Shilpa Architects
Encyclopedia
Shilpa Architects is an international architecture
, design and planning firm that was founded in 1979 in Chennai
, India
. It currently operates offices in Chennai, Bangalore
and Mumbai
, in India
and in New York
and Chicago
in the United States
and provides urban design and master planning services. The firm's designs can be seen at Cholamandal Artists' Village, Mahindra World City, New Chennai
and it is known for its work inspired by sustainable vernacular architectural practices as well as a sensitivity for society and the built-natural environment.
as a proprietary firm and is the first woman-owned and operated architecture firm in India. Sheila Sri Prakash
currently serves on the World Economic Forum
's Global Agenda Council on Design Innovation, as one of 16 leading experts from around the world that have been called upon to devise plans to improve the state of the world. She received her architectural degree from the Anna University School of Architecture and Planning in Chennai and completed an Executive Education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
. She was also an International Fellow of Architecture at Ball State University
in Muncie Indiana for her scholarly work on Indian Art, Architecture and Vaastu : The Indian Art of placement or Vastu Shastra
. Since its inception, the company has grown to over 80 professionals and has operations across India and in the USA. The firm's designers have been invited to speak at several national and international forums such as the Confederation of Indian Industry
.
Shilpa Architects was instrumental in the institution of the Indian Green Building Council and continues to remain a member of that organization. The firm is known for designing planning and architectural solutions that cater to the millions of underprivileged by delivering shelter through low-cost, durable, mass-construction techniques. In 1987 - the year of "Shelter for the shelterless" by the Shelter programme in Tamil Nadu state, the firm was invited by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, Madras Metropolitan Development Authority and the World Bank
to prototype a model that has since been adopted successfully in a large-scale format across Tamil Nadu
and India
. Sheila Sri Prakash holds patents for innovative designs in structural and architectural elements for low cost yet improved quality of construction.
In 2003, Designshare awarded Shilpa Architects a Recognized Value Award for its innovative design for educational infrastructure.
In 2008, the firm received the IAD Award.
Pavithra Sri Prakash has recently been inducted into the Board of the company and is an Architect and Urban Designer by profession. She received her undergraduate degree in Architecture from the Anna University School of Architecture and Planning in Chennai and completed her graduate degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University
in New York
.
The company recently inducted Amrit Sahasranamam as the Chief Financial Officer. Amrit Sahasranamam has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology
and a Master of Business Administration
from the University of Chicago
.
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, design and planning firm that was founded in 1979 in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It currently operates offices in Chennai, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and provides urban design and master planning services. The firm's designs can be seen at Cholamandal Artists' Village, Mahindra World City, New Chennai
Mahindra World City, New Chennai
Mahindra World City, New Chennai is India's first operational Special Economic Zone and India's first Integrated Business City is promoted by the Mahindra Group and TIDCO...
and it is known for its work inspired by sustainable vernacular architectural practices as well as a sensitivity for society and the built-natural environment.
History
The firm was established in 1979 by Sheila Sri PrakashSheila Sri Prakash
Sheila Sri Prakash is an architect and planner of Indian origin. She founded Shilpa Architects in Chennai, India in 1979 and has the distinction of being the first woman in India to have started and operated her own architectural firm...
as a proprietary firm and is the first woman-owned and operated architecture firm in India. Sheila Sri Prakash
Sheila Sri Prakash
Sheila Sri Prakash is an architect and planner of Indian origin. She founded Shilpa Architects in Chennai, India in 1979 and has the distinction of being the first woman in India to have started and operated her own architectural firm...
currently serves on the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
's Global Agenda Council on Design Innovation, as one of 16 leading experts from around the world that have been called upon to devise plans to improve the state of the world. She received her architectural degree from the Anna University School of Architecture and Planning in Chennai and completed an Executive Education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design.-History:...
. She was also an International Fellow of Architecture at Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
in Muncie Indiana for her scholarly work on Indian Art, Architecture and Vaastu : The Indian Art of placement or Vastu Shastra
Vastu Shastra
Vastu Shastra is an ancient doctrine which consists of precepts born out of a traditional and archaic view on how the laws of nature affect human dwellings. The designs are based on directional alignments...
. Since its inception, the company has grown to over 80 professionals and has operations across India and in the USA. The firm's designers have been invited to speak at several national and international forums such as the Confederation of Indian Industry
Confederation of Indian Industry
The Confederation of Indian Industry is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organisation, seeking to play a proactive role in India’s development process. The organisation works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India,...
.
Shilpa Architects was instrumental in the institution of the Indian Green Building Council and continues to remain a member of that organization. The firm is known for designing planning and architectural solutions that cater to the millions of underprivileged by delivering shelter through low-cost, durable, mass-construction techniques. In 1987 - the year of "Shelter for the shelterless" by the Shelter programme in Tamil Nadu state, the firm was invited by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, Madras Metropolitan Development Authority and the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
to prototype a model that has since been adopted successfully in a large-scale format across Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Sheila Sri Prakash holds patents for innovative designs in structural and architectural elements for low cost yet improved quality of construction.
In 2003, Designshare awarded Shilpa Architects a Recognized Value Award for its innovative design for educational infrastructure.
In 2008, the firm received the IAD Award.
Portfolio
- Government - Reserve Bank of India, Tamil Nadu Housing Board
- Art and Culture - Madras Art House, Kuchupidi Art Academy
- Education - Sishya School, Chengelpet School,
- Headquarters - Rane Automotive, Sanmar Group
- Hotel/Residential - Radisson Hotels and Resorts Chennai, Puravankara, Mahindra Research Valley, IVR Prime by IVRCL
- Master Planning - Mahindra Research Valley, L&T South City
- Mixed-Use - Akshaya Homes
- Office Building - HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, IL&FS, Cethar Vessels
- Research - Reciprocal Housing, Moulded Inspection Chamber
- Retail/Leisure - Nirmana Beach Resorts
- Transportation - ParanurParanurParanur is a village in India near the national Highway 45. It has a railway stationand few hundred houses, and is 44km from Chennai International Airport.Paranur has been declared a special economic zone since October 2005; companies...
Railway Station - Industrial/Manufacturing - Modern Bread Chennai, Snowcem Chennai, Greaves India
- Sports Stadiums - Volleyball Stadium Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu Volleyball Stadium - Chennai
Projects
Shilpa Architects has recently been called upon to restore some of India's archaeological treasures as one of the country's select few experts in architecture, design, restoration and preservation by the Archaeological Survey of India.Expansion
The firm has diversified with subsidiaries in the investment and asset management space - through Nirmana Realty Investments Pvt Ltd - in turn-key interior fit out solutions - through Stone Lotus - and delivers architectural designs internationally through an overseas subsidiary.Pavithra Sri Prakash has recently been inducted into the Board of the company and is an Architect and Urban Designer by profession. She received her undergraduate degree in Architecture from the Anna University School of Architecture and Planning in Chennai and completed her graduate degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
The company recently inducted Amrit Sahasranamam as the Chief Financial Officer. Amrit Sahasranamam has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
and a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.