Architecture BRIO is proud to work with a strong multidisciplinary team of young and energetic architects, interior designers, sustainability experts and visualisers from various backgrounds and experiences. We work intensively with a highly skilled and talented network of engineers, consultants, designers and the client, welcoming new insights that can lead to specific innovative solutions. The studio believes strongly in design as a process with an intensive dialogue.
Shefali Balwani is a practising architect, founder principal and director of Architecture BRIO. Born in Mumbai, she studied at the renowned School of Architecture C.E.P.T. in Ahmedabad. After graduating she worked with Rahul Mehrotra Architects in Mumbai. At his studio she worked on a variety of projects such as the first phase of the Magic Bus campus in Karjat. Hereafter she joined the office of Channa Daswatte in Sri Lanka, where she worked on some of the office’s prestigious hospitality projects.
In 2006 she established Architecture BRIO together with Robert Verrijt in her hometown Mumbai.
Shefali has a keen interest in practising in a wide variety and scales of projects. She is committed to exemplary planning, design and execution of the projects at Architecture BRIO. Shefali is a frequent speaker at institutions and forums around the world. Amongst others, she lectured at the KVD forum at CEPT in Ahmedabad, the Landscape Architecture conference in Sydney, Australia, the MASA conference in Bangalore and at GSAPP, Columbia University, New York.
She appeared in the BBC documentary “Worlds Most Extraordinary Homes” together with Robert Verrijt. The program featured their project the “Riparian House” in Karjat.
Born in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, Robert Verrijt received a Master of Science in Architecture at the TUDelft in 2003. His masters thesis was accoladed with the Dutch Archiprix award. Being fascinated by Geoffrey Bawa’s architecture, he moved to Sri Lanka shortly after graduating. He joined the office of Channa Daswatte where he assisted on a retrospective exhibition of Geoffrey Bawa’s work. The office gave him the opportunity to work on various residential and hospitality projects, located in a wide variety of landscapes and contexts, such as the Kurulu Bedda Boutique Resort.
Struck by the increasing disparities in the Indian subcontinent and the opportunities it offered to achieve impact, he decided to move to Mumbai in 2006. Shortly thereafter, he set up the practice Architecture BRIO together with Shefali Balwani. Robert is fascinated with the diversity of the Indian landscape. The diverse climates and geographies of India encourage truly specific architecture with unique experiential qualities.
Robert has taught at various colleges of Architecture in Mumbai and lectures extensively in India and abroad. He is one of the founding members of the Bandra Collective and leads the bB design Studio, dedicated to eradicating homelessness. Robert is a registered architect in The Netherlands.
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Rohit Mankar is Associate Partner at Architecture BRIO and Head of Projects with a focus on technical development and the implementation of our projects. Rohit studied architecture from the School of Architecture at CEPT, Ahmedabad. He also holds a masters degree in Advanced Architectural Design from the University of Pennsylvania. Rohit has over two decades of experience, and began his career working across hospitality and residential design with WATG in London and in the US.
He was drawn by the opportunity to contribute to the emerging language of modern Indian architecture, drawing deeply from its traditional roots while also evolving to a vernacular modern future and in 2005 he founded Parallax Design Studio, a multidisciplinary design firm based in Mumbai. Over 15 years, his portfolio has included a variety of projects ranging from hospitality and offices to residences and product design. As a specialist in the hospitality space, he has worked with leading hospitality brands like Four Seasons, ITC and Radisson as well as collaborated with international design icons like Philippe Starck.
Rohit is a visiting Faculty member at Kamla Raheja Vidhyanidhi Institute of Architecture, Mumbai since 2018. He has also been a regular part of design juries in various architecture colleges over the years.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Bhakti graduated from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture, Mumbai, in 2018. Her thesis ‘The Modern Necropolis’ attempts to use urban design strategies to reimagine spaces associated with death in the dense urban context of South Bombay. During her academia, Bhakti interned at Studio XS in Bangalore, where she worked on a private weekend home in Tamil Nadu that used local building materials and techniques. This experience helped propel her into her first full-time role: a two-year stint at Studio Pomegranate in Mumbai. At SPOM, she worked on the design and master plan of an eco-resort located in the Andaman Islands, which furthered her interests in contextually sensitive design approaches that involve using materials in their true form.
