ACADEMIC

Abhishek has an experience of more than 20 years in urban design and place making in the UK and India. He is particularly skilled in developing realistic and imaginative design solutions for buildings, settlements and sub-regions. He has an academic and professional background in spatial planning, urban design and architecture. Projects have spanned across public and private sectors in multi-disciplinary environments. In the UK he was involved in the preparation of urban design frameworks, masterplans, supplementary design guidance, design codes, design and access statements, etc. In India, he has worked on varied architectural and urban design projects, across varied geographies and cultural contexts, from concept to implementation – tasks ranging across stakeholder consultations, conceptual and detailed design, tendering, bid evaluation and supervision of works.

Sustainability and identity through design –whilst addressing economic, social and environmental realities, have underpinned his holistic approach to place making. He has contributed to design of new settlements, urban extensions, town centre revitalization/ regeneration schemes, mixed use developments, residential layouts, economically weaker section housing, urban roads, streetscapes, design statements and codes, parks, markets, control centres, mobility hubs, varied building typologies, etc.

He has done two Masters level courses at Oxford Brookes University, UK – MA in Urban Design and MSc in Spatial Planning. In the former course, his dissertation was on developing good urban design indicators in small urban settlements in the UK. In the latter, the dissertation was on the impact of built on new urban settlements in the UK. His undergraduate degree (B.Arch) was in Architecture from Bangalore University, India. He also has taught Architectural Design and Urban Design at an undergraduate level. He has spoken at various forums (city, state and national levels) on urban design issues to generate awareness on issues related to place making.

He looks forward to being a part of the SEED community, working alongside its faculty and students, towards an appreciation of urban design and place making.