Soumini is the founding partner and Director of Research at Studio Commune, a collaborative de-sign studio in Kerala. In her academic career she attempts to see design beyond a linear narra-tive, and as an on-going process of co-evolution encompassing dialogue and negotiation between society, culture, and environment. She has an undergraduate degree in Architecture from College of Engineering Trivandrum (2006), master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from CEPT University Ahmedaba Read More d (2008), and Ph.D. from CEPT University Ahmedabad (2016). Since 2008, she has collaborated with various national and international organizations including NGOs and academic institutions to further her industry practice, research and academic interests. Her current research intersects feminist architectural pedagogy, urban ecology and the nature of exclusions. She is also a canine activist and a trained Kathakali artist.

 




Afifa Nuzhat is an Architect with a specialization in Heritage Conservation. She received her postgraduate degree (M.Arch) in Architectural Conservation from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and her undergraduate degree (B.Arch.) in Architecture from Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Her Teaching and Research interests revolve around Built Heritage, Indian Cultural Landscapes, Traditional Architectural Knowledge Systems, Archit Read More ectural Theory, and its linkages to Humanities, which has been nourished and refined through her experience as an architect and academician.

She is the co-founder and Principal Architect of Brown Caravan, a firm based in Calicut and Manjeri. Their residential project ​‘The tropical Abode’ was recognized nationally as one of the top 4 shortlisted final entries for the ‘IIA National Awards for Excellence in Architecture’ in 2018. She was awarded the ‘Pidilite Award for Excellence’ in 2013. She worked with Incubis Pvt. Ltd., Delhi where she was involved in interior design projects. She has worked with Saythu, Bengaluru on conservation projects. After her post-graduation, she worked as an Architectural conservation consultant for INTACH, Bengaluru chapter. She was actively involved in the restoration of Fort High school, and Sajjan Rao Chaultry in Bengaluru. She was also one of the leading members to carry out the listing for Frazer Town, Bengaluru. She was involved in Tourism Destination Development projects for the Karnataka tourism department. She has also conducted several heritage walks and documentation workshops.

She has been a Guest faculty at NIT, Calicut, and CMR University, Bengaluru. Prior to joining Avani Institute of design, she was an Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture and planning, NIT, Calicut. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Avani Institute of Design and a member of the first-year integrated studio team.

Her philosophy as an educator is to provide a holistic-based education that sensitizes the students to the reality of their professional environment and exposes them to the concerns of people in that professional environment. She firmly believes that it is important that the values of the cultural heritage is taught to the upcoming architects and tries to inculcate this ability to address crucial issues confronting our built heritage resources through her teaching practice.

She is an active Associate Member of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) Calicut Centre and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).




Ambili is an assistant professor with 7 years of experience in teaching.  She earned her master’s in advanced design from Manipal University after her bachelor’s in architecture from TKM college of Engineering, Kollam.

Ambili specialises in training young architects in the subjects of landscape, interior design and building construction. She believes that a teacher must continuously reflect on one's own practice with open-mindedness, adaptability and innovation. Read More Ambili is also a trained classical dancer and likes to sketch in her free time.

 




Being part of the architecture teaching fraternity for over 5 years, Anjali attempts to emphasize mental health and create a dialogue on its terms on the field.

She has an undergraduate degree in architecture (2014) and post-graduation in planning, specialization in housing (2016), both from Govt. College of Engineering, Trivandrum.

Being closely associated with first years, her interests lie in the comprehensive learning outlook for a foundation studio. She is passionate Read More about working with the medium of clay and is in the process of venturing into the development of the line of curated handmade products.




Anshu George is a permanent faculty at Avani with a passion for teaching. Having completed her masters in Infrastructure Engineering from PSG, Coimbatore, she has handled various civil engineering related subjects at colleges in Kochi and Pondicherry. She has a keen interest in environmental engineering wherein solutions may be developed to environmental problems in the areas of public health, waste disposal, water and air pollution control. She received the University Gold Medal at bachelors Read More level and also the Best Project Award at master’s level for her thesis on Colour Removal from Textile Effluents using Nano-technology.




Athira Balakrishnan is a graduate of the M.Arch in Architectural Design program from CEPT, Ahmedabad and holds an undergraduate degree from NIT, Trichy. She has worked for two years with Studio XS, a design firm based in Bangalore, and continues to practice alongside her partner with a set of projects up in their portfolio. Her internship at SJA, Kochi is what she believes has sparked the curiosity in architectural pedagogy and practice. Athira finds her interest in exploring the evocative po Read More tential of architecture, extended by both academic dialogues and an ideologically aligned architectural practice.




An architect and urban designer by qualification, Monisha gained her initial professional experience while working on various residential and commercial projects at A. K. Ganju and Associates, New Delhi. She completed her graduation from Mohamed Sathak School of Architecture, Ramanathapuram and her post-graduation from College of Engineering Trivandrum. As a passionate urbanist and researcher, she has had the opportunity to explore space politics within cities through her Master's thesis Read More titled Urban Democracy through Places of Power, Politics and Identity - Case of Panaji. Her other areas of research interest include gender, economic and governance policies in the urban context.




Rajina Rahiman is an architect and urban designer with an undergraduate degree from MES School of Architecture, Kuttipuram and post graduate from University School of Design, Mysore. Having briefly worked with Collaborative Architecture & Mohandas Kalipurayath and Associates, Rajina has been invested in teaching for the past 14years. She has been instrumental in infrastructure development, bringing about academic excellence, and the vision setting of the institution worked prior to joinin Read More g Avani. Rajina believes in theory-based approaches in design studios, with the need for interdisciplinary studies. Her research revolves around concepts of new urbanism; with a keen interest in assessing the walkability of streets in the Indian context.