At Architecture BRIO, Bhakti has worked on a residential project in Hyderabad, while also being a part of an interior project team, which exposed her to the world of researching materials and coordinating with different agencies. After two years as an architect at BRIO, Bhakti has completed a marketing and business course with STOA, helping her transition into the role of a Business Associate. Bhakti believes that architecture can be a means to create social change and provide solutions to better the world for the less fortunate, and hopes to use her architectural knowledge and business nous to bring that dream to life.
Philomena Fernandes has been an Advisor to the Team Leader at BPO for nine years. She also worked as a teacher in a school. Her function as an Executive Assistant at Architecture BRIO is to handle different office activities and to act as a point of contact between the team and management, scheduling and coordinating client meetings and internal team meetings. Her curiosity towards the field of design piqued her interest and encouraged her to join Architecture BRIO.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Grishma graduated from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture, Mumbai in 2016. Her thesis ‘Architecture for waste’ was a focused approach on rethinking waste as a resource for generating clean energy while integrating the community as a step towards a sustainable future. But to explore her diverse interests, she interned at Studio Grid which enabled her to work on a few Residential Interior projects. At The Architect’s Office TAO, she developed her design and aesthetic sensibilities and gained knowledge of technical details while working on various hospitality projects. She also freelanced for a small boutique from design to execution and then joined Parallax Design Studio to continue working on various hospitality projects where she worked on various conceptual building designs and delivered drawings. Since joining Architecture BRIO, she is pursuing her interest in sustainable design practices.
Shweta has completed B.Arch from Gujarat University’s School of Architecture Vadodara Design Academy in 2016. Her professional experience includes a diverse range of projects, from institutional to residential designs, demonstrating her skill in both complex and minimalistic approaches.
At Aakar Design Consultancy Pvt. Ltd., Shweta worked on institutional projects, focusing on site planning, unit-level detailing, and material exploration across various climates and soil conditions. Notable projects include the Cept Workshop interiors and a Sustainable Net Zero Residential International School for Mobius Foundation in Coorg. She also led a charitable general teaching hospital project in Talegaon for the DY Patil group at Serie Architects, managing it under strict budget and time constraints.
Shweta’s architectural philosophy emphasizes sustainability and mindfulness, aiming to design spaces that are both visually appealing and environmentally responsible. She values teamwork and continuous learning, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented environment within her team.
Driven by curiosity and guided by democratic values, Yash brings with himself a diverse portfolio of multi-disciplinary industry experience. As a Senior Architect/Team leader at Studio Brio, Yash extensively practices within complex project environments which reflect his expanded interests in architecture as an agency for social impact.
Yash grew up in New Zealand/Australia. He completed his Masters in Architecture with a distinction from RMIT University (Melbourne) and ETSAB (Barcelona). Over his career he has consciously practiced within Architecture, Urban Design, Landscape Architecture and Theatre in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
He decided to move across to Mumbai to further explore the dynamic and interactive building environment that India has to offer. His strengths and interests lie in Design, Strategic frameworks and Community relations, which aids toward his advocacy for collaborative design involving artists, craftsmen and other industry professionals to achieve positive design outcomes. In his personal practice, Yash is involved with UIA (International Union of Architects) as the Australian correspondent for Social Housing and Habitat.
Sarvesh Alshi has completed his bachelor’s in Architecture from L. S. Raheja School of Architecture, Mumbai in 2015 and masters in Architecture (majors in Architectural design and minors in Conservation) from CEPT University 2018. His professional experience after bachelor’s started with working at Parallax Design Studio for a year. Undertaken in collaboration with the National Museum of Denmark’s Serampore Initiative, his master’s thesis was awarded a Gold Medal. Later, he was associated with CEPT University and Center for Heritage Conservation for more than two years as an Architect, Visiting Faculty, Research Associate. Here he worked on the restoration of the CEPT Faculty of Architecture Building which was originally designed by Pritzker prize winning architect B.V. Doshi in 1962.
Being an advocate of a value-based understanding of the built environment, his interest lies in understanding the spatial meanings behind it. This interest coupled with the experience of dealing with heritage environments informs his attitude to strive for a sensitive approach towards design.
Hardik graduated from the KRVIA, Mumbai in 2016. His thesis “The Dense Urbitat” was in itch to explore super-block high-density housing and self-sufficient neighbourhoods as an idea for the future. At KRVIA, he was a part of an international exchange with the Urban Lab+ and attended a resident cluster meeting held in Switzerland.
