B. Arch: School of Planning and Architecture, Deemed to be University, New Delhi. 1980
M Arch (Urban Design): School of Planning and Architecture, Deemed to be University, New Delhi, 1983
Born in Calcutta & brought up in Delhi, Prasanna Desai obtained his B. Arch in 1980 and M. Arch (Urban Design) in 1983, both from SPA, New Delhi. He worked with Architect Achyut Kanvinde in the early years before joining postgraduate studies & later started his practice (along with Narayan Shastri), which won many architectural design competitions in the early part of their career, establishing their practice.
An inspiring teacher, he has been active in academics for the last 4 decades, mentoring & nurturing students at SPA Delhi, BKPS, MMCA & SCOA Pune. Since 2001, he has been the Professor & Director at P.V.P. College of Architecture, Pune. He has been the guiding force in the establishment of the Forum for Exchange & Excellence in Design (FEED), an academic classroom for students & architects in the city of Pune.
He has been involved in various committees established by CoA New Delhi, SPPU Pune, SPA Delhi & was the convenor of the CoA Thesis Awards Committee established in 2010, where he conceived, coordinated & conducted these for 5 years. He has been delivering talks & has been a juror at several Institutes & Organisations namely MoHUA, NIUA, CSE, SPA (DBV), CEPT, IIT-B, KRIVA, IIA, IIID, etc.
Along with his involvement in academics, he runs an active practice which has won several awards namely: the JK Cement Award 1993 & 2016, HUDCO Design Award 2013 & 2015, IIID Anchor Award 2015, 2016 & 2017, LEXUS Design Award 2019 & AESA Award 2023 & 2024 to their credit along with numerous published works in various architecture, urban design & landscape magazines.
In the last 15 years at PVPCoA, he along with his vibrant & diverse 30-member faculty team have been able to create a learning atmosphere with Equity and Empathy to Evolve students with commitment & confidence, thus crafting & curating their journey of life & profession.
He firmly believes that an Architect who is trained to be a sensitive person also needs to be an aware citizen and activist, thus playing a much larger role in the development of society and contributing considerably to the betterment of the quality of the built environment in the cities.
Ar. Shekhar Garud graduated from School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi in 1984. He retired in 2015 as a partner in the firm Narendra Dengle and Associates, Pune, a firm of architects and urban designers that adopts a holistic approach to architecture and planning. He had been a visiting faculty at BNCA, Pune since 1995 and since 2013, he is associated with PVPCoA, Pune as a senior full-time faculty. He is also the Academic Coordinator overseeing effective implementation of academic policies and procedures. He has been actively associated with professional organizations like Indian Institute of Architects-Pune centre, Past President of Architects, Engineers and Surveyors’ Association, Pune, and an active member of Pune Construction Engineering Research Foundation.
The professional work done in the firm Narendra Dengle and Associates can be reached at www.narendradengle.in.
Ar. Hrishikesh Ashtekar joined full-time academics at PVPCOA after about 12 years of core practice experience in the field of Architecture and Urban Design with reputed firms like Christopher Charles Benninger & STUP Consultants. With a questioning and analytical mind, he brings his experiences in teaching Architectural Design and Research-related subjects. As an associate consultant for Design and as an independent researcher, he continues to work on interesting projects related to Architecture and Urban design alongside teaching. He has authored research papers, publications, and holds fellowships in his name. Apart from architecture, he has a specific interest in writing and philosophy, which he continues to pursue.
Vijaya Srinivasan Over 25 years of experience using effective and efficient teaching methodologies to enhance students' outlook and approach to architecture, teaching subjects varying from Design and Building Technology to Building Services. Vijaya trains students from their first year in the basics of design, guiding them through the years till their thesis and dissertation. She has taught in Mumbai and Pune and is currently a professor at Padmabhushan Vasantdada Patil College of Architecture in Pune. An Architect and Interior Designer with a proven professional track record as in delivering customized space design solutions to retail customers across cities around India, in a career spanning three decades. Most recently, she was able to realize a long-cherished dream for restoration, by conserving the Brother Deshpande Memorial Church in Pune. A popular invitee to various forums, Vijaya has presented papers on Teaching of Building Technology and Service in Architecture, Healthy Cities: Perspective of Asian Concerns Emerging Trends in Architecture and Allied FieldsSmart Cities: Approaches, Opportunities & Challengesand most recently presented a paper titled Reinstating Delight in Architecture at a conference Design, Practice and Education- Learning skills in the complex world at New York, USA. Popular among her students and clients alike, Vijaya continues to seek avenues to continually learn, improve and dissipate the knowledge among tomorrow's architects.
