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.
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.
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. 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.
Prachi Dalvi is an architect involved in academics since 2007 and has been working as freelance interior designer since 2015
Before joining academics, she has worked as a project architect in a reputed architectural firm in Mumbai handling projects with varying typologies such as healthcare, residential, commercial, and has carried her experience in client handling, site supervision, making municipal and civil drawings in her current endeavours.
After graduating as an architect with professional experience, I developed an interest in architectural design and architectural conservation. A post-graduation in same, helped me to understand buildings, areas, and cities from different perspectives, layer, and stakeholders involved. Along with this, work experience in respected field had led to facilitated informed decision-making and application of acquired skills and techniques, keeping it to the best of professional ethics.
Sneha Bendre is an architect and heritage conservationist with extensive experience in building and urban heritage conservation, and design in heritage or low–cost context. After her Master's, she did a long stint of professional experience as a conservation architect at KIMAYA, Pune, where she worked as a team member on the conservation of many heritage monuments, along with the development of urban facilities, riverfronts, and heritage guidelines for heritage–rich towns across western and central India.
During this period, she was a part of training workshops and a part of the winning design team for ‘UNESCO Asia – Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation Programme’ for two consecutive years (2014, 2015).
Her research interests include Architectural pedagogy and Traditional Indian Knowledge Systems, and she has also published research papers on the same.
Vaidehi Sadwilkar is an experienced architect and landscape architect with over eight years of professional engagement across heritage conservation, interior design, and landscape consultancy. Her academic background includes a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from BNCA, Pune (2018) and a Bachelor’s in Architecture from PVPCOA, Pune (2014).
She has served as an assistant professor for B.Arch & M.Arch, nurturing a passion for teaching and research in cultural landscapes. Vaidehi brings a sensitive, interdisciplinary approach to design, combining hands-on site execution with academic insight. Proficient in AutoCAD, GIS, and graphic tools, she continues to contribute meaningfully to architecture and education through project and collaborative studio teaching.
Vaidehi combines professional practice with academic engagement, aiming to foster critical thinking and contextual sensitivity in architectural education.
Himali holds a Master’s degree in Architectural Conservation from the School of Planning and Architecture in Bhopal, where she developed her expertise in preserving historical buildings. She also earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Smt. Manoramabai Mundle College of Architecture in Nagpur, which provided her with a solid foundation in modern architectural practices.
Throughout her career, Himali has served as an Assistant Professor and Visiting Faculty, focusing on topics such as vernacular architecture, architectural history, and design aesthetics. Her practical experience encompasses architectural documentation, condition assessments, and the preparation of heritage impact reports.
Skilled in AutoCAD, SketchUp, and Revit, Himali utilizes these tools to create precise designs and thorough documentation. Her diverse skill set enables her to address the challenges of preserving building integrity while accommodating modern needs, all while educating her students effectively.
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.
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.