After interning at Parallax Design Studio, he went ahead to join them full time in 2016 where he worked on a variety of Architectural and Interior design projects from concept to handovers. This enabled him to refine his technical knowledge, resolving complexities, attention to detail and apply organizing skills to set systems to maintain the creativity-efficiency balance.
Hardik has always approached design via the lens of building technology and strives to merge the two sides of the coin otherwise thought separately. He advocates this further
while teaching as an assistant professor at the AOA, Mumbai where he has been guiding design and technology studies since 2018. After 5 years of experience, he now looks forward to evolve with new knowledge & methodologies at the studio.
Jahnavi completed her Bachelors from the Academy of Architecture, Mumbai, where she received several accolades for multiple design projects at various forums and competitions like FuturArc , Asia’s Young Designer Award and Tamayouz International. She has presented her design dissertation at the Monthly Exhibition and Sharing Sessions for School of Women Architects(SOWA), Indonesia.
Upon graduation, she worked as an associate for 5 years at Rahul Mehrotra and Architects (RMA), where she headed a multidisciplinary team, to provide strategic design solutions to client and coordinate with operations and engineering stakeholders to build various public and private projects like crematoriums, auditoriums, schools and residential premises.
Leveraging on 7 years of industry experience, Jahnavi continues to lead and manage design teams from conceptualizing to delivery at BRIO.
Prathyuksha earned a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Manipal School of Architecture and Planning and a Master’s degree from RMIT University in Melbourne. Her capstone project at RMIT reflects the underlying significance of embedded narratives endowed with long-lasting resonance. Her master’s degree has improved her understanding of research-led ideation in design through a non-restricted approach, as well as her capacity to think laterally and effectively. She has worked at Interlock Construction and Danny Broe Architect, both in Sydney, during her time in Australia. She also worked as a research assistant with NH architecture in Melbourne, where she helped with the study and analysis of business-as-usual models for mixed-use developments.
Prior to pursuing her master’s degree, she was an integral part of the design team at Arun Nalapat Architects Bangalore, where she worked on a wide range of projects spanning from healthcare to residential.
Her internship at Studio 4a in Bangalore on small scale inexpensive mud block housing projects shaped her views toward housing affordability, accessibility, and materiality, which she later addressed in her master’s capstone project.
She has joined Architecture BRIO in order to extend her expertise and continue researching the specifics and ethos of long-lasting and site-responsive architecture.
Nikita is a recent architecture graduate from NIT Bhopal and is the recipient of the Dean’s Silver Medal. She was awarded the Best Thesis Award for her project – Google HQ, Hyderabad, which focussed on navigating the future of Office design in the Post-Pandemic world.
She has previously interned at PTA Designs, Bhopal. Here she worked on different scales of projects ranging from hotels, restaurants, startups and residential in the planning and design stages. She has attended the Laurie Baker exposure programme, Kerala and the Z-Axis biennial conference organized by Charles Correa Foundation, Goa.
During her undergraduate years, Nikita gained consciousness of the Anthropocenic era we are already in now and believes that architects can play a role in capsizing this great acceleration. She wants to contribute towards the same by gaining practical experience at Architecture Brio, around the concepts of sustainability and by better understanding contextually sensitive & socially responsible Architecture.
Akanksha completed her Bachelors in Architecture from Sinhgad College of Architecture, Pune. Coming from a family of architects, she developed a quest for design at an early stage of her life. Being a passionate animal lover, her undergraduate thesis was to protect and provide for injured animals in the urban city. She was able to design a sustainable rescue, research, and rehabilitation center for animals in Pune.
She has previously interned at NDDC, Pune. There she worked on different scales of projects ranging from social housing, commercial, and residential in the planning and design stages. Later she went on to join her father’s practice in Jabalpur, M.P. where she worked on a lot of hospitality and residential projects.
At Architecture BRIO, Akanksha hopes to learn the concepts of sustainability and better understand contextually sensitive & socially responsible Architecture.
Aditi, A recent CEPT University graduate, she is originally from Lucknow. During her undergraduate career, she worked as an intern in Sri Lanka with Team Architrave and in Paris with Renzo Piano Building Workshop. The varying scale of both practices helped elevate her knowledge in contextuality, materials and construction details. During this period, she acquired a strong interest in travelling and interpreting cities with an overlay of their unique contexts, studying the built and unbuilt through the perspective of culture, history, geography and technology. Aditi was also active in theatre throughout college, temporarily working as a set designer and freelancing as an interior designer. She hopes to use her time at Architecture BRIO to further develop a sharp sense of detailing in design, one that is contextually oriented and sustainable in its approach.