 




Sanjay Veerakumar is the co-founding architect of Firsthand Practice, a conducive online practice that aims to collate the processes of inhabitation in architecture. He graduated from SPA, Vijayawada and continued to pursue professional practice. During the five years of his professional tenure, he has associated with practices like CnT Architects, Zero Studio, Insight Architects, SJA and Aambit Architects on various projects that span diversely in scale and prospects, which sets the foundati Read More on for his professional calibre.

In pedagogy, Sanjay extends his interest in phenomenology and sensorial design to sculpt the character and methodology of his approach.

He's a self-taught musician and finds joy in composing tunes in Indian pop and Indian semi-classical genres. One might find him air-guitaring or air-keyboarding when he's in a muted grove.

 




After his graduation in architecture from Sathyabama University, Chennai, Sebastian started his career at Pithavadian and Partners, Chennai in 2011 and joined Blocher Partners India, Ahmedabad in 2016. During his professional practice, he materialized several commercial, institutional, industrial and residential projects spread across different parts of the country. A postgraduate in Interior Design and Architecture from CEPT University, Ahmedabad, he has specialized in Indian crafts and Tech Read More nologies. He is passionate about furniture making. At Avani, he is a key member of the team that works closely with first-year students as they get their introduction to the field of architecture. He has a keen interest in model making and routinely conducts workshops at design schools.

 




Thushara is an Architect and Urban Designer, with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, and a Masters's degree in Architecture specializing in Urban Design from The University School of Design, University of Mysore. Her work experience covers a broad range: She has worked with Ar. Sathya Prakash Varanashi at Sathya Consultants Bangalore and has also practiced with internationally renowned firms in Dubai, UAE. She has teaching experience in In Read More dia and abroad: She has taught at The University School of Design and at Birla Institute of Technology Offshore campus at Ras-al-Khaimah, UAE before joining Avani in 2017.

Over the past years, her academic practice and research has always revolved around the strong inner sense that architecture is for society. She considers research/ design as an opportunity to collaboratively engage with the unique challenges of the society through responsive and sensitive architecture, thus performing a crucial social responsibility as a professional and citizen. Her broader spectrum of inquiry is based on the Sociology of life and human interactions in the urban realm. This has set the platform for her in exploring her interest in these two categories: Questions on Urban Reinvention, Revitalization, Indigenous urbanism and the dynamics of Spaces of Learning. ​Her Master thesis titled “Reinstating the Essence of the City Core of Kozhikode- Through Reinventing the Public Realm” explores the possibilities of recreating the identity of the place through connecting and activating the public spaces.​Currently working on a research paper which traverses the levels of human interactions along the street edges and the threshold spaces, in the context of Calicut city core.

She also has a true passion for performing arts and literature.




Ar. Varun Gopal graduated from T.K.M College Engineering, Kollam and completed his master's from the University of Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

Prior to his masters, he worked with Mozaic design combines, Goa and NO Architects, Kerala. An alumnus of the ‘Architecture for society’ program formulated by architect Aldo Rossi , Varun has been part of multiple state-funded projects across Europe dealing with society, heritage and urbanism which includes the likes of &lsq Read More uo;Riformare Milano's,‘Museumsinsel Berlin’ and ‘Viva la Pompeii ‘. His master thesis titled ‘Intrusive landscapes’ explored the possibilities of landscape urbanism as a tool and cure to aid urban regeneration.

Apart from being a faculty at AVANI, Varun also practices architecture and is an Associate architect with SOHO Architects, Calicut.




Sharan Krishnan is an Architect and Habitat Designer with around 5 years of professional experience in academics and architectural practice. He graduated in the year 2014 and worked for a leading architectural firm for a year at Cochin before pursuing his post-graduation in Habitat Design from      B M S College Of Architecture, Bangalore.

After earning his post-graduate degree, His teaching career started from TKMCE, Kollam as Assistant Professor & he w Read More orked with RSP India -Bangalore as Design Manager. His teaching and research interest revolves around design development, Innovative & cost effective housing ideas & Policies & integrated land use. 

Apart from being a faculty at AVANI, Sharan is also a practicing Architect & also the Co- founder & Principal Architect at Terrartis Architects- Kerala.




Conservation Architect and researcher, having accumulated 13 years of work experience in the field of high-profile architectural design in concept formulation, planning and detailing and teaching. A graduate from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, Devakumar has worked in various firms both, in India and abroad. A PG Diploma in traditional architecture helped him to gain knowledge about the traditional and temple architecture of Kerala. Completed M. Arch in Conservation from SPA Bhopal wi Read More th Gold Medal. Conducted heritage documentation workshop and heritage walks in Kozhikode. Presented papers in various conferences in India and abroad. He is also a recipient of the UNESCO Sahapedia Research Fellowship in 2017 for studying intangible cultural heritage of India. Currently doing PhD in conservation studies from University of York, UK on ‘Interpreting Ritualistic landscape of India; Kalamezhuthpaatt, a Case Example’.

Areas of Interest: Traditional Architecture, Architectural Research, Intangible Cultural Heritage and Documentation.

 




Tony Joseph graduated from MIT Manipal and completed his master's in design from the University of Texas, Austin, in the Charles Moore program. Interactions and travels with Moore and his views on regional architecture had a strong influence on the direction of Tony's design. He returned to India and started Stapati in 1989, which has steadily grown into a multi-disciplinary practice emphasizing values of integrity, sustainability, and innovation.




Tony Joseph graduated from MIT Manipal and completed his master's in design from the University of Texas, Austin, in the Charles Moore program. Interactions and travels with Moore and his views on regional architecture had a strong influence on the direction of Tony's design. He returned to India and started Stapati in 1989, which has steadily grown into a multi-disciplinary practice emphasizing values of integrity, sustainability, and innovation.

