Jamshid (Jimmy) Bhiwandiwlla, an Architect by profession, has a Master’s in Architecture as well as in Ancient Indian Culture, he has been a Recipient of the MASA Best Teacher Award for the subject of Humanities in the year 2010. His interest in culture and heritage is not confined to academics but also his professional work. He has participated in numerous Undergrad and master’s studios, guiding thesis students with an emphasis on Heritage Conservation and development in historic cities. His interest in urban studies also led him to participate in the European Union Erasmus Plus research project for ‘Building Resilient Urban Communities’ (BReUCom) Program which focused on various aspects of Historic cities and their water resources between the year 2018-2021.
His expertise on water resilience led him to contribute a chapter “Urban water Resilience” in the book “Resilience and Southern Urbanism: towards a New Paradigm”, a Routledge publication. He was also a partner to a yearlong Fellowship Research program on Urban Water Resilience for the city of Mumbai funded by the Kamla Raheja Institute of Architecture and environmental studies. He has been part of numerous workshops nationally, whereas internationally he participated in the European union funded Asia Link Programme with Ecole de La Villette, Paris as well as was Jury member to the annual workshop conducted at the Universita IUAV di Venezia and was also part of a housing workshop with the University of Naples Federico II, Italy in 2010. Equally old is his independent Architecture practice associated with Heritage Conservation, largely restoring community institutions like Fire Temples, Convalescent Homes, etc. However, his major area of study is the Conservation and Management Plan for the Heritage Pilgrim town of Udvada and Sanjan, Gujarat where he was officially appointed as the consulting Architect for the Gujarat Govt. Presently, he is Member Appointed on the Heritage Conservation Cell of the Udvada Area Development Authority. Further his area of expertise in Adaptive Reuse, whereby he has curated interactive exhibits in Heritage structures such the Zoroastrian Information Centre, Udvada again for the Gujarat Govt. as well as converting the birthplaces of Sir Jamshetji Jejeebhoy, Sir Jamshedji Tata and Dadabhai Naoroji into Memorial Museums in Navsari, Gujarat.
Ar. Anjuri Agrawal completed her bachelor’s in architecture from LBH College of Architecture, Bandra in 2001,with first class honours. She has also obtained a Master’s degree of M.Arch in Construction Management from IES college of Architecture in 2017 with first class .She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Planning. She started her career with Samoon & Associates ,Santacruz, as an intern while pursuing B.Arch. and continued as Junior Architect with same Firm. She started her practice in 2003 in Interior Designing and Exhibition designing and Fabrication in 2008. After doing various prestigious designing projects ranging from Commercial Hotels to residentials and exhibition Stalls for Brands she started in teaching aswell in 2014. With an experience of nearly 10 years in teaching she has earned the name and recognition as a diligent working colleague and teacher.
She is an ambitious designer and academician with hopes of improving urban issues through research. She is a highly organized and efficient individual whose thorough and precise approach to projects has yielded excellent results.
AR. HIRANMAY SARKAR is a praticing Architect and is having an experience of 25 years in field. He has done various housing and Landscape project.
Ar. Salman Chouhan is a qualified architect with a Master of Architecture in Project Management from the University of Mumbai. With over eight years of professional experience, he specializes in design, liaisoning, project coordination, and obtaining statutory approvals.
He is the Principal Architect at Architecture Delicacy, a multidisciplinary firm offering architecture, interior design, and project management services. His expertise includes handling redevelopment proposals, securing approvals from the Building Proposal Department. He is also an empanelled architect with MCGM and MIDC.
His early experience with Vision Architects involved working on DCR 33(5) and 33(7) projects, a municipal market in Kandivali, and several bungalows in Alibaug, Saphale, and Dapoli. Notably,
his bungalow project “Moreshwar” has been published in Architecture Magazine Volume Zero, showcasing his approach to context-driven and refined residential design.
He is an IGBC Accredited Professional (IGBC AP) and an IGBC Accredited Faculty (IGBC AF). For the past six years, he has served as a core faculty member at Aditya College of Architecture. His teaching pedagogy focuses on applied and technical learning, with core involvement in subjects such as Working Drawings, Building Construction, and other practical, execution-oriented subjects.