Julia comes from Poland and is a TU Delft Architecture Master Program graduate with additional education obtained in Architectural Association in London and a Bachelor degree from Silesian University of Technology in Poland. She has international work experience gained in Munich (Germany), Krakow (Poland), Aarhus (Denmark) and Rotterdam (Netherlands).
Julia has interdisciplinary approach and experience in architectural, interior and exhibition design, but also with furniture and fashion. Her main focus within the design process is research, creative concept development, graphical design and visualization. She believes in a concept-driven design process, where a strong, research-informed idea plays the leading role in the project development. Julia’s personal ambition within the field of architecture is the implementation of human-oriented research and cross-disciplinary ideologies into design. She actively explores the role of neuroarchitecture and sensory-based design in contemporary architecture.
Julia joined Architecture BRIO in 2023 and is a part of the Rotterdam office. She collaborates remotely with the Mumbai team and actively works on European projects and competitions.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Anuja graduated from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture in 2021. During her course, she participated in the 7th Platform for Asian Architecture and Urbanism Exchange program, hosted in Penang, Malaysia, which focused on inclusive urbanism and architecture with ways to balance exclusionary practices with more inclusive strategies. Her curiosity in this field led her to pursue her thesis ‘Within, Around & Beyond – an experiment with the apartment typology’, as a means to unfold the dual relationship that housing and urbanism share through the re-imagination of housing as an extension of the city and not just a part of it. Her thesis was selected as one of the top 8 entries for the KRVIA Dissertation Colloquium and has also received several honourable mentions.
After completing her degree, she worked at RMA Architects, Mumbai as a junior architect for a year. While there, she gained valuable experience overseeing multiple aspects of residential architecture including designing, planning, and project management.
During her undergraduate years, she gained a keen interest in residential and context-based architecture. She believes that each space must be consciously designed, for its users and the context. She hopes to contribute to this by obtaining practical expertise at Architecture BRIO in the areas of contextually aware and socially responsible architecture.
Kkanche is originally from Coimbatore, but she has called multiple places home throughout her life. Shuffling between cultures and narratives has been an important driving force in her design journey. She graduated from Ramaiah Institute of Technology with a gold medal in Architecture. Her thesis ‘A Letter to the Walls’ is an exploration into the history of the Indian Independence Struggle and an experiment in storytelling. During college, she dabbled in writing and was the editor of the department magazine ‘Render.’
Her internships at Cadence Architects and Takashi Niwa Architects set a foundation for her interest in materials and details. After graduation she joined ‘&t’ studio where she worked on a variety of projects, one of which was a temporary art exhibition that she helped curate. Her experiences in various studios and contexts have widened her design horizons and her ability to evolve.
She believes that a well-designed space has a story to tell, and yet it leaves room for people to be in the space and define their own narrative of it. The materials, the details, the light, and the shadow play important roles in the building of this experience. She hopes to use her time at BRIO to learn to appease the devil by furthering her expertise in detailing while keeping the bigger picture in sight.
Mahima graduated from the Academy of Architecture in 2021. She is dedicated to creating user-centric designs that enhance communities and is a lifelong learner who finds excitement in the journey from design conceptualization to the tangible reality of built structures.
Originally from Shirgaon, a small town near Ratnagiri, the contrast between her native village and her current residence in Mumbai inspired her thesis, “Krishi-kendra: Centralizing the Locale of Agrarian Mindset in Urban Expansion.”
Mahima completed her internship at Parallax Design Studio in Bandra, where she worked on hospitality projects and several competitions. After graduating, she joined Somaya and Kalappa Consultants, where she worked on various institutional projects. The diverse range of projects and clientele at both firms strengthened her foundation in technical knowledge, project planning, coordination, and management.
At Architecture BRIO, she aims to further her architectural knowledge by exploring design detailing, context-specific design, and sustainability in architecture.