Tony has made a mark for hi Read More mself in the hospitality projects through his innovative and contextual designs and the hospitality projects that Stapati has designed are the most successful in their areas of operation. These include the Kumarakom Lake Resort, Kerala, which has been rated as one of the top five resorts in India, the Alila Diwa, Goa, and the Enchanted Island Resort in Seychelles, to name a few, all of which have garnered international acclaim.

His works span across a very wide spectrum, with projects ranging from urban design schemes, master planning, mixed-use developments, premium hospitality projects, commercial complexes to residences, interiors, and even product designs. Throughout all his designs is visible his unflinching commitment towards arriving at an appropriate architecture, one that respects the site and context is functionally viable and one that is inherently sustainable.

Stapati, under his able leadership, has won numerous awards and recognitions over the years and was most recently selected as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Design Firms in South Asia by Architectural Digest in 2015, the AD50. Stapati was featured in the HOT100 list by Architect & Interiors India and also in the AD50 for 2014. The 'Owner's Signature Villa at Enchanted Island Resort designed by Stapati has further been chosen as Seychelles' Leading Villa 2014 by the World Travel Awards.




Ar. Tony Joseph serves as the Chairman of the Trust named Avani Institute of Design. He is also the Chairman of the Governing Council that is the apex body of the Institute.




Brijesh is an award-winning architect with a great gift to connect people. Starting with his initial firm in 2005, today he has evolved to form a collaborative practice known as DAC. He has won various national and international awards. He was also the Immediate Past Chairman of the IIA Calicut Centre, having served from 2015 to 2017.




Vivek completed his Bachelors in Architecture from NIT, Calicut and Masters in Urban Design from the National University of Singapore. An architect committed to nature inclusive & contextually responsive designs, his firm De Earth has won various national awards. Vivek also serves as Guest Faculty at many architectural institutions including NIT Calicut.He was the Vice Chairman of IIA Calicut Centre from 2015 to 2017.




Vinod is an award-winning architect with a deep social commitment.He established his firm Space Art in the year 1997 at Calicut, and has been involved in many projects both in the private and the public domain. Space Art under his leadership is known for its commitment to environmentally sensitive design, and has won various national and international Awards. He has also served as the Chairman of the IIA Calicut Centre.








































Dean D'Cruz is actively involved both in his profession as well as in academics as a Visiting Faculty in the Goa College of Architecture since 1987. He has conducted numerous workshops and seminars on architecture, planning, and the environment in over 20 cities across India as well as in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Italy and Canada.
His works and articles have been published in leading magazines in India and abroad. Supported the Royal Art and Architecture Academy, Stockholm, Oxford Read More Brookes University,UK and PRATT University New York for their architectural and planning programs in Goa. He is a Partner and Principal Architect in MOZAIC DESIGN COMBINE', a leading design firm based in Goa, involved in Urban Intervention, Architecture, Conservation, Product, and Graphic Design.




Peter Rich has been affiliated as the Professor of Architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg for more than 30 years. Peter has worked as an architect and activist designing for indigenous communities in remote and diverse contexts.
Towards the end of apartheid and the establishment of democracy, he was engaged by the government in a crucial series of cultural heritage projects, that were key to the resurrection of the South African spirit. In 2010, in recognit Read More ion of his achievements, Peter was awarded the prestigious Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects and The South African Institute of Architects Gold Medal (the highest award for Architectural achievement in South Africa). A master of analytical sketches, his works were showcased at the prestigious Venice Biennale 2018. Peter travels extensively and settles in-between in Johannesburg where he practices.




Sanjay Mohe is the Principal Architect in 'Mindspace architects'. Sanjay has close to 40 years of extensive professional practice, working in various positions. His work has resulted in several National and International award-winning creations such as Research...
Laboratories, Knowledge Park, Campus Design, Factories, Beach Resort, Library, Corporate Offices, Hospice, and Residences. Most of his projects have been consistently featured in several Architectural journals. Sanjay Read More Mohe has been giving lectures in various Architectural schools across the Country.




Dr. Pallathucheril has a Bachelor of Architecture from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. He has two graduate degrees-the Master of City and Regional Planning and a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University.
Dr. Pallathucheril's research interests include Information systems for urban design and spatial analysis, urban design, planning, and problem-solving processes, internet-based planning support systems, and contemporary urban design m Read More ethods and learning technologies.




Professor Neelkanth Chhaya is one of India’s most important voices in Architecture Education and Practice. He has taught at the University of Nairobi, the Institute of Environmental Design at Vallabh Vidyanagar, and was a faculty member at CEPT University for over twenty-five years, from where he retired as the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture after 24 years of service. His practice both as an Educator and as Architect reflects his core commitment to culturally and environmentally se Read More nsitive design that privileges local materials and skills. A much sought-after advisor on both the teaching and practice of architecture, he also serves on the Boards of Hunnarshala and Khamir Craft Resource Centre, both of which are involved in empowering traditional knowledge and sustainable practices.




Ar. Ruturaj Parikh is Founder and Director at MATTER - an architecture, design, and publishing firm based in Goa. His work deals with architecture and curatorial projects with the idea of diversity and richness of the Indian landscape at the core of the practice. He is the former Director of the Charles Correa Foundation where he led research and public forum initiatives. Ruturaj was an editor at Indian Architect & Builder Magazine from 2010 - 2014. As an architecture firm, Matter has wor Read More ked on small and large residential, commercial, institutional, and civic projects in India with a keen interest in the design of contextually appropriate built environments. The curatorial work of matter includes research and publication of contemporary works from India on thinkmatter.in, a critical review of projects titled The Merit List, a bi-annual journal on architecture and design titled [IN]SIDE, and a range of editorial projects that include books, seminars and a national conference titled FRAME.




Vivek completed his Bachelors in Architecture from NIT, Calicut and Masters in Urban Design from National University of Singapore. An architect committed to nature inclusive & contextually responsive designs, his firm De Earth has won various national awards. Vivek also serves as Guest Faculty at many architectural institutions including NIT Calicut.