He also heads the Examination Department, overseeing academic coordination and assessment procedures. He has been appointed as a Paper Setter for the University of Mumbai in the subject Architectural Building Construction and has been awarded the Best Teacher Award in 2019 and 2022 in recognition of his dedication to architectural education and student mentorship by Aditya College of Architecture.
After graduating in the year 2002, from Academy of Architecture, Ar. Varsha Swar decided to take her thesis on “Fire temples in Mumbai” to the next level under the guidance of eminent Conservation Architect Ar. Pankaj Joshi and team by documenting all the fire temples in Mumbai; which in the year 2002 were awarded Heritage grade and notified by the MMRDA. The work did not end there but the same was carried forth for documenting the remotest and the smallest fire temples right up till Ahmedabad. After this valuable experience; she continued her practice in Mumbai and worked with various firms including NPAPL, Evolution Architectural Design Studio, Design Ideas, Sarayan Turnkey Solutions etc. and worked on and successfully completed a variety of high-end residential, commercial projects which ranged from Banks, government offices taken to a corporate look and feel, at project management level for educational institute for IGIDR etc. After an experience of over 15 years, which have contributed to a broader perspective and vision.
She completed both her B.Arch (First Class, Honours) and M.Arch in Urban Design (CGPI 7.9), from Rizvi College of Architecture (University of Mumbai). She holds She is a certified IGBC Accredited Professional and IGBC Accredited Faculty. She has also done a certificate course in Project Management from CEPT University and is currently pursuing her M.A.in Anthropology.
She has over 16 years of industry experience, during which, she has worked in various reputed design firms and real-estate developers. She has professional experience in planning, designing, detailing, and coordinating with multi-disciplinary teams in Residential, Commercial & Healthcare projects. Her ability to track project performance and monitor team dynamics, has helped her lead projects of varied scales & complexity.
As an academician, through four and a half years, her pedagogical approach reiterates integrating a variety of teaching methods to communicate holistic processes of design that combine understanding of planning, technology, socio-cultural, economic, and ecological aspects of the interdependence between habitation, natural and built environment and the global impacts of architecture. She is involved in numerous Academic, Co-curricular & Student activities.
Jwalant completed his Masters in Architecture from the University of Mumbai in 2023, having studied at Rizvi College of Architecture.
He is registered as a practicing architect with the Council of Architecture, India and has 12 years of professional experience in the design and construction industry. He commenced his professional career with the BRIC Group, Mumbai, having been a part of the firm till 2018 and having performed a variety roles and responsibilities in the course of his professional experience, from conceptualization of design, research and planning, site management and execution to mentoring the design team.
He has experience in a broad range of aspects of design services and architectural practice, from Conservation and Restoration of Heritage buildings and their Surroundings to Real Estate, from High Rise Residential buildings to medium scale Township Development projects and from Institutional Campuses to privately owned Luxury Estates.
Ar. Disha Barik has achieved B. Arch degree from Smt. Manoramabai Mundle college of Architecture in 2010 and M. Arch in Environmental Architecture from Institute of Design Education and Architectural Studies in 2019. She is an experienced architect with a demonstrated history of working in architecture institutions and planning industry for 11+ years. She is skilled in environmental and sustainable design techniques, design research etc. with other technical skills. She has deep Knowledge of the subject with excellent command on research-oriented teaching as a Professional Environmental architect with master’s degree focused on Environmental Architecture from IDEAS College, Nagpur University, India.
Being an Environmental Architect with adaptability for implementation of imaginative sustainable characteristics into design that allows meeting Sustainable Design solutions in academics as well as practical experience. She has worked with various design organizations, Institutions, and fit-out companies. She has Participated in various workshops, seminars, with inclination on green buildings, At the same time she has number of Published Research papers in her pocket with UGC approved national and international journals.
Ar. Nikita Nandeshwar is a dedicated and accomplished architect with a strong academic background and practical experience in the field of architecture and project management. She earned her Bachelor of Architecture from Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture, Pune, and completed her Master’s in Architecture (Project Management) from Dr. Baliram Hiray College of Architecture, affiliated with Mumbai University – earning First Class in both degrees.
Professionally, she brings valuable experience in liasoning projects, including work with MHADA, SRA, and various redevelopment projects. Her expertise also extends to the preparation and approval of municipal drawings, showcasing her thorough understanding of architectural regulations and urban development processes.
