PAST EDITIONS JURY 15.0
GRAND FINALE
MANIT RASTOGI
Founding Partner, Morphogenesis Managing Partner, Morphogenesis Education BArch, AADipl (Hons), GradDiplDist(AA)(London), FRSA, FIIA RIBA Chartered Architect Manit Rastogi is the Founding Partner of Morphogenesis, one of the largest Architectural Firms in India and listed among the top 100 Architectural Firms globally. The firm has recently been awarded copyright for its Design Process, SOUL©, an acronym for Sustainable, Optimised, Unique, and Liveable.
Manit has had a significant influence on the emerging generation of Indian architects. He is a leading speaker in Sustainable design and has lectured at numerous reputed universities and Conferences worldwide. A winner of over 110 global awards and an author of 850+ publications and journals, he is a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects, the Royal Society of Arts, and a Chartered Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Manit s commitment to sustainable environments goes beyond the realm of architecture practice. He is a founder member of The GRIHA Council, India s own Green rating system. He works with urban policymakers to spearhead initiatives with an emphasis on environmental and socio-cultural sustainability. Manit s work and advocacy efforts have been instrumental in initiating a policy change by the Government of India.
Kiran Kapadia
Kiran Kapadia is an architect and urban designer. He received his Bachelor s degree in architecture from the School of Architecture (CEPT), Ahmedabad. He then went on to pursue a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from The Graduate School of Degree, Harvard University, USA. He founded Kapadia Associates in 1992 and over the past 27 years Kiran has guided and nurtured the practice, which has grown steadily over the years. The firm is widely recognized and has won numerous professional awards.
Kiran is actively involved in academics and has served as visiting faculty at Kamla Raheja Institute of Architecture, Academy of Architecture, Mumbai and Faculty of Architecture CEPT University, Ahmedabad. He is currently a member of the Academic Council at the School of Environment and Architecture (SEA), Mumbai.
Kiran is also a passionate long distance runner having run numerous half and full marathons both in India and abroad. Kiran has completed five out of six marathon majors and has achieved a good for age qualification for the Boston Marathon in 2020 – his last marathon major. Kiran advises colleagues and friends for their marathon training and uses running as a means to collect funds for charitable organizations.
ARUNJOT SINGH
Arunjot Singh Bhalla is a 1988 graduate from Chandigarh College of Architecture and a 1994 Post graduate in Architecture and Urbanism from MIT, USA. He is a Registered Architect, Council of Architecture; International Associate, American Institute of Architects and Fellow, Indian Institute of Architects. In his extensive over 30 years experience as an Urban Designer and Architect in India and internationally, he has worked on a wide range of projects ranging from mixed use developments to IT Campuses, Commercial, Retail, Residential developments and Interiors. Besides winning several academic awards and prestigious research grants, he has also delivered lectures at various Public forums.
Arunjot was associated with RSP Singapore for 3 years as key member of its design team. In 1996, he joined RSP India and leads its team of over 400 professionals across 5 offices in the country. As one of the founding professionals of RSP India, Arunjot has been fully involved in all aspects of the companys growth. His role today encompasses administration, corporate development and design with emphasis on strategy and planning.
NORTH Regional Jury
Paromita Roy
Paromita (Romi) Roy is an architect, urban designer with over 20 years of experience leading/implementing large scale projects in Asia, Africa, Europe, Russia, United States & Middle East, integrating urban planning with infrastructure & resource management, sustainable mobility, built-form design & economic viability at various scales, embodying a multidisciplinary approach to urban design. She is a specialist and expert in Transit Oriented Development. Romi is on deputation to Indian Railways Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) looking after the redevelopment of 100 Railway Stations in India as World Class Stations as per National TOD Policy, under the Prime Minister’s Program. She is also Knowledge Partner & Member of the High Powered Committee for Traffic Management of Delhi, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India; and a Board member of Directors of Gwalior Smart City Development Corporation Limited (GSCDCL) and Member of the Committee for Parking Policy constituted by Lt. Governor of Delhi.