Starting with his initial firm in 2005, today Brijesh has evolved to form a collaborative practice known as DAC. He has won various national and international awards. He was also the Immediate Past Chairman of the IIA Calicut Centre, having served from 2015 to 2017.




Jomi is the Director of Administration at Avani Institute of Design. He has extensive administrative experience in the field of professional education. Committed to career development programs for youth, he also brings expertise in building sustainable institutions for such initiatives.




Tiny Philip is a business advisor who works on a long-term basis with entrepreneurs to conceptualize and implement sustainable business models in India and the GCC.
He is a recognized thought leader on business models and has gained unique expertise and experience from his work with more than 50 different industries in India and the GCC over the past two decades.
Tiny, a B.Tech from the University of Kerala did his Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) from the Indian Insti Read More tute of Management, Lucknow, and started his business advisory career in 1992.
He is also interested in Shariah-compliant business practices and is a Director in Secura Investment Management (India) Pvt Ltd, the promoter of India's first SEBI registered Shariah Compliant Real Estate Venture Capital Fund. Based on his business advisory experience, Tiny is conducting extensive practical research with his clients on how to grow a business successfully without bank loans.
Tiny also writes a regular business column for entrepreneurs called "The Contrarian Consultant" in Dhanam Magazine




Vinod is an award-winning architect with a deep social commitment.He established his firm Space Art in the year 1997 at Calicut, and has been involved in many projects both in the private and the public domain. He has also served as the Chairman of the IIA Calicut Centre.
His special interests include rural empowerment, sustainable development and eco-tourism. He is the present Chairman of IIA Calicut Chapter.




Vishnu K completed his B.Arch degree from TKMCE, Kollam in 2012 and has since been exploring the realm of architectural practice and pedagogy. He has collaborated with EGO Design studio, PLACE/Udyana (UK-based landscape firm), Studio RECYCLE BIN, and Studio ASYLUM on various architectural and research projects. He has played a significant role in reimagining the urban fabric of Trivandrum City during his period of association as a consultant architect with the Capital Region Development Progr Read More am and IL&FS from 2014 to 2018. He has been a visiting faculty at the College of Architecture Trivandrum and TKM School of Architecture, Ezhukone, and has actively participated in design pedagogies since 2015. In 2016, Vishnu co-founded Studio Commune with Dr. Soumini Raja and is presently the Director of Design. Studio Commune is a collaborative practice based out of studio spaces in Trivandrum and Calicut. Vishnu's areas of interest include Environmental psychology, design research, and tectonic investigations.




Gisny graduated from Dayananda Sagar School of Architecture. She is the Chairperson of DHARINNI - Ecology & Heritage Conservation Trust, and Principal Architect of DH_Ecological Design Solutions, based in Kerala. Having done her internship with SpaceART, she has significant experience working and being associated with COSTFORD right from the beginning of her career. This association, having exposed her to Laurie Baker and his philosophies, laid roots for her experiences in the f Read More ield of Eco Conscious Architecture with a prominent interest in Architectural Conservation. Today she is an active advocate for eco consciousness both personally and professionally. She has been teaching for the past 4 years and has an accumulated experience of 8.5 years.




William George Kennedy did Architecture at McGans Ooty School of Architecture, Nilgiris. He went on to work with studio Architecture Amalgam, Thrissur for a year where he also explored his passion for photography professionally by teaming up with DTale Decor. There, he was involved in product and furniture photography. It was his ingrained interest in detail, he took up his master's degree in Building Product Systems from CEPT University, Ahmedabad. He is passionate about hands-on modelli Read More ng, modular architecture. He also enjoys travelling, photographing, films and long talks over chai.










 




 






















 













Mr Ashar Panakkat is an engineer with an undergraduate B.Tech degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Regional Engineering College (NIT), University of Calicut. Having briefly worked for more than 30 years in the field of electrical engineering and MEP consultants, Ashar has worked as Chief Project Coordinator and Chief electrical engineer in Ian Banham and Associates, Leman Project Management Inc. and later as Director at India Operations at Specialised Engineering Consultants. Read More He is the Principal Consultant at Ashar Panakkat Consultants and has been associating with Avani Institute of Design as allied faculty since 2018.













Prof Sam Charles has a diverse career that spans over 19 years in the fields of academics, construction project management, information & document management, planning, coordination, training and development. He completed his Bachelors in Architecture from Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai in 2001 followed by Masters in Technology with specialization in Construction Engineering and Management from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal in 2003. Between 2003 and 2012, he was em Read More ployed by Jones Lang LaSalle, Cushman & Wakefield and Aconex (Australian Construction Exchange) in verticals such as project management, construction industry consulting, sales and business development. Few of his achievements include closing landmark business deals with True Value Homes, RMZ Corp, Bangalore International Airport Limited’s T1 Expansion with Larsen & Toubro ECC; and post-sales liaising with industry majors such as TATA Power Limited Coastal Gujarat Power Limited, Toshiba, Doosan, McKinsey etc. Since the end of December 2012, he has been into Academics and Academic Administration and has seen a steady growth by convening various professional development activities such as Conferences, FDP’s, Seminars, Guest Lectures etc. apart from teaching courses like Architectural Psychology, Project Management, Theory of Design, Architectural Design Studio across all levels and coordinating Architectural Thesis and Dissertation for graduate and post-graduate students. He has successfully initiated and signed MoU’s with De Montfort University, Leicester, UK and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Recently, he was invited by Prof Masa Naguchi of University of Melbourne to co-author a chapter titled “Housing Sustainability Vision in India” for the ZEMCH Design Spectrum for Sustainability in India. He has traveled extensively and has visited Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Vietnam, Srilanka and the USA for business purposes. His interests are in badminton and choral music; and at present he co-leads a choir and sings Tenor with a couple of Church Choirs.































