwada Pune’, Recycling Vishrambagwada, School for Maharashtra Vidya Mandal at Law College Road, and some of the ongoing projects are the Ghats at Pandharpur for the pilgrims; Memorial for Savitribai Phule at Mahatma Phule Peth and Conservation of Tulshibag, Theur Ganpati Mandir, Kalewada at Baramati etc.
Prasanna Desai
After spending more than 30 years in Delhi, Prasanna Desai moved to Pune in 1990 where he currently runs an architecture practice which is involved with urban design issues emphasising the role of an architect in the public domain.
He is also the Director at P.V.P. College of Architecture, Pune and has been the guiding force in the establishment of Forum for Exchange & Excellence in Design FEED, an academic platform for students and architects in Pune. Prasanna holds degrees in architecture and urban design from SPA Delhi.
For the last decade, Prasanna Desai Architects have been involved in the designing of streets as social spaces with peoples’ participation. These efforts have led to numerous success stories of well-designed and implemented streets in India, where these streets have turned into vibrant public spaces for the neighborhood & have helped in resolving conflicts and improving the character & quality of life.
Tanuja & Sanjay Kanvinde
Tanuja Kanvinde’s early inclination towards architecture as a career could be linked to her grandfather (who was an art teacher) and her love for drawing. Likewise, her husband and partner Sanjay Kanvinde’s environs being around his father, one of the pioneers of modern Indian architecture Padmashri late Achyut P Kanvinde, exposed him to the world of architecture from an early age. This reinforced his choice to take up B.Arch from SPA, Delhi, followed by a three-month stint with Morad Chowdhury and a Master’s in Urban Design at Rice University, Houston.
Sanjay Kanvinde, an Architect and Urban Designer by training is presently a senior partner with Kanvinde Rai & Chowdhury. He has an experience of over 40 years in the field of architecture, after completing an undergraduate degree in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Rice University, Houston.
Mahesh Waghdhare
Mahesh Waghdhare is a Co-Founder of StudioPOD, an international Urban Design, and Planning firm based in Mumbai. He has over 17 years of architectural, urban design and city planning experience in both public and private sector. Their projects indulge with the individuals and also attract the mass at the same time; stirred with the characteristics of designing for people and engaging their perspectives in the lives of a commoner, to assemble the habitat, and shaping the foreground for future city planning.
Vidya Mohankumar
Vidhya Mohankumar is an architect and urban designer with 17 years of work experience in India, Ireland and the United States. Her work is focused on creating cities that are people-oriented and centred around transit as part of a sustainable development agenda that she is passionate about. Her approach is driven by research that is grounded and intersectional as a way to understand the everyday urbanism of cities.
With clientele ranging from state governments, urban local bodies, county/town councils, private sector entities and NGOs, her urban design projects exhibit a wide variety with master plans for cities, towns, station areas, harbour areas and their environs as well as redevelopment plans for town centres, city public spaces and brownfield sites. She has also been involved in several strategic planning projects, regional plans, local area plans, campus master plans and urban design studies for existing developments in various cities around the world.
Arun Rewal
Experienced and Celebrated Star Architect, Urban Designer and Planner. Visionary with a demonstrated history of designing and structuring cutting edge projects in Architecture, Urban Design and Planning.
Arun Rewal’s diverse archtectural realizations include Lecoanet Hemant Factory + Office building complex in Gurugram, the Caparo – Ayatti International Centre Complex in Greater Noida, Computer Science Center and Engineering Complex,IIT Bombay, Vasant Kunj Gurdwara in Delhi, Church Services Complex at Cathedral of Redemption, Retreat on the Ganges, New Haryana Bhawan Complex, Delhi Phase 2 Development for Laxman Public School, Delhi and Abohar Housing Precinct.
Sujata Hingorani and Akash Hingorani
Sujata Hingorani and Akash Hingorani are the Principal Landscape Architect and Co-Founding Partner in Oasis Designs Inc. which is a Multi-disciplinary firm dealing mainly in urban level projects like Parks, Streetscapes, Urban plazas etc.
From the beginning of their career, they has been involved in various urban level projects. Their firm Oasis Designs firm has been engaged in various scales of projects, ranging from Planning New TOD Townships, Smart Cities, Streetscapes, Public Landscapes and Plazas, in addition to the regular private commissions. The work integrates Sustainable Urban Design Concepts into Creating Vibrant Public Realms and ecologically sensitive Urban Spaces.
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