P V K Rameshwar
Urbanist, Academician
Partner – SHILANYAS, Ahmedabad
PVK Rameshwar (Partner- SHILANYAS, Ahmedabad) is a highly respected urbanist and academician worldwide and has been a key figure in establishing urban design as a mainstream professional entity in India. His primary effort has been the continuous engagement with Local Authorities to evolve & drive home relevant Urban Design, which he has explored through various academic and professional Design Studios. He graduated from S.A., CEPT, Ahmedabad and received his Masters in Architecture and Urban Design from Washington University, St. Louis, USA. He has trained with Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, New York City before setting up practice in Ahmedabad.
In addition to practice, he was the former Professor and Head of Urban Design, and Chairperson -Graduate School, CEPT University. He serves as an Expert Advisor for the Tourism Cell of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. He has served as an Expert Member for the Andhra Pradesh state government in the State Level Strategic Urban Development Expert Committee, and as an Expert Member, GIFTCity, Gandhinagar.
He has won the IIA National Award for Excellence in Architecture. He has lectured extensively nationally and internationally and has served as a jury member in several important competitions
Biley Menon
Architect, Urban Designer, Academician
Partner – Idea Design, Kochi
Biley Menon graduated from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, with a Master of Architecture degree. His postgraduate thesis, ‘Ecological Aspects of Urban Design’ was the first of its kind and was adjudged Best Thesis in the Department of Urban Design. He is also an alumnus of the Executive Management Program at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. After working with Prof. KT Ravindran in New Delhi, Biley started ‘Idea Design’ an architecture and landscape design firm jointly with Ar. Chitra Biley. With over 20 years of professional experience, Biley has grounded his practice based on an ecoresonant architecture and urban design approach to find solutions to global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation.
A winner of the IIA National Award for Excellence in Architecture, Biley was a UNESCO consultant national expert for their initiative on the heritage of Cochin. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Master’s Program in the Department of Urban Design, College of Engineering Trivandrum. He has jointly led consortia with world-renowned planners and designers in the fields of Urban Heritage Conservation, Urban Ecological Restoration, Zoological Parks, Eco-Resorts and Tourism Master Plans.
Mohan Rao
Landscape Architect, Environmental Designer
Principal – Integrated Design (INDÉ), Bengaluru
Mohan Rao heads Integrated Design (INDÉ), a research-based practice engaged in environmental design, regional planning and landscape architecture with a strong focus on sustainable practices. His areas of engagement include ecosystem services, climate change and passive design; low impact development, heritage site interpretation & traditional knowledge systems. His academic, research and practice initiatives are spread across India, China, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Honours include several awards including those instituted by UNESCO, IFLA, HUDCO, etc.
anup naik
Architect, Urban Designer
Founder & CEO – Urban Frame Pvt. Ltd.
Dr. Anup Naik is the Founder and CEO of Urban Frame Pvt Ltd, and a distinguished practitioner in the fields of architecture and urban design. With a doctorate in Sustainable Architecture and a Master’s in Urban Design from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, his professional oeuvre spans over 30 years and multiple geographies across the globe.
His contributions to India’s Smart City initiatives and academic engagements reflect a deep commitment to sustainable, human-centric urbanism. Dr. Naik’s interdisciplinary practice encompasses master planning, healthcare, sports infrastructure, transportation, and urban design, underpinned by a rigorous design ethos. His work has received international acclaim at the RTF Global Architecture Design Award and WAF Awards, including recognition by Forbes India as one of the country’s top architects.
A member of IGBC, INTACH and IUDI, he has also served on several policy and advisory bodies. Through his work, Dr. Naik continues to interrogate conventional paradigms, advocating for cities that are resilient, adaptive, and fundamentally humane.
p g sivakumaar
Architect, Town Planner
Principal – PG Sivakumaar & Associates, Trichy
PG Sivakumar completed his architectural studies at the School of Architecture and Planning, Chennai and obtained Masters in Town Planning from the same institution and got a Gold medal in both degrees. He established his firm “P.G.Sivakumaar & Associates” in December 1984 and was the second architecture firm to be established in Trichy. His initial practices were into alternative techniques.
As a senior architect, he has been instrumental in nurturing the architecture fraternity in the city and has held several positions in the Indian Institute of Architects, Trichy Centre, since its inception. Over the past three decades, the practice has pioneered cost-effective, climate-responsive projects.