 




 




 




 







Soumini is the founding partner and Director of Research at Studio Commune, a collaborative de-sign studio in Kerala. In her academic career she at Read More tempts to see design beyond a linear narra-tive, and as an on-going process of co-evolution encompassing dialogue and negotiation between society, culture, and environment. She has an undergraduate degree in Architecture from College of Engineering Trivandrum (2006), master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from CEPT University Ahmedabad (2008), and Ph.D. from CEPT University Ahmedabad (2016). Since 2008, she has collaborated with various national and international organizations including NGOs and academic institutions to further her industry practice, research and academic interests. Her current research intersects feminist architectural pedagogy, urban ecology and the nature of exclusions. She is also a canine activist and a trained Kathakali artist.

 

Afifa Nuzhat is an Architect with a specialization in Heritage Conservation. She received her postgraduate degree (M.Arch) in Architectural Conserv Read More ation from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and her undergraduate degree (B.Arch.) in Architecture from Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Her Teaching and Research interests revolve around Built Heritage, Indian Cultural Landscapes, Traditional Architectural Knowledge Systems, Architectural Theory, and its linkages to Humanities, which has been nourished and refined through her experience as an architect and academician.

She is the co-founder and Principal Architect of Brown Caravan, a firm based in Calicut and Manjeri. Their residential project ​‘The tropical Abode’ was recognized nationally as one of the top 4 shortlisted final entries for the ‘IIA National Awards for Excellence in Architecture’ in 2018. She was awarded the ‘Pidilite Award for Excellence’ in 2013. She worked with Incubis Pvt. Ltd., Delhi where she was involved in interior design projects. She has worked with Saythu, Bengaluru on conservation projects. After her post-graduation, she worked as an Architectural conservation consultant for INTACH, Bengaluru chapter. She was actively involved in the restoration of Fort High school, and Sajjan Rao Chaultry in Bengaluru. She was also one of the leading members to carry out the listing for Frazer Town, Bengaluru. She was involved in Tourism Destination Development projects for the Karnataka tourism department. She has also conducted several heritage walks and documentation workshops.

She has been a Guest faculty at NIT, Calicut, and CMR University, Bengaluru. Prior to joining Avani Institute of design, she was an Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture and planning, NIT, Calicut. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Avani Institute of Design and a member of the first-year integrated studio team.

Her philosophy as an educator is to provide a holistic-based education that sensitizes the students to the reality of their professional environment and exposes them to the concerns of people in that professional environment. She firmly believes that it is important that the values of the cultural heritage is taught to the upcoming architects and tries to inculcate this ability to address crucial issues confronting our built heritage resources through her teaching practice.

She is an active Associate Member of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) Calicut Centre and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

Ambili is an assistant professor with 7 years of experience in teaching.  She earned her master’s in advanced design from Manipal Univer Read More sity after her bachelor’s in architecture from TKM college of Engineering, Kollam.

Ambili specialises in training young architects in the subjects of landscape, interior design and building construction. She believes that a teacher must continuously reflect on one's own practice with open-mindedness, adaptability and innovation. Ambili is also a trained classical dancer and likes to sketch in her free time.

 

Being part of the architecture teaching fraternity for over 5 years, Anjali attempts to emphasize mental health and create a dialogue on its terms Read More on the field.

She has an undergraduate degree in architecture (2014) and post-graduation in planning, specialization in housing (2016), both from Govt. College of Engineering, Trivandrum.

Being closely associated with first years, her interests lie in the comprehensive learning outlook for a foundation studio. She is passionate about working with the medium of clay and is in the process of venturing into the development of the line of curated handmade products.

Anshu George is a permanent faculty at Avani with a passion for teaching. Having completed her masters in Infrastructure Engineering from PSG, Coim Read More batore, she has handled various civil engineering related subjects at colleges in Kochi and Pondicherry. She has a keen interest in environmental engineering wherein solutions may be developed to environmental problems in the areas of public health, waste disposal, water and air pollution control. She received the University Gold Medal at bachelors level and also the Best Project Award at master’s level for her thesis on Colour Removal from Textile Effluents using Nano-technology.

Athira Balakrishnan is a graduate of the M.Arch in Architectural Design program from CEPT, Ahmedabad and holds an undergraduate degree from NIT, Tr Read More ichy. She has worked for two years with Studio XS, a design firm based in Bangalore, and continues to practice alongside her partner with a set of projects up in their portfolio. Her internship at SJA, Kochi is what she believes has sparked the curiosity in architectural pedagogy and practice. Athira finds her interest in exploring the evocative potential of architecture, extended by both academic dialogues and an ideologically aligned architectural practice.

An architect and urban designer by qualification, Monisha gained her initial professional experience while working on various residential and comme Read More rcial projects at A. K. Ganju and Associates, New Delhi. She completed her graduation from Mohamed Sathak School of Architecture, Ramanathapuram and her post-graduation from College of Engineering Trivandrum. As a passionate urbanist and researcher, she has had the opportunity to explore space politics within cities through her Master's thesis titled Urban Democracy through Places of Power, Politics and Identity - Case of Panaji. Her other areas of research interest include gender, economic and governance policies in the urban context.

Rajina Rahiman is an architect and urban designer with an undergraduate degree from MES School of Architecture, Kuttipuram and post graduate from U Read More niversity School of Design, Mysore. Having briefly worked with Collaborative Architecture & Mohandas Kalipurayath and Associates, Rajina has been invested in teaching for the past 14years. She has been instrumental in infrastructure development, bringing about academic excellence, and the vision setting of the institution worked prior to joining Avani. Rajina believes in theory-based approaches in design studios, with the need for interdisciplinary studies. Her research revolves around concepts of new urbanism; with a keen interest in assessing the walkability of streets in the Indian context.

