Projects

Projects being executed with various governmental and non-governmental organizations for heritage planning and conservation.

Heritage Cell, Jaipur City

The Walled City of Jaipur, now on the UNESCO WHS list, presents a unique example of an 18th century Indian city with a grid-iron plan, influenced by various design philosophies.

As a part of the Heritage Cell constituted for the management of the site, I am involved in the preparation of a Special Area Heritage Plan for its conservation, planning and development. My role also involves preparing architectural control guidelines, urban toolkits, bye-laws and other guidelines, monitoring the condition of heritage attributes as well as modern projects being undertaken within the nominated property and buffer zone.

EKAMRA Plan, Bhubaneswar

My role in the large-scale urban redevelopment project included reviewing proposals and incorporating cultural and built heritage conservation into the urban design, place-making and mobility design projects for the urban redevelopment of the historic core of Bhubaneswar, in the vicinity of the Lingaraja temple.

Mapping of historic structures including temples, water features, etc. and prepared a toolkit for develop guidelines and a toolkit for their conservation.

Mathas Documentation, Puri

My role in the large-scale urban redevelopment project includes incorporating cultural and built heritage conservation into the urban design, place-making and mobility design projects for the urban redevelopment of the historic core of Puri, in the vicinity of the Jagannath temple.

Prepared an inventory and document stating significance and role of various historic structures like Mathas (monasteries) and temples around the Jagannath Temple in Puri.

Qutb Shahi Heritage Park, Hyderabad

The Qutb Shahi Heritage Park, on the tentative UNESCO WHS list, includes 40 tombs, 20 mosques, an Idgah, 6 Baolis (stepwells), a hamam (bath), enclosure walls and archaeological remains of a settlement spread over 108 acres, built during the Qutb Shahi dynasty, rulers of the Golconda/Hyderabad region in the 16th – 17th centuries.

My role with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in the project included supervising on-site conservation work by master craftsmen and masons, involving removal of modern materials, authentic replication and restoration of ornamental details, structural interventions, restoring original lime mortar and plaster, other general repairs in stone and timber and various landscape works; detailed architectural documentation and condition assessment including drone photogrammetry and digitisation, 3D laser scanning, total station surveying, manual drafting and CAD drawings, as well as compiling detailed archival records and various documents requesting grants, progress reports for sponsors and a detailed inventory of architectural description and conservation work for over 100 structures.

Other projects

Academic and Research Projects:

Historic Urban Landscape Approach in Practice: Jaipur City (Paper for the ICOMOS India Annual Scientific Symposium)
What Enables Urban Continuity: A Case Study of the Old City of Hyderabad, India (Dissertation, MSc. in Architectural Conservation, University of Edinburgh)
Historical research on the Rath Yatra in Puri (Government of Odisha publication - in manuscript)

Volunteer Work:

Cases Panel Member with the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland: To review and comment on planning applications for historic listed buildings and those in conservation areas for Edinburgh and the Forth and Borders areas.
Volunteer with Edinburgh World Heritage: At the Tron Kirk at the junction of Old and New Towns of Edinburgh UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Urban Design Projects, Ahmedabad

As a part of the Urban Design Team at Vāstu Shilpā Consultants led by Pritzker Prize Laureate Balkrishna Doshi, y role included creating design proposals through 3D models and graphics, physical model making, public presentations and reports for urban design projects including the development of a transport oriented zone, roads and recreational public spaces, as well as for various architecture competitions and institutional design projects.