Her parent Department is Delhi Development Authority (DDA), under Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Govt. of India, where she served for 8 years at the Unified Traffic & Transportation Infrastructure Planning & Engineering Centre (UTTIPEC), the statutory approval authority for Transportation projects in Delhi under the DDA. Before that, she worked for 7 years in the United States & China, with leading international firms – ARUP group & Calthorpe Associates. Romi’s key Projects include Pedestrianization & Urban Design of Karol Bagh (Delhi); formulation of TOD Policy of Delhi’s Master Plan (adopted as National TOD Policy in 2016); Formulation of Multi- modal Integration Policy and implementation at 64 metro stations of Delhi Metro Phase-3 (2018); inception of the first Street Design Guidelines of India for UTTIPEC in 2009 (adopted later into National IRC Codes upto 2019); and co-authoring the Decongestion Plan for Delhi for MoHUA & various IRC Road Design Codes. These works have paved the way for a paradigm shift in urban design in India over the coming years. Romi’s interests include travelling and people watching in public spaces
Neeraj Manchanda
Neeraj Manchanda is Managing Partner at NMA, a highly regarded and award-winning architectural design practice based in New Delhi. His work focuses on progressive, sustainable planning and design for education, hospitality, healthcare and residential developments which to date are spread across fourteen Indian states, Nepal and Vietnam. NMA has worked collaboratively with India’s leading organizations and institutions in innovating to create exciting new environments.
Neeraj is recognized as one of India’s leading Architects, and has lectured and presented at various national and international forums in the US, UK, Canada and Germany. He has taught at the TVB School of Habitat Studies and the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. He has contributed centrally to pioneering social development projects pertaining to health and education in India and was responsible for creating India’s first office-building built in raw-earth blocks and associated sustainable technologies and techniques.
Neeraj’s and NMA’s work has earned recognition from institutions such as the Indian Institute of Architects and the French Institute of Architects, and through awards including IIA & Times of India Excellence award for Institutional Architecture 2020, Intex Award 2019, ‘Architectural Practice of the Year Award – Design for Education’ in 2012 and the national award at IIID in 2011 etc., through competition-winning projects and, most importantly, through a positive acceptance of physical environments by their users and inhabitants. Before setting up NMA in 1990, Neeraj was the Lead Architect at the ‘Shelter Group’ of the ‘Society for Development Alternatives’. Neeraj earned his professional degree from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi in 1985.
Gurpreet Shah
Ar. Gurpreet Singh Shah, Principal Architect, M.S in Urban Design and recipient of William Kinne Fellowship award, Columbia University, New York, gained his early experience while associated with International Architects of repute in USA. Here he led the development of future campus planning frameworks for Indiana University, Bloomington and Princeton University, New Jersey and was involved in Master Planning of Washington D.C. Vision 2025 as well as the urban design proposal for dual cities of Bucharest and Costanta in Romania. He revolutionized the scale and methodology and expanded the boundaries of practice globally. He has more than a decade of local and international architecture and urban design experience. With his vision to deliver a new generation of Global Infrastructure, Mass Transit Facilities like Airports, Metro Stations and Railways, Housing projects, Educational Campuses including the First Smart City School in Kochi, and Health Environments that are sustainable and also give a world class user experience, Ar. Shah has pioneered sustainable infrastructure designs in India.
WEST Regional Jury
Prasanna Wategaonkar
Ar. Wategaonkar holds a degree in interior design from Rachna Sansad School of Interior Design (1991) and a degree in architecture from Rachna Sansad Academy of Architecture (1995). He has over two decades of experience in architecture planning and design, and interior design. He has extensively worked on conceiving his detailed design sketches to develop, construct and manage varied projects in multiple sectors including residential, industrial, IT malls, parks and multiplexes.
