Core Faculty

Ar. Jamshid Bhiwandiwalla

Principal

Prof.Ar.Sukumar Dharmadhikari

Professor (Design Chair)

Ar. Anjuri Agrawal

Director

Ar.Rasika Chodankar

Professor - HOD (B.Voc.)

Er.Jignesh Vanjara

Assistant Professor

Ar.Salman Chouhan

Assistant Professor

Ar. Manali Rane

Assistant Professor

Ar.Ajay Geevarghese

Assistant Professor

Ar. Varsha Swar

Assistant Professor

Urvashi Purohit

Assistant Professor

Jwalant Dave

Assistant Professor

Ar. Samreen Khanam

Assistant Professor

Ar. Jignesh Panchal

Assistant Professor

Ar. Neha Tambe

Assistant Professor

Ar. Bhumika Mhaddalkar

Assistant Professor

Ar. Vaishali Kapoor

Assistant Professor

HIRANMAY SARKAR

Assistant Professor

Ar. Amruta Talawadekar

Assistant Professor

Rutvik Sankhe

Assistant Professor

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Prof. Ar. Jamshid Bhiwandiwalla

Principal
M.A. (Ancient Indian Culture) M. Arch. (General Architecture)

 

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.

Prof.Ar.Sukumar Dharmadhikari

Professor (Design Chair)
Graduated in the year 1991, from sir J.J. college of architecture and setup independent practice in Mumbai. With more than 25 years of professional experience has been working in various fields of architecture such as residential, commercial, hospitality, banks etc. while most of his work is centered in Mumbai he has also executed projects in several places all over the country which have contributed to a broader perspective and vision. The adventurous and cosmopolitan environment at Mumbai has encouraged varied and diverse styles of design in his portfolio. He continues to practice with an endeavor to contribute ideas to architecture and is also the professor design chair at Aditya college of architecture.

Ar. Anjuri Agrawal

Associate Professor
Master of Architecture (Project Management)

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.Rasika Chodankar

Professor – HOD (B.Voc.)
M.Arch ( Construction & Management)
 
Ar. Rasika Chodankar is an experienced and dedicated professional and academician. She did her graduation in Architecture in 1993, from Academy School of Architecture, Mumbai and Masters in Construction Management in 2017 from IES College, Mumbai. Her contribution is remarkable for over 15 years as independent Professional in the Industry with special focus on Residential Townships, Bungalows and Interiors. Extensively travelled abroad as a consultant for High-tech entertainment projects. She has worked with prominent Ar. Sanjay Puri as in close association, on many High-rise towers and Recreational projects. Over 5 years of Teaching experience, she has been awarded ’’Birla White Yuva Ratna” for four consecutive years as a guide in their National Design competition year from 2010 – 2014.

Er.Jignesh Vanjara

Associate Professor
M.E. (Civil)

Er. Jignesh Vanjara is a dynamic professional with over 18 years of experience in industry with specialisation in RCC, Steel Structure, and high rise buildings. He completed his BE in Civil Engineering (2007) from university of Mumbai, and M.Tech in Civil Engineering (2011) from Mumbai.  He has over 16 years of teaching experience in many reputed colleges under Mumbai University. He has been associated as a paper setter, moderator and external jury member under university of Mumbai. 

Ar.Salman Chouhan

Assistant Professor
B.Arch
 
Architect Salman Chouhan has completed his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Vidyavardhan institute of design environment and architecture, Nashik in 2016. He also holds a certificate in Interior designing and decoration from Maharashtra board of Vocational Education. He has three years of industry experience from Vision Architects where he gained expertise at development control and promotion regulations of Mumbai city & suburbs, liasioning and approval of architectural plans from various govt. authorities. He is skilled in software’s like Auto cad, Google Sketch up, Draft sight, Vray and office suite.

Ar. Manali Rane

Assistant Professor
M.Arch (Landscape Archiecture)
 
Ar. Manali Rane has pursued Masters in Landscape Architecture with distinction from Dr. Banuben Nanavati College of Architecture Pune and graduated from Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Architecture in year 2014. She worked at one of the reputed firm in Mumbai for two years on hi-end residential and mixed use projects where she got to design and co-ordinate with different well-known consultants from India as well as abroad. She currently practices as Landscape Architect in Mumbai.