 

Sanjay Veerakumar is the co-founding architect of Firsthand Practice, a conducive online practice that aims to collate the processes of inhabitatio Read More n in architecture. He graduated from SPA, Vijayawada and continued to pursue professional practice. During the five years of his professional tenure, he has associated with practices like CnT Architects, Zero Studio, Insight Architects, SJA and Aambit Architects on various projects that span diversely in scale and prospects, which sets the foundation for his professional calibre.

In pedagogy, Sanjay extends his interest in phenomenology and sensorial design to sculpt the character and methodology of his approach.

He's a self-taught musician and finds joy in composing tunes in Indian pop and Indian semi-classical genres. One might find him air-guitaring or air-keyboarding when he's in a muted grove.

 

After his graduation in architecture from Sathyabama University, Chennai, Sebastian started his career at Pithavadian and Partners, Chennai in 2011 Read More and joined Blocher Partners India, Ahmedabad in 2016. During his professional practice, he materialized several commercial, institutional, industrial and residential projects spread across different parts of the country. A postgraduate in Interior Design and Architecture from CEPT University, Ahmedabad, he has specialized in Indian crafts and Technologies. He is passionate about furniture making. At Avani, he is a key member of the team that works closely with first-year students as they get their introduction to the field of architecture. He has a keen interest in model making and routinely conducts workshops at design schools.

 

Thushara is an Architect and Urban Designer, with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, and a Master Read More s's degree in Architecture specializing in Urban Design from The University School of Design, University of Mysore. Her work experience covers a broad range: She has worked with Ar. Sathya Prakash Varanashi at Sathya Consultants Bangalore and has also practiced with internationally renowned firms in Dubai, UAE. She has teaching experience in India and abroad: She has taught at The University School of Design and at Birla Institute of Technology Offshore campus at Ras-al-Khaimah, UAE before joining Avani in 2017.

Over the past years, her academic practice and research has always revolved around the strong inner sense that architecture is for society. She considers research/ design as an opportunity to collaboratively engage with the unique challenges of the society through responsive and sensitive architecture, thus performing a crucial social responsibility as a professional and citizen. Her broader spectrum of inquiry is based on the Sociology of life and human interactions in the urban realm. This has set the platform for her in exploring her interest in these two categories: Questions on Urban Reinvention, Revitalization, Indigenous urbanism and the dynamics of Spaces of Learning. ​Her Master thesis titled “Reinstating the Essence of the City Core of Kozhikode- Through Reinventing the Public Realm” explores the possibilities of recreating the identity of the place through connecting and activating the public spaces.​Currently working on a research paper which traverses the levels of human interactions along the street edges and the threshold spaces, in the context of Calicut city core.

She also has a true passion for performing arts and literature.

Ar. Varun Gopal graduated from T.K.M College Engineering, Kollam and completed his master's from the University of Politecnico di Milano, Italy Read More .

Prior to his masters, he worked with Mozaic design combines, Goa and NO Architects, Kerala. An alumnus of the ‘Architecture for society’ program formulated by architect Aldo Rossi , Varun has been part of multiple state-funded projects across Europe dealing with society, heritage and urbanism which includes the likes of ‘Riformare Milano's,‘Museumsinsel Berlin’ and ‘Viva la Pompeii ‘. His master thesis titled ‘Intrusive landscapes’ explored the possibilities of landscape urbanism as a tool and cure to aid urban regeneration.

Apart from being a faculty at AVANI, Varun also practices architecture and is an Associate architect with SOHO Architects, Calicut.

Sharan Krishnan is an Architect and Habitat Designer with around 5 years of professional experience in academics and architectural practice. He gra Read More duated in the year 2014 and worked for a leading architectural firm for a year at Cochin before pursuing his post-graduation in Habitat Design from      B M S College Of Architecture, Bangalore.

After earning his post-graduate degree, His teaching career started from TKMCE, Kollam as Assistant Professor & he worked with RSP India -Bangalore as Design Manager. His teaching and research interest revolves around design development, Innovative & cost effective housing ideas & Policies & integrated land use. 

Apart from being a faculty at AVANI, Sharan is also a practicing Architect & also the Co- founder & Principal Architect at Terrartis Architects- Kerala.

Conservation Architect and researcher, having accumulated 13 years of work experience in the field of high-profile architectural design in concept Read More formulation, planning and detailing and teaching. A graduate from the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, Devakumar has worked in various firms both, in India and abroad. A PG Diploma in traditional architecture helped him to gain knowledge about the traditional and temple architecture of Kerala. Completed M. Arch in Conservation from SPA Bhopal with Gold Medal. Conducted heritage documentation workshop and heritage walks in Kozhikode. Presented papers in various conferences in India and abroad. He is also a recipient of the UNESCO Sahapedia Research Fellowship in 2017 for studying intangible cultural heritage of India. Currently doing PhD in conservation studies from University of York, UK on ‘Interpreting Ritualistic landscape of India; Kalamezhuthpaatt, a Case Example’.

Areas of Interest: Traditional Architecture, Architectural Research, Intangible Cultural Heritage and Documentation.

 

Tony Joseph graduated from MIT Manipal and completed his master's in design from the University of Texas, Austin, in the Charles Moore program. Read More Interactions and travels with Moore and his views on regional architecture had a strong influence on the direction of Tony's design. He returned to India and started Stapati in 1989, which has steadily grown into a multi-disciplinary practice emphasizing values of integrity, sustainability, and innovation.

Tony Joseph graduated from MIT Manipal and completed his master's in design from the University of Texas, Austin, in the Charles Moore program. Read More Interactions and travels with Moore and his views on regional architecture had a strong influence on the direction of Tony's design. He returned to India and started Stapati in 1989, which has steadily grown into a multi-disciplinary practice emphasizing values of integrity, sustainability, and innovation.