Nikul Shah
Nikul is a creative and accomplished architect with an award winning and diverse portfolio and over 6 years of international experience, working with world renowned designers and clients spanning three continents. His exposure in practice in the U.S. and at INI in India has given him a broad perspective of different cultures and their attitude towards design. Nikul’s experience includes interior design and space planning of various project types. He has also developed a specialized expertise in the design and detailing of exterior façade systems. His work includes many large-scale projects ranging from conceptual design to construction administration. He is conversant with several building/project types and construction types. Some of the most notable projects include High Rise, Luxury Hotels and Residences, Corporate Offices, Airports, Institutions, Schools, High End Single Family Residences and Vacation Homes in the U.S., Middle-East and India. His educational specialization in architectural visualization and his expertise in architectural photography add yet another dimension to his creativity.
Nikul approaches each design with a view to understand the project’s role and its potential effect on the surrounding built environment. He truly believes that each design should create added value for the client as well as for the community and the end user.
Vinayak Thorat
Naveen joined Edifice in 2005 and his current role is that of a Vertical Head. Naveen feels that design should be visual in nature with emphasis on spatial volumes, massing and user comfort. It should be functional and climatically responsive, with the client requirement in perspective. Naveen constantly updates himself on the emerging trends in Architecture via the internet, by attending seminars, and reading up on architecture-related books. Cricket is his favorite sport and it is evident by his position as the captain of the Edifice cricket team.
EAST Regional Jury
Shakuntala Ghosh
Shakuntala Ghosh is Principal Architect and Partner of M/s. Ghosh, Bose & Associates (GBA), Architects, an awarding winning Architectural and Engineering Consultancy Firm established in 1963. The firm is privileged to have some of the most reputed public and private sector companies in India among its Clientele and has over the years built up a diverse portfolio of sustainable projects, ranging from educational, institutional, commercial, residential, health care and interiors. Environmentally sustainable architecture is a major focus of Ms Ghosh’s work and she has been actively involved with the Green Building movement since its inception.
Ar. Ghosh is Chairperson of IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) Kolkata Chapter and an IGBC Accredited Professional. She is an ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code) Master Trainer by BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency). Ar. Ghosh was on the Technical Advisory Committee to the Government of India for developing Rating Systems for Green Buildings. Sustainable Cities is an area in which Ar. Ghosh has developed deep practical knowledge. She was instrumental in developing a matrix of key parameters for which New Town, Kolkata was recognized as India’s First Platinum Rated Satellite City. She is also an Accredited EIA Coordinator for Townships under QCI / NABET Accreditation Scheme. On a larger scale, she has contributed to thought leadership in Green Building and Sustainable Development at a National and Asia Pacific Regional level. She has conducted outreach and awareness platforms to connect all the stakeholders, in the developmental spectrum. More importantly, she has reached out to the next generation through Schools and Colleges to carry the sustainable movement forward into the critical decades ahead.
Debmalya Guha
Graduated from Jadavpur University in 2001 with a Bachelor Degree in Architecture, he began his career by winning design completion for revival of the historic Star Theatre Project, in Kolkata. Thereafter he obtained the degrees in Masters in City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Landscape Urbanism from Harvard in 2009. He received the prestigious Spaulding Fellowship from MIT for outstanding performance and scholarships from Taraknath Das foundation and Prafulla Mukerjee foundation. After working with Cannon Design in Boston for 2 years, joined PACE Consultants and led the team to win several competitions, such as Senior habitat of HIDCO and Cinema Centenary Building of PWD.
His university project The Neotia University, won the State Architect of the year award by JK Cement(2018). He designed the prestigious gallery for Tagore’s Nobel Prize at Shantiniketan, which won the Indian Institute of Interior Designer’sexcellence awards and Creative design award by Glitz magazinge. The design of eco-friendly resort, Sana Beach at Mandarmoni won in Hospitality Category at Smart Green Awards- 2016 and Leisure and Recreation category at Konstrukt 2.0. Under his leadership Pace Consultants has been awarded the best regional architect award twice by CWAB magazine.