Rashmi Joshi having more than 20 years of experience. Graduated in 1997, she also did a course to understand science of VastuShastra from Padmashree awardee Ganapati sthapati who is known for Temple architecture and sculptures, and recently completed a course in ecology from Ecological Society of India, Pune.
Rashmi worked in the field for a decade and then 2006 onwards got connected with academics as a visiting faculty and eventually her interest in academics grew and she joined as a full time faculty at PVPCOA in Pune .She has been involved in teaching first year students Basic design, History, Dissertation to final year Thesis. Her pedagogical concerns are in the area of environment, art, history and archaeology. She believes the soul of architecture resides in them, hence she encourages and involves students in understanding and comprehensively documenting various historical structures.
B. Arch: Sinhgad College of Architecture, Pune, 2006
M Arch (Landscape Architecture): School of Planning and Architecture, Deemed to be University, New Delhi, 2011
PG Diploma Nature Conservation & Sustainable Management of Natural Resources: Ecological Society, Pune, 2019
Isha Umrani is an architect & a landscape design expert with sixteen years of professional & thirteen years of teaching experience.Having graduated in architecture from Pune, Isha completed a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi. She holds these years very close to her heart, for it brought an opportunity to study under the able guidance of the late Prof. Mohammed Shaheer, along with other passionate teachers who laid the foundations of her quest that she is onto now.
Isha has been associated with VIT’s PVP College of Architecture, Pune since 2011, following & exploring her passion for academics. In the year 2016, drawing profound inspiration & brief guidance from the late Prof. Shaheer, she was bestowed the responsibility to lead the PG program in Landscape Architecture along with Suneet Mohindru, as the Advisor. In this journey, she played a pivotal role in developing & structuring a distinct approach for Landscape Education at the postgraduate program.
In her academic endeavor at the Undergraduate program, she strives to bring an ecological perspective to the subjects & also make Landscape education relevant through a structured pedagogical approach.
Isha co-founded the firm Studio Mariici along with Nachiket Umarani in the year 2011. The studio works in the domain of landscape, architecture & interior design, wherein her approach broadly revolves around integrating the perceived boundaries between architecture & the landscape profession and bringing forth a multidimensional understanding of the context & rooted responses.
She believes that being actively engaged in Education & Practice provides this unique opportunity to feed meaningful content into each other, making the former relevant & shaping the latter.
Ar. Deeparani Chougule graduated from Dr. D.Y.Patil College of Architecture, Kolhapur in 2001. She practiced architecture until 2008 in various architectural firms and also worked as Assistant Lecturer and NSS coordinator at Home Science School, Akluj for 2 years. Currently, as a Faculty at PVPCOA, she focuses on Examination Systems and Academic Administration. She has been actively involved in exam-related activities of BOS and SPPU.
Yashashree has worked on various institutional and residential projects as an Architect with Narendra Dengle and Associates, Pune from May 2012 to July 2016. Later she also worked as an Architect–Urban Designer with the firm Shilanyas, Ahmedabad from September 2016 to August 2017. She has been associated with VIT’s PVP College of Architecture, Pune for seven years. Yashashree is very passionate about bird watching and her interests lie in wildlife and street photography.
Rohan is a practicing architect who specializes in Environment Sensitive Architectural practices. Since 2013, he has been working on architecture, landscaping, and interior design projects independently. He began his career as an architect in Kerala, working with Ar. Eugene Pandala. Additionally, he is the founder of a story-telling company, Stories Matter, through which he conducts storytelling for corporates, organizations, brands, and various governmental and non-governmental institutions.
Rohan has been working at PVPCOA as an Assistant Professor since 2013. He is enthusiastic about developing teaching methodologies not only within the classroom but also beyond it. He has been instrumental in cultivating a culture of hands-on learning at the institute. Rohan enjoys interacting with students and is known for his energetic and dynamic presence during college events.
Garima Buragohain is an Architect Urban Planner with 10 years of experience in academia. She has been associated as a Full Time Faculty with PVP College of Architecture since 2014. Prior to that, she was teaching in Royal School of Architecture and Guwahati College of Architecture, both under Gauhati University. She has also worked as Town Planning Specialist at City Level Technical Cell (CLTC) of Guwahati Municipal Corporation and was instrumental in the preparation of the Pilot DPR for Rajiv Awas Yojana.
Her area of interest mainly focuses on Housing, understanding Densities & built form, and exploring participatory approaches in creating holistic Urban environment. She has recently co-authored a research paper on ‘Urbanizing Peripheries: An aspect based study of urban fringes in the region around Pune city to understand its character and pattern of development.