Born and raised in Agra, Manvi embarked on her architectural journey with a profound appreciation for design and cultural heritage. She relocated to Jaipur to pursue her architecture degree at Jagannath University, where her passion for creating impactful spaces flourished. During her internship at Hoxton and Urban Architects in Noida, Manvi contributed to a villa project on an artificial island in Dubai, an experience that refined her skills in innovative and sustainable design.
Manvi’s professional trajectory extended across India, where she collaborated with several esteemed design studios. Her tenure of two and a half years at The Purple Ink Studio involved contributing to a diverse range of projects, including institutions to clubhouse. These experiences were pivotal in shaping her architectural philosophy, which emphasizes the significance of context, climate, and cultural nuances in design.
She joined Architecture Brio to work on diverse projects and sharpen her skills for the intricate details that make a design truly exceptional.
Harshwardhan, A recent graduate with a Master of Architecture from The University of Adelaide, Australia and has completed Bachelor of Design in Architecture from University of Technology Sydney, Australia. During his academics, he gained a strong foundation in design and architecture and developed a strategic thinking for narrative based interpretation of built form and context that responds to the existing Anthropocentric era. His interest in architecture is to utilise the context and existing as a reservoir of potential resources, allowing science and technology to be harnessed and re purposed beyond its usual application.
He has been awarded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India for an Urban Design Competition. Recently, he was awarded as 2nd prize winner + student winner at Los Angeles Affordable Housing Design competition where he proposed to stitch housing to the airspace of the underutilized low-density neighbourhood to tackle the existing housing crisis in Los Angeles.
Born and raised in Poland, Maria felt the necessity to learn and absorb the world through foreign art and architecture. Before starting her studies, she traveled across North and South America, from Toronto to Sao Paulo, where she witnessed the stark contrasts in the living conditions of people.
To understand better if and how architects can bridge these gaps, she pursued master’s degree at TUDelft in the Netherlands, graduating with Cum Laude and Honors. After working both in Poland as well as in the Netherlands, her belief of the scarcity of housing and the need for participatory architecture worldwide was reinforced.
Maria believes in a bottom-up approach, where architects step back to give space and support to the communities they design for. In her practice, she aims to be the medium between people and architecture, addressing the needs and desires of those who are less fortunate.
To do so, she joined Architecture BRIO in the Rotterdam office with hope to contribute her knowledge to cultivating user-oriented approach in everyday’s architectural practice.
Born and raised in Mumbai, Miloni graduated from the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies in 2018. She completed an internship at Sustainable Urbanism International, where she contributed to urban restoration projects in temple towns across Karnataka. This experience provided her with a deep understanding of the impact of community involvement in tourism and its potential to enhance local communities. Her thesis, “Urban Regeneration of Historic Trade Towns,” reflects this insight, using her ancestral home town as the focus for her research.
Following her graduation, she worked at Pooja Shah Architects on two residential projects. During this tenure, she developed a thorough understanding of the project lifecycle, experimented with various materials, and recognized the critical role of technical details and tactility in architecture to elevate the user experience. She then spent two years freelancing to apply her acquired knowledge before joining STaND Design for a year. There, she focused on hospitality and retail projects, which enabled her to delve into the dynamics of human interaction with products and the intricate relationship between branding and interior design.
With five years of diverse industry experience, she joined Brio with the aim of further deepening her expertise in materials, details, and textures. She aspires to translate these insights into products and sophisticated spaces.
Preeti Dubey is a skilled Autocad draftswoman who has dedicated over ten years of experience to the interior design and architecture industry, directly after completing her higher education.
During this time, she worked at Design hex, Ravi Vazirani Design studio and Abhikalpan architects & planners where she has honed her skills in creating technical drawings, plans and designs. She has worked on a large range of projects, which spans from residential, retail to commercial constructions. Her experience in the field has given her an eye for detail and she is committed to deliver projects on time. She is constantly learning and exploring new ideas, materials, and techniques to enhance her skills and bring a fresh perspective to her work. Her expertise and experience in Autocad make her an asset to the firm.
At Brio, she aspires to reinforce her knowledge and understanding of technical drawings and explore new intricate details of different materials.
Zoya completed her bachelor’s in architecture from KRVIA, Mumbai in 2023. She has always been intrigued by unconventional materials, developed interests in their tactility, in exploring joinery mechanisms, alongside creating stimulating designs that best suit the context and its inhabitants. An eye for detail, combined with a yearning to explore sustainability as a foundation for all designs, her thesis as well as her other academic work explore socially responsible and climatically sensitive architecture.