Ar.Ajay Geevarghese

Assistant Professor
B.Arch
 
Ajay completed his B. Arch. From Mumbai University, India with exemplary performance and is a licensed architect from Council of Architecture, Delhi, India. Since then he is practicing in Mumbai and worked with various firms viz: M/s. Mott Macdonald, Alternate Angle Architects, Sandeep Shikre Associates, etc. Worked on & completed a variety of residential, commercial, hospitality, educational, master planning, condition mapping, interior design & government projects in India. He is an IGBC AP (Indian Green Building Council Accredited Professional) and an Autodesk Revit Certified Professional (Building Information Modelling software). He is also a frequently appointed exam jury member for the architecture design subject in Dr. Baliram Hiray College of Architecture. Mumbai. Ajay believes that for an Architect to create something genuinely new, one must start again & disconnect from the past. He emphasizes that architecture is all about its users and the users shouldn’t have to change their self to fit into the architecture of the space, it should fit them. As a strong supporter of green design as well, he advocates that ‘Somethings when taken should be returned back; back to nature and to the community.’

Ar. Varsha Swar

Assistant Professor
 
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.

Urvashi Purohit

Assistant Professor
Master of Architecture (Urban Design)
 
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 Dave

Assistant Professor
Master of Architecture (Urban Design)
 
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. Samreen Khanam

Assistant Professor
B.Arch, M.Arch (Masters in Environmental Planning)
 
Ar. Samreen Khanam has completed her Architecture from Asmita College, Mumbai University in the year 2015 and completed her Masters in Environmental from IES College, Mumbai in the year 2018. She practices as a freelance Architect in Mumbai since 2015. She has over all teaching experience of 7 Years.
 

Ar. Jignesh Panchal

Assistant Professor
G.D. Arch.
 
Brief Introduction about your academic and professional experience Having completed GD. Arch from Rachna Sansad’s Academy of Architecture in 1998, he has over 24 years of experience in field of Architecture & Interiors. Known for uncanny attention to detail and delivering a high standard of finish and quality to every project. Principal Architect of M/s. JP&A – Design Studio established since 2014 & being driving force and inspiration behind the company. His approach towards design has always been a simple one – Always let the function of a space determine its form – “Form Follows Function”. He has always looked at design from the inside out and belief in simple lines, attention to detail and has rendered a signature style that is original and well recognized all over. He strongly believes in understanding clients brief as it is a baseline for any project. Any Designs as far as possible should be simplistic, cheerful, and most important… user friendly! He has been teaching since 2015, Specialized in technical subjects and DD.

Ar. Vaishali Kapoor

Assistant Professor
B.Arch, M.Arch (Urban Regeneration)
 
Vaishali Kapoor, an architect with a strong educational background, graduated from Kurukshetra University and earned her master’s degree in Urban Regeneration from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. With over three years of experience in the field, she has seamlessly bridged academia and architectural practice. For a year, she contributed her expertise to domestic projects, emphasizing meticulous planning and structural development. Additionally, Vaishali spent two years working alongside institutions in Hyderabad and Bangalore, immersing herself in their unique regional and cultural contexts.

HIRANMAY SARKAR

Assistant Professor
B.ARCH
 
AR. HIRANMAY SARKAR is a praticing Architect and is having an experience ofn 25 years in field. He has done various housing and Landscape project.

Ar. Amruta Talawadekar

Assistant Professor
Masters in Architecture (Architectural & Urban Conservation)
 
Ar Amruta Talawadekar has completed her Bachelors in Architecture from Padmashree Dr DY Patil College of Architecture and Masters in Architecture (Architecture and Urban Conservation) from Kamala Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies. Prior to her engagement with ACA, she was a Senior Research Associate ( Built Heritage, Conservation and Talent Curation) at the Maritime History Society, a research initiative of the Indian Navy for over four years. She has presented research papers at several national and international platforms including National Defence Academy (NDA) Khadakwasla and Indian Naval Academy (INA), Kerala. She has undertaken exhaustive research on India’s maritime architecture including ship building, lighthouses and coastal batteries to name a few. Being a Mumbaikar at heart, she has a keen interest in Mumbai’s history and architecture. She has also been a part of varied architectural projects undertaken by the Indian Navy including the National Maritime Heritage Complex (being constructed at Lothal, Gujarat).  Apart from her academic feat, she is a trained classical dancer and an entrepreneur. 

Rutvik Sankhe

Assistant Professor
 
Rutvik is an architect with a background in conservation, brings a unique cultural perspective to his sustainable designs. He explores textiles, upcycling materials for inclusive and versatile fashion. His design expertise extends to collaborating on educational curricula, aiming to instill values of sustainability, creativity, and inclusivity in the next generation. His multifaceted career reflects a dedication to blending traditional and modern practices consciously. Worked with different chapters of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)which was centering enough to find value in architecture beyond conventional buildings helping them navigate and pose questions associated with communal well-being.