Tony has made a mark for himself in the hospitality projects through his innovative and contextual designs and the hospitality projects that Stapati has designed are the most successful in their areas of operation. These include the Kumarakom Lake Resort, Kerala, which has been rated as one of the top five resorts in India, the Alila Diwa, Goa, and the Enchanted Island Resort in Seychelles, to name a few, all of which have garnered international acclaim.

His works span across a very wide spectrum, with projects ranging from urban design schemes, master planning, mixed-use developments, premium hospitality projects, commercial complexes to residences, interiors, and even product designs. Throughout all his designs is visible his unflinching commitment towards arriving at an appropriate architecture, one that respects the site and context is functionally viable and one that is inherently sustainable.

Stapati, under his able leadership, has won numerous awards and recognitions over the years and was most recently selected as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Design Firms in South Asia by Architectural Digest in 2015, the AD50. Stapati was featured in the HOT100 list by Architect & Interiors India and also in the AD50 for 2014. The 'Owner's Signature Villa at Enchanted Island Resort designed by Stapati has further been chosen as Seychelles' Leading Villa 2014 by the World Travel Awards.

Ar. Tony Joseph serves as the Chairman of the Trust named Avani Institute of Design. He is also the Chairman of the Governing Council that is the a Read More pex body of the Institute.

Brijesh is an award-winning architect with a great gift to connect people. Starting with his initial firm in 2005, today he has evolved to form a c Read More ollaborative practice known as DAC. He has won various national and international awards. He was also the Immediate Past Chairman of the IIA Calicut Centre, having served from 2015 to 2017.

Vivek completed his Bachelors in Architecture from NIT, Calicut and Masters in Urban Design from the National University of Singapore. An architect Read More committed to nature inclusive & contextually responsive designs, his firm De Earth has won various national awards. Vivek also serves as Guest Faculty at many architectural institutions including NIT Calicut.He was the Vice Chairman of IIA Calicut Centre from 2015 to 2017.

Vinod is an award-winning architect with a deep social commitment.He established his firm Space Art in the year 1997 at Calicut, and has been invol Read More ved in many projects both in the private and the public domain. Space Art under his leadership is known for its commitment to environmentally sensitive design, and has won various national and international Awards. He has also served as the Chairman of the IIA Calicut Centre.

Dean D'Cruz is actively involved both in his profession as well as in academics as a Visiting Faculty in the Goa College of Architecture since Read More 1987. He has conducted numerous workshops and seminars on architecture, planning, and the environment in over 20 cities across India as well as in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Italy and Canada.
His works and articles have been published in leading magazines in India and abroad. Supported the Royal Art and Architecture Academy, Stockholm, Oxford Brookes University,UK and PRATT University New York for their architectural and planning programs in Goa. He is a Partner and Principal Architect in MOZAIC DESIGN COMBINE', a leading design firm based in Goa, involved in Urban Intervention, Architecture, Conservation, Product, and Graphic Design.

Peter Rich has been affiliated as the Professor of Architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg for more than 30 years. Pete Read More r has worked as an architect and activist designing for indigenous communities in remote and diverse contexts.
Towards the end of apartheid and the establishment of democracy, he was engaged by the government in a crucial series of cultural heritage projects, that were key to the resurrection of the South African spirit. In 2010, in recognition of his achievements, Peter was awarded the prestigious Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects and The South African Institute of Architects Gold Medal (the highest award for Architectural achievement in South Africa). A master of analytical sketches, his works were showcased at the prestigious Venice Biennale 2018. Peter travels extensively and settles in-between in Johannesburg where he practices.

Sanjay Mohe is the Principal Architect in 'Mindspace architects'. Sanjay has close to 40 years of extensive professional practice, working Read More in various positions. His work has resulted in several National and International award-winning creations such as Research...
Laboratories, Knowledge Park, Campus Design, Factories, Beach Resort, Library, Corporate Offices, Hospice, and Residences. Most of his projects have been consistently featured in several Architectural journals. Sanjay Mohe has been giving lectures in various Architectural schools across the Country.

Dr. Pallathucheril has a Bachelor of Architecture from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. He has two graduate degrees-the Master Read More of City and Regional Planning and a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University.
Dr. Pallathucheril's research interests include Information systems for urban design and spatial analysis, urban design, planning, and problem-solving processes, internet-based planning support systems, and contemporary urban design methods and learning technologies.

Professor Neelkanth Chhaya is one of India’s most important voices in Architecture Education and Practice. He has taught at the University of Read More Nairobi, the Institute of Environmental Design at Vallabh Vidyanagar, and was a faculty member at CEPT University for over twenty-five years, from where he retired as the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture after 24 years of service. His practice both as an Educator and as Architect reflects his core commitment to culturally and environmentally sensitive design that privileges local materials and skills. A much sought-after advisor on both the teaching and practice of architecture, he also serves on the Boards of Hunnarshala and Khamir Craft Resource Centre, both of which are involved in empowering traditional knowledge and sustainable practices.

Ar. Ruturaj Parikh is Founder and Director at MATTER - an architecture, design, and publishing firm based in Goa. His work deals with architecture Read More and curatorial projects with the idea of diversity and richness of the Indian landscape at the core of the practice. He is the former Director of the Charles Correa Foundation where he led research and public forum initiatives. Ruturaj was an editor at Indian Architect & Builder Magazine from 2010 - 2014. As an architecture firm, Matter has worked on small and large residential, commercial, institutional, and civic projects in India with a keen interest in the design of contextually appropriate built environments. The curatorial work of matter includes research and publication of contemporary works from India on thinkmatter.in, a critical review of projects titled The Merit List, a bi-annual journal on architecture and design titled [IN]SIDE, and a range of editorial projects that include books, seminars and a national conference titled FRAME.

Vivek completed his Bachelors in Architecture from NIT, Calicut and Masters in Urban Design from National University of Singapore. An architect com Read More mitted to nature inclusive & contextually responsive designs, his firm De Earth has won various national awards. Vivek also serves as Guest Faculty at many architectural institutions including NIT Calicut.