Her constant curiosity and thrill in resolving challenges that come with unfamiliar materials has previously pushed her to explore mud, glulam timber and bamboo. She believes that Brio’s design ideologies align with the way she sees herself working in the future and looks forward to bringing an added vigour to the practice. She hopes her time at Brio to enhances her design competence and helps shape her technical knowledge base.
She has previously gained experience as an architectural intern at GRCA, an exclusive practice based in Bangalore that has successfully executed several projects ranging from factories, apartments, and houses all across the country. During this period, she worked on the architectural designing, detailing and interiors of a residential project in Tumkuru, another in Mumbai, and one set against the backdrop of the Nandi Hills. It was the principal’s humble and honest design approach that she respected the most.
Chaitanya Gajbhiye is an Architect, an Artist, an Animator, and a Filmmaker from India.
He is a graduate of the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi after having completed a successful internship at Pt. Biro Benda, Bali, Indonesia under the guidance of Ar. Alexis Dornier. He served as the National Secretary of the National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA India) in the Executive Council of the 65th Year. With an ambition to provide aid to need-based and deserving students, he undertook an initiative to start NISF – NASA India Scholarship Funds during his tenure as the National Treasurer for the 64th year. He has conducted Trophies and has overseen various Programs and Conventions as a part of NASA India and believes that the initiatives aid in students becoming at the forefront of growth in architecture. He strives to advocate for social change through his design practices. He was a silver medallist at the Asian Contest of Architectural Rookies Awards for 2020 and bagged the Popular Choice award at AYDA for the same year.
Chaitanya’s worldview has been enhanced by avid travel experiences, shaping his cultural perspective, and influencing his creative endeavours. As a filmmaker, Chaitanya has highlighted his creative prowess through several animated short films, earning recognition at various events. Proficient in Blender, a 3D animation software, he not only crafts compelling animations but also imparts his knowledge through filmmaking and Blender workshops at zonal and national conventions. His animated short film “2050” received an honorable mention at the Sunhak Peace Prize Award in 2020, reflecting his commitment to impactful storytelling and artistic excellence.
Heet, is an optimistic generalist, raised by individuals with strong cultural values. He graduated from Rachana Sansad’s Academy of Architecture, Mumbai University, where he was exposed to diverse roles & learning strategies developing himself into an ‘abled candidate’ for almost every role in the architectural realm.
His interests in decoding human behaviour in a social context, coupled with the study of humanity & its evolutionary origins – intrigued him to design ‘a Modern Museum’ for his thesis. The idea behind this ‘unconventional institution’ was to convey the narrative of ‘non-linear time’ & give back the local community a landmark. He believes that a ‘sense of belongingness’ to a space creates room for ‘personal identity’ & thus he attempts to translate that sense into an elementary spatial organization.
During his Bachelors, Heet had been actively participating in competitions and won accolades in multiple National & International competitions, related to healthcare & contextually sensitive socio-cultural briefs. Alongside that, he had consistently been the Team Lead for documentation, installations and projects in Academy. During his internship at Parallax Design Studio, he was exposed to the Hospitality sector typology. Later, he also assisted as a freelancing Architect on a Resort in Himachal Pradesh, alongside designing products for craft clusters in collaboration with Tisser India using sustainable local material techniques.
Being an advocate of a value-based understanding of the built environment, Heet has joined BRIO with an attitude to get prepared for what may come & develop a practice which strengthens self-belief.
Born and raised in Thrissur, Kerala, Parvathy pursued her Bachelor’s in Architecture from TKM School of Architecture, Kerala. Her strong passion for art and design guided her towards a career in architecture, where she also fostered a keen interest in capturing the essence of spaces and experiences through photography.
Her thesis, “Beyond Transactions,” explored how revitalizing retail spaces through people-centric activities can enhance social value and transform everyday environments into vibrant, inclusive community spaces.
Following her graduation, Parvathy gained valuable experience as a freelance architect, focusing on the renovation and conservation of a temple in Kerala. This project ignited her interest in sustainable architecture and motivated her to join BRIO, where she seeks to deepen her knowledge and expertise in creating environmentally responsible designs.
Aishwarya, an architect from Rachana Sansad’s Academy of Architecture, just earned a master’s degree from Spain’s Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia in Advanced Ecological Buildings & Biocities. With a specialization in sustainability and a passion for experiential architecture, she has honed a skill set that enables her to create environments that use a play of materials, culture, spatial design, and utility to both excite and intrigue users.