Shraddha Nehete is a professional Architect with 6 years of experience in Residential and corporate interiors. She believes in inspiring young architects to design buildings that are accessible to all and environmentally friendly. Alongside her professional practice, she has 6 years of teaching experience, specializing in Design, Workshop and Model making, Architectural Graphics, and Construction.
Devendra Deshpande, an alumni of the institute, has 10 years of experience in the architectural profession. He was associated with Sunil Patil and Associates, Pune for three years as a project architect, responsible for institutional, mass-housing, and government projects.
At PVPCOA, he is actively involved in developing various studio exercises that integrate Design, Technology, and Humanities aspects to foster holistic approaches. He is currently part of ongoing research on Urbanising Peripheries of the Pune region. Recently, he co-authored a paper on Urbanising Peripheries. His interests include understanding various systems involved in environment and ecology; he recently completed a course on “Sustainable Management of Natural Resources & Nature Conservation” with the Ecological Society, Pune.
Aarthi has been teaching for the last 7 years with a research-practice oriented teaching method. As part of the faculty at PVPCOA, she has been deeply involved with the undergraduate program. Growing up in a tactile city like Bombay, she brings her experience of urbanity and layers influences of the old and the new into her pedagogy. Aarthi's academic responsibilities include planning and implementing various strategies for the design studios and contributing towards the overall functioning of the institute.
Aarthi enjoys traveling and exploring cities. She has a keen interest in reading about Indian Art and Architecture, and she is an amateur photographer.
Gunjan Maheshwari is an architect who has been involved in academics since 2011 and has been working as a freelance architect and interior designer since 2009.
She has also worked as a project architect under reputed firms in New Delhi for 2 years where she handled varied typologies of projects in collaboration with UNESCO, INTACH, DIAL, ISOCARP, ISOLA, AIT etc. Her experience has given her thorough knowledge of the design process, methods of construction, communication skills, and the ability to investigate architectural topics rigorously.
Her other interests include traveling, photography, and exploring cities.
After graduating in 2013, Sandhya worked with Ar. Narendra Dengle and Associates, Pune for 2 years. During her tenure there, she worked on various Institutional and Religious projects. One of the projects she was majorly involved in was the Educational Campus at Savitribai Phule Pune University.
Sandhya tries to implement her learnings from NDA into academics through various demonstrations. Her areas of expertise in academics are mainly model making and graphical skills.
Ar. Vaibhav Kulkarni graduated from Pillai College of Architecture, New Panvel, Mumbai University in 2012, followed by a master's in computer applications in the field of Architecture. As an Architect, he has worked on several Residential and Institutional projects. He has been teaching at PVPCOA since 2016, currently engaging with Design, Graphics, and Building Technology courses. Apart from teaching, he has successfully contributed to organizing and coordinating various events at PVPCoA.
Anushree Kulkarni is a conservation architect and has been associated with Padmabhushan Vasantdada Patil College of Architecture since 2018. She completed her MSc in Architectural Conservation from the University of Edinburgh, UK in 2016. While pursuing her Master’s, she was involved with NTS, Scotland. She has since then worked on several conservation projects based on research. She has been actively conducting workshops to document heritage structures, providing students with insights into the importance of traditional and local architecture.
As an assistant professor, she explores context-driven design approaches with her students. She likes to push the boundaries of design thinking and uses creative teaching methods. Leveraging her experience in documentation, she emphasizes the integration of design, technology, and humanities in architectural education.
Ar. Sayali Vaso is an energetic and enthusiastic architectural graduate, with expertise in design, hand sketching, rendering, schematics, and model building. She practiced in the Landscape Stream under renowned Landscape architects ‘Landart Designs’ (Principal Architects: Anjali & Avadhoot Kumthekar) for 2 years and under Ar. Vikas & Nilima Bhosekar for 6 months.
She has 4 years of teaching experience with expertise in Design, working drawing, Architectural Graphics, and Drawings. Sayali is always ready for new challenges with commitment and dedication, proven as a team player through successful group assignments with excellent coordination skills. She is focused on delivering quality work on time with a great eye for details.
Harshawardhan Hardikar completed his bachelor’s in architecture from VIT’S PVP COA, Pune. He voluntarily explored the rural parts of Mangalvedha & Sangola in Solapur district to understand their history, culture, traditions, settlements, various occupations, family life, community living, and social life. During his exploration, he studied various heritages and traditional architectural practices.
Harshawardhan believes that every architect has moral responsibilities towards society, nation, and ecology. He has a fondness for rural life and advocates for the development of suburbs to become self-reliant in all aspects. He is associated with Kruti Expedition, a studio that works towards the betterment of rural India. Currently practicing architecture in Pune and Kolhapur, he aims to expand the scope of sustainable architecture and promote awareness about green living.