In addition to her professional pursuits, she has been a dedicated core faculty member at Aditya College of Architecture for nearly three years. She is deeply committed to education and the holistic development of future architects. She aims to bridge academic learning with industry practices, ensuring students gain not only theoretical knowledge but also the practical insights necessary to thrive in the professional world.
Ar. Damini Patil
Assistant Professor
Master of Architecture (Environment & Sustainable Architecture)
“Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance.”
An environment-conscientious, self-motivated and adaptable person who is eager to affect positive change in the today’s world. She believes design has the ability to transform a space and provide an experience for its users. The idea of materializing her creative vision into reality has always intrigued and inspired her, hence pursued Architecture.
After graduating from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture (KRVIA) Mumbai, she started working as a junior architect in Mumbai for 3 years, post covid she started her freelancing practice in Architectural & Interior Designing projects. She has also completed her post graduation master’s program in Environment & Sustainable Architecture from Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture (BNCA) Pune. With an experience of 2 years in teaching.
She is certain that a creatively design space can positively change the atmosphere and enhance the productivity of the people inhabiting it. There is an on-going battle between a great conceptual idea and the practicalities of everyday life, and she comes from the thought process of striking a balance between the two. Aesthetics and functions need to merge to create an interesting space that is usable yet thought provoking. Having worked at several firms to understood architectural design and construction, she wants to gain knowledge on the finer nuances of scale. By designing spaces from the micro level and learning to understand it from inside out, she hopes to gain a holistic approach to design.
Ar. Nisha Kundar
Assistant Professor
Master of Architecture (Urban Design)
Ar. Nisha Kundar is a graduate from Academy of Architecture (2009) and post graduate from Kamle Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture (2014). Having explored architecture at various scales she has also worked in the field of social sciences and urban mapping for Tata institute of Social Sciences. Her research interests include urban history, urban commons, land ownerships, redevelopment and law. She is an avid bird watcher and takes interest in exploring nature as a hobby.
Ar.Smita Chandanshive holds a B-Arch from Sir J.J.College of Architecture Mumbai, M-Arch from the University of Colorado at Denver, USA and M-Arch with Project Management from Aditya College of Architecture, Mumbai.
She has a deep-rooted passion for education. With almost 25 years of design and management experience in India and abroad and over a decade of academic teaching to varied groups, she is known for creating an empathetic and engaging learning environment.
Specializing at the intersection of Human Psychology and Design, she offers students a unique perspective that blends creative insight with psychological understanding.
Beyond teaching, she has been actively involved in the student counselling, guiding learners through academic, career and personal development journeys and continues to be committed to nurturing sensitive thinkers.
Ar. Dhruva Parsekar, a graduate of Aditya College of Architecture (2020), He has built a diverse career in the field of design. After earning a master’s degree from BSSA (NMIMS), he established an independent practice and has collaborated with a variety of architectural firms while also pursuing interests in photography and cinematography. As a core faculty member at Aditya College of Architecture, He brings both academic insight and practical experience to the classroom. He believes as architects we have a duty towards others to act as a medium of change in and for society a society where sustainable architecture, with the help of modern technology, is no longer seen as a moral sacrifice or a philanthropic cause but simply as a design inclusion. His approach is grounded in the idea that thoughtful, responsible design can foster positive change and be accessible to all.
Ar. Divya Chauhan holds Bachelor of Architecture from Aditya college, 2019 and Master’s degree from the University of Strathclyde, UK with specialization in Architectural Design.
She has diverse industry experience across leading Architectural and Design practices in India and the United Kingdom. Keppie Design (UK), Hirsts Landscape Architects (UK), and several design studios in Mumbai are few to list among them.
Her professional work spans healthcare, landscape, residential, commercial, and industrial projects. During her tenure, she handled projects from concept development, design detailing all the way to BIM-based visualization. Coordination with multidisciplinary teams and on-site execution gave her an extra edge. Combination of international exposure and hands-on project management informs her holistic approach to design and enables her to be an independent practitioner.
With an aim of creating an encouraging and inquiry-driven learning environment that helps students build clarity in their design process, she strives in guiding students to understand the reasoning behind design decisions while giving them the space to explore ideas and develop confidence as emerging designers.