Aishwarya has always had an artistic flair and combines her knowledge of colors, textures, and perception to help design user-centric spaces. According to her, culture, history, and passive techniques are crucial since they will prevent a community’s identity from being lost due to increased urbanization. Her master’s thesis, “The Inherent Adaptability of Materials in Architecture,” and her bachelor’s thesis, “The Spiritual Transcendence of Sacred Architecture,” both highlight these ideals. While two distinct subjects, each concentrated on user-centric and environmentally conscious designs, local architectural techniques, sensory stimulation, and local adaptability.
Through her love for research, travels and explorations, she continues to learn and grow as a designer. Having freelanced in interior design and furniture design, Aishwarya hopes to bring this attention to detail and her enthusiasm to the Architecture Brio Team while hoping to harness new skills along the way.
Sahil is a graduate of Asmita College of Architecture in Mumbai, where he developed a deep passion for design. Originating from Vasai, Sahil has long been committed to expanding his architectural knowledge. His career goal is to practice architecture in a manner that benefits the community, a vision that guided his thesis project, ‘Interpretation Centre for the East Indian Community’. This project aimed to address the needs of marginalized groups by providing an innovative architectural solution that offers a space for voicing opinions and showcasing history and culture.
During his internship at Studio PPBA, a boutique firm in Pune, Sahil gained valuable experience in sustainable and humane architectural practices. He contributed to a range of projects, including private residences and community initiatives.
Following his graduation, Sahil joined ACKM Design Studio in Mumbai, where he spent a year developing his skills in site management and practical application of architectural principles.
Sahil is eager to further refine his expertise in sustainable design, adopt a more contextual approach to architecture, and enhance his attention to detail at Architecture BRIO.
Aakriti has completed her Architecture from the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies, Mumbai in 2023. With a keen eye for detail and a research-based approach, she works towards enhancing human experiences at various scales. She offers valuable hands-on experience gained through internships and academic projects. Her strong design sensibility and adaptive nature facilitates effective ideation that contributes to productive design development, documentation, and client interactions in rapidly changing environments.
Her Bachelor’s thesis, titled “Sitopolis: Food and its Production in an Urban Fabric,” aims to rekindle people’s awareness and relationship with food, through architecture. It seeks to re-imagine the food system through efficient and sustainable production, storage and distribution; ensuring quality and nutrition while striving towards food security. The thesis also emphasizes on engaging the community within these greener, softer spaces in our future cities.
She has previously worked with RAD Co + Lab, a Mumbai-based firm, where she contributed to architectural design for residential and commercial projects as well as furniture and product design. Additionally, her experience at KNS Architects on residential projects also provided her with practical insights into site co-ordination and the understanding of various materials.
Aakriti’s perspective has been enriched by her avid travels, where she delights in exploring the art, culture and cuisine of the places she visits. She believes that Brio’s design philosophy aligns perfectly with her professional aspirations and is looking forward to enhancing her design capabilities and broadening her technical knowledge and is eager to contribute to the firm’s success.
Saurav graduated from Pillai College of Architecture, New Panvel, in 2022. During his studies, he interned with M/s Prabhakar Bhagwat (Landscape India), gaining exposure to master planning projects of significant scale and developing a keen eye for detail within broader project contexts.
Hailing from a diverse cultural background—a Maharashtrian from Southern India raised in Mumbai—Saurav’s upbringing fuelled his curiosity about cultural dynamics, which in turn extended in his thesis, ‘Multiculturalism – Reimagined Through a Public Gathering Lens,’ which explored the integration of cultures in rapidly evolving urban settings. He advocates for architecture that is sensitive to its context and climate.
With these values post-graduation, Saurav continued his learning journey at KSM Architecture, Chennai, as a Junior Architect. KSM’s ethos of sustainable, energy-efficient modern design aligned with his values. Here, he contributed to projects spanning schools, offices, and private residences, engaging in design development, detailing, and on-site execution.
Driven by his passion for context-sensitive design, Saurav joined Architecture Brio, renowned for their innovative approach and contextual sensitivity.
Kiran Gutte graduated from IES College of Architecture, Mumbai, in 2022. Since then, she has focused on continuous learning and professional development, including obtaining a certified BIM professional credential through the NOVATR platform. Her previous role enabled her to apply her technical skills and gain experience in site responsiveness.
