Priyamwada Singh & Ritika Kothari on Architectural Diversity _ an Indian case study

Priyamwada Singh, the sole founder of Common Ground Practice, a New Delhi India based firm, believes that Architecture and Design can act as a medium to create an equitable society. Grounded to the roots of humane culture, her work largely revolves around Curiosity, Community and Collaboration. Starting her journey as a student of design, she completed her bachelor’s degree with honors at CEPT, Ahmedabad India. After PG diploma studies in Art and Architecture from Städelschule, Germany, she completed her M.Arch. at Columbia University, USA receiving the Honor Award for Excellence in Design and the Kinne Fellowship.Priyamwada has more than a decade of experience in architecture and design and her work spans 4 continents and 13 countries. Prior to establishing the Common Ground Practice in 2013, she trained with architects and artists around the world, including B.V. Doshi, Tobias Rehberger and Skidmore, Owens & Merrill (SOM), New York amongst others. She has been published in international architecture journals, presented research papers for top conferences, contributed to several books on architecture and teaches at institutions like AnantU, Ahmedabad, and the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. Her design thinking approach establishes a common ground between ecology, economy, culture & technology, resulting in structures that are rooted in their context and yet are contemporary and innovative. A land truly seamed together as a resultant of its traditions, demographics and history, India is a melting pot of cultures that has a unique standing the world’s panorama. Over the years one can retrace their fingers across the sands of time to see how the country has been moulded in every way, shape and form by its people and what their kaleidoscopic backgrounds bring to the table. Now, more than ever it has become resoundingly true that the only way forward and upwards is through the lens of a unified approach that is diverse yet harmonious across various spheres of development. As creative individuals across various domains, our biggest strength is the power of collaboration and to create something that’s larger than you or me. It’s the time to curate homegrown brilliance in shared spotlights!