Starting with his initial firm in 2005, today Brijesh has evolved to form a collaborative practice known as DAC. He has won various national and in Read More ternational awards. He was also the Immediate Past Chairman of the IIA Calicut Centre, having served from 2015 to 2017.

Jomi is the Director of Administration at Avani Institute of Design. He has extensive administrative experience in the field of professional educat Read More ion. Committed to career development programs for youth, he also brings expertise in building sustainable institutions for such initiatives.

Tiny Philip is a business advisor who works on a long-term basis with entrepreneurs to conceptualize and implement sustainable business models in I Read More ndia and the GCC.
He is a recognized thought leader on business models and has gained unique expertise and experience from his work with more than 50 different industries in India and the GCC over the past two decades.
Tiny, a B.Tech from the University of Kerala did his Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, and started his business advisory career in 1992.
He is also interested in Shariah-compliant business practices and is a Director in Secura Investment Management (India) Pvt Ltd, the promoter of India's first SEBI registered Shariah Compliant Real Estate Venture Capital Fund. Based on his business advisory experience, Tiny is conducting extensive practical research with his clients on how to grow a business successfully without bank loans.
Tiny also writes a regular business column for entrepreneurs called "The Contrarian Consultant" in Dhanam Magazine

Vinod is an award-winning architect with a deep social commitment.He established his firm Space Art in the year 1997 at Calicut, and has been invol Read More ved in many projects both in the private and the public domain. He has also served as the Chairman of the IIA Calicut Centre.
His special interests include rural empowerment, sustainable development and eco-tourism. He is the present Chairman of IIA Calicut Chapter.

Vishnu K completed his B.Arch degree from TKMCE, Kollam in 2012 and has since been exploring the realm of architectural practice and pedagogy. He h Read More as collaborated with EGO Design studio, PLACE/Udyana (UK-based landscape firm), Studio RECYCLE BIN, and Studio ASYLUM on various architectural and research projects. He has played a significant role in reimagining the urban fabric of Trivandrum City during his period of association as a consultant architect with the Capital Region Development Program and IL&FS from 2014 to 2018. He has been a visiting faculty at the College of Architecture Trivandrum and TKM School of Architecture, Ezhukone, and has actively participated in design pedagogies since 2015. In 2016, Vishnu co-founded Studio Commune with Dr. Soumini Raja and is presently the Director of Design. Studio Commune is a collaborative practice based out of studio spaces in Trivandrum and Calicut. Vishnu's areas of interest include Environmental psychology, design research, and tectonic investigations.

Gisny graduated from Dayananda Sagar School of Architecture. She is the Chairperson of DHARINNI - Ecology & Heritage Conservation Trust, and Pr Read More incipal Architect of DH_Ecological Design Solutions, based in Kerala. Having done her internship with SpaceART, she has significant experience working and being associated with COSTFORD right from the beginning of her career. This association, having exposed her to Laurie Baker and his philosophies, laid roots for her experiences in the field of Eco Conscious Architecture with a prominent interest in Architectural Conservation. Today she is an active advocate for eco consciousness both personally and professionally. She has been teaching for the past 4 years and has an accumulated experience of 8.5 years.

William George Kennedy did Architecture at McGans Ooty School of Architecture, Nilgiris. He went on to work with studio Architecture Amalgam, Thris Read More sur for a year where he also explored his passion for photography professionally by teaming up with DTale Decor. There, he was involved in product and furniture photography. It was his ingrained interest in detail, he took up his master's degree in Building Product Systems from CEPT University, Ahmedabad. He is passionate about hands-on modelling, modular architecture. He also enjoys travelling, photographing, films and long talks over chai.

 

 

 

Mr Ashar Panakkat is an engineer with an undergraduate B.Tech degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Regional Engineering College (N Read More IT), University of Calicut. Having briefly worked for more than 30 years in the field of electrical engineering and MEP consultants, Ashar has worked as Chief Project Coordinator and Chief electrical engineer in Ian Banham and Associates, Leman Project Management Inc. and later as Director at India Operations at Specialised Engineering Consultants. He is the Principal Consultant at Ashar Panakkat Consultants and has been associating with Avani Institute of Design as allied faculty since 2018.

Prof Sam Charles has a diverse career that spans over 19 years in the fields of academics, construction project management, information & docum Read More ent management, planning, coordination, training and development. He completed his Bachelors in Architecture from Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai in 2001 followed by Masters in Technology with specialization in Construction Engineering and Management from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal in 2003. Between 2003 and 2012, he was employed by Jones Lang LaSalle, Cushman & Wakefield and Aconex (Australian Construction Exchange) in verticals such as project management, construction industry consulting, sales and business development. Few of his achievements include closing landmark business deals with True Value Homes, RMZ Corp, Bangalore International Airport Limited’s T1 Expansion with Larsen & Toubro ECC; and post-sales liaising with industry majors such as TATA Power Limited Coastal Gujarat Power Limited, Toshiba, Doosan, McKinsey etc. Since the end of December 2012, he has been into Academics and Academic Administration and has seen a steady growth by convening various professional development activities such as Conferences, FDP’s, Seminars, Guest Lectures etc. apart from teaching courses like Architectural Psychology, Project Management, Theory of Design, Architectural Design Studio across all levels and coordinating Architectural Thesis and Dissertation for graduate and post-graduate students. He has successfully initiated and signed MoU’s with De Montfort University, Leicester, UK and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Recently, he was invited by Prof Masa Naguchi of University of Melbourne to co-author a chapter titled “Housing Sustainability Vision in India” for the ZEMCH Design Spectrum for Sustainability in India. He has traveled extensively and has visited Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Vietnam, Srilanka and the USA for business purposes. His interests are in badminton and choral music; and at present he co-leads a choir and sings Tenor with a couple of Church Choirs.