Ar. Meenakshi Sarawgi graduated as an architect in 2016 from the Faculty of Architecture & Planning, Jagannath University, Jaipur. She holds a master’s degree in Urban Design from Pillai College of Architecture, Mumbai University (2019). She has worked in renowned firms including Samir Sengupta & Associates, Ahmedabad, S.D. Sharma & Associates, Chandigarh, and Horizon infradesign Pvt Ltd, Jaipur. With 3 years of experience in Architecture and Design as a freelance consultant, Meenakshi primarily identifies herself as an Artist besides being an Architect and Urban designer.
Currently, Meenakshi is working as an assistant professor with 7 months of experience at VIT’s Padmabhushan Vasantdada Patil College of Architecture (PVPCOA), Pune.
She is an academician with 10 years experience. In the past she has worked at Ooty and Mysore and joined the team at PVPCoA in January 2022. She believes in a multi-disciplinary approach towards teaching and stresses on the importance of a strong theoretical base. Her areas of interest are History of Architecture, Vernacular Architecture, Conservation and Cultural Studies. She collaborated with IHCN (Indian Heritage Cities Network) and University of Liverpool and guided students for listing of unprotected heritage in Mysore district and documentation of Chikka Gosai ghat in Srirangapatna respectively. Her current research focuses on Indian miniature paintings, conflict and heritage, water and cultural landscapes. At PVPCoA she is part of the undergraduate course's third year team.
Harshavardhan is an Architect with around 4 years of experience in the field and a Freelance Designer from Maharashtra currently based in Pune. He has a deep passion for Architecture and Construction, dedicating himself to designs and their execution. Harshavardhan has collaborated closely with colleagues on various projects and is also a registered valuer. He began his teaching career in 2019 and has been associated with PVPCOA as an Assistant Professor since February 2022.
Ravi completed his B.Arch from AKTU, Lucknow in 2015. During his graduation, he achieved the highest marks in Architectural Design and Landscape subjects in semester IV & VIII respectively. After graduation, he worked on various projects including commercial, residential, sports, institutional, and private government projects in architectural firms located in Lucknow and New Delhi. He also pursued self-practice and completed residential, interior, and institutional projects.
Ravi has been involved in academics since 2018, holding various portfolios and responsibilities. He has also published international journal papers. With an artistic and creative mind, Ravi is inclined towards fields like arts, culture, and architecture. He enjoys exploring different cities, their cultures, and languages. His keen interests lie in designing, construction, services, and management to reflect uniqueness, style, and characteristics in the appearance and smallest details of buildings.
For the past 4 years, I have been part of various Urban Development initiatives based in Amravati, Mumbai, Nagpur, and Kolhapur. I have played crucial roles in devising vision plans, development plans, project timelines, strategies, and reports. As a project coordinator, I have worked with various stakeholders to establish project requirements through financial analysis and identifying development opportunities in urban and rural regions. Also, being associated with academia has enabled me to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Anuja Chawda is an Architect-Urban Designer based in Pune. She completed her Bachelor of Architecture in 2010 from VIT's PVP College of Architecture, Pune and her Master in Architecture - Urban Design in 2017 from KRVIA, Mumbai.
She has worked with Prasanna Desai Architects, Pune for 2 years on various slum rehabilitation projects in Pune (BSUP in situ Slum Rehabilitation at Yerawada), Bhubaneswar, and Raipur. Anuja has been active in Academics for approximately 6 years with PVPCoA and currently is associated with their Master in Architecture - Urban Design programme. She is actively involved in serious research work through various studio explorations at PVPCoA.
She continues to aim at setting up her own Professional Practice to bring necessary insights from the field into Academics.
Aditi is an accomplished Architect and Urban Designer with nearly two decades of experience across India, the UK, USA, and Canada. She holds a Master of Arts in Urban Design from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Pillai’s College of Architecture in Mumbai, India.
Aditi's academic journey includes roles as Associate Professor at PVP CoA, visiting faculty at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies, and Visiting Faculty at DY Patil College of Architecture, Nerul. Her scholarly work features a chapter on Human-Scale Social Spaces in a notable book on Creative Placemaking by Routledge.
Actively engaged in conferences and professional organizations, Aditi serves as Head of Placemaking at The Urban Vision, where she has been pivotal in executing various projects in Urban Design and Placemaking.
Madhura Rairikar is an Architect - Urban Designer from Pune. She is fueled by passion in the fields of Architecture, Urban Design, Writing, and Theatre. Madhura has two theatre scripts patented by the Maharashtra Kalopasak Mandal. She has worked both in teams and individually on numerous prestigious residential, institutional, and interior projects. Her diverse passions from different professions are integrated into her teaching, providing her with a platform to explore new dimensions.