At Architecture Brio, Kiran aims to expand her expertise and explore new approaches to contextually appropriate, sustainable design solutions.
Abhinit, a resident of Nagpur, graduated from Rizvi College of Architecture in Mumbai in 2024. He is passionate about photography and cinematography, often capturing the vibrant essence of urban streets. His love for travel led him to Ahmedabad, where a visit to BV Doshi’s Premabhai Hall sparked a deeper interest in architecture.
For his thesis, Abhinit explored the impact of Brutalism in India, delving into the emergence of modern architecture and the intricate play of materiality within it. During his undergraduate years, he interned with SRM Architects in Udaipur. There, he contributed to a range of projects, from hospitality interiors to architectural design, gaining valuable insights into contemporary uses of vernacular materials and sustainable construction practices in Rajasthan.
His blend of academic expertise and practical experience, especially with his focus on Brutalism, has intensified his curiosity to explore materials beyond concrete. He is now committed to discovering contextually appropriate and sustainable materials for future architectural projects, all while establishing a unique position within the field.
2007 | Saumin Lad, Tanja Meyle
2008 | Shriya Parasrampuria
2009 | Resmi Menon, Julie Especiel
2010 | Anirudh Sood, Tushar Amin, Pankaj Chakraborty, Kritika Sharma
2011 | Kristina Schultz, Sujata Chitlangia, Ryan Mcloughlin
2012 | Shraddha Karkar, Sahil Deshpande, Ashwin Bharati, Divya Kapuria, Devanshi Dadia, Luis Santos, Nishita Kamdar, Anoushka Sivaraman, Christa Mueller
2013 | Kavyashri Cherala, Shuba Shekar
2014 | Philip Thomas, Jordan Magnee, Palak Mandhana, Prajakta Gawde
2015 | Khushboo Asrani, Swati Seshadri, Rithik RC, Kulsum Shahiwala
2016 | Neethi Dorairaju, Aishwarya Shankar, Mohammed Inthizar, Kirti Makhija, Kiran Babu, Madhura Joshi, Samridhi Nalwa, Surabhi Banerjee, Sakshi Minocha, Aarti Dhingra, Harsh Soneji
2017 | Asa Jonsson, Mona Jain, Rinika Prince, Alisha Raman, Shwetank Bhartwal, Denis Amirtharaj, Pierre Lambrecht, Tanvi Deolekar, Karan Dalal, Darshana Dande, Adeeb Dholakia, Shreya Nath, Dipon Bose, Antonin Henrard, Shivani Mehta
2018 | Akhil Hari, Anisha Murali, Gunjan Lath, Reena Parera, Aditya Dua, Nimisha Saraf, Shivani Shatri, Kamakshi Shah
2019 | Chinar Shah, Zainab Kabira, Elena Gomez, Prajit Gupta, Shreya Rao, Stuti Murarka
2020 | Nakshi Shah, Tanishka Sharma, Pranchal Shah, Helee Doshi, Anjali Gopalakrishnan, Aishwarya Dharmarajan, Bhavya Gandhi
2021 | Priyanka Srikrishna, Ganesh Meena, Himani Bindal, Navya Khurana, Aishwarya Shyamala, Chirag Shah, Diksha Garg, Nishant Kumar, Priyanka Parekh,
2022 |Aishwarya Dharmarajan, Shanmati Rajagopalan, Bhaya Gandhi, Tanvi Bhayani, Rekai Campbell, Maitri Uka, Milaap Koppikar, Canna Shah, Parth Solanki, Shivraj Rudruke, Cheyenne Canterbury, Jasmine Montina, Muhamed Mubaris, Saheer Ali P K, Zaara Arsiwala
2023 |Arka Banerjee, Kavya Shah, Ninad Naik, Reetu Pethani, Anushri Shetty, Hemaxi Luthar, Vaibhavi Khedkar, Urmi Panchamia, Prathamesh Vernekar, Shrijeet Redekar, Namitha Jose, Namitha Jose, Prerna Kejriwal, Surjayan Biswas, Swastik Mazumder
2024 |Nilesh Sankhat, Yogesh Bhosle, Ritika Mehta, Manas Dodia, Kevin John, Lokesh Kadam, Tanishq Bhattad