VIVEK RATHORE
Principal Architect and founder of Salient Design Studio, he is a graduate of Indian Institute of technology (IIT) Roorkee. From its inception he has steered the design processes for every project in the studio, to drive it towards design excellence. At core, Mr Rathore is guided by values of Indian Culture and Patriotism. His principle of Sustainable design and responsibilities towards community and client are well understood in large commercial projects, hospitality projects and public places.
His pursuance of dharma through design has driven many clients to interpret the architecture as a sensible response to a society in need than architecture for greed. He is also the pioneer to introduce the concepts of Biophilic (in love with nature) design in architecture. The works of Mr. Vivek Rathore have been internationally and nationally recognized with many awards for design excellence and sustainability. He is a visiting faculty at IIT- Roorkee. He has also been participating as an honorary panelist for dynamic discussions on sustainable development across the media programs in the city
His university project The Neotia University, won the State Architect of the year award by JK Cement(2018). He designed the prestigious gallery for Tagore’s Nobel Prize at Shantiniketan, which won the Indian Institute of Interior Designer’sexcellence awards and Creative design award by Glitz magazinge. The design of eco-friendly resort, Sana Beach at Mandarmoni won in Hospitality Category at Smart Green Awards- 2016 and Leisure and Recreation category at Konstrukt 2.0. Under his leadership Pace Consultants has been awarded the best regional architect award twice by CWAB magazine.
SOUTH Regional Jury
Srinivas Murthy
Srinivas Murthy G, a leading architecture and design consultant with a worldwide arena of professional engagement, is the founder and principal architect of his studio practice named SMG Design Inc. Srinivas Murthy G, graduated with distinction from the School of Planning and Architecture,
New Delhi in 1991. Popularly known as SMG, he is a founding board member of the world Association of Architecture Organisations (AAO) Chicago, a network of like minded design organisations dedicated to enhancing public dialogue about architecture and design. He was awarded the Award of Excellence 2017 by the Government of Telangana, for a year long programme of Architecture for Social Equity- heritage walks for school children. He was conferred the Fellow of IGBC award by IGBC in 2019.
Arun Nalapat
Arun Nalapat is an architect educated in India and the US with over 25 years of experience in Architecture and design. After graduating with a Masters in architecture, he worked with HDR Inc., Omaha, USA, one of the largest AE firms in the world and with BWBR Architects, St.Paul, Minnesota. In 1995 he founded Arun Nalapat Architects, a Bangalore based design practice doing a wide variety of projects across India, the Middle East and North Africa. The firm offers design services in residential, commercial, hospitality and institutional projects apart from healthcare.
With a portfolio comprising many hospitals of various scales and categories, the practice has also been recognised in various fora for design excellence both in India and abroad. The firm has won numerous national and international awards including the 2011 Decade of Design – Middle East ( IIDA ) for the best healthcare project in the Middle East and the AIT Award 2012 (Frankfurt, Germany). Nalapat also is a columnist / writer with interests in the built environment and the human experience, apart from dabbling in poetry, short fictions and translation.
C S Raghuram
Mr. C.S.Raghuram is a Director at C R Narayana Rao Consultants, a multi-disciplinary Architectural and Engineering consultancy firm with an extensive portfolio in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. As part of the third generation of the founding family, he has a dual Masters Degree in Architecture and Construction Management from the University of Illinois with specialization in Design and Technology Integration. Added to that, he carries extensive work experience both abroad and in India. Among his many awards is the Images Commercial Complex Award for South India and the Design Excellence and Sustainability Award from Dun-Bradstreet for the DANFOSS India Project. Professional work alone does not keep him busy. The School of Architecture, Anna University and MEASI Academy have Mr. Raghuram as a Visiting Faculty.
As founding trustee of Namma Mylapore, he has a strong interest in showcasing traditional architecture and the heritage of Mylapore. His interest in Travel has led him to write Travel pieces for leading newspapers. He is also part of the team assisting
