Anupama Kundoo — LLMpedia

Anupama Kundoo
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Name	Anupama Kundoo
Birth date	1967
Birth place	Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Occupation	Architect, educator, researcher
Alma mater	School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
Awards	Aga Khan Award for Architecture

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Anupama Kundoo is an Indian architect, educator, and researcher noted for low‑cost, sustainable construction and material innovation. She has worked across India, Europe, and Africa with collaborations involving institutions such as the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Centre Pompidou, and the Serpentine Galleries, influencing practice and pedagogy linked to practitioners and theorists like Balkrishna Doshi, Charles Correa, and Amory Lovins. Kundoo’s work intersects with movements represented by organizations such as the Architectural Association School of Architecture, Royal Institute of British Architects, and the International Union of Architects.

Early life and education

Born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, she studied architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and undertook postgraduate research at the University of Melbourne and École des Beaux-Arts, engaging with faculty and critics from institutions such as the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Bauhaus University, Weimar, and the Technical University of Munich. Her early formation connected her to thinkers and practitioners involved with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and contemporaries from the United Nations Development Programme context, informing later collaborations with agencies like the World Bank and UNESCO.

Kundoo founded a practice and studio that operated projects and research across Auroville, New Delhi, and Berlin, working with teams from the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, Centre for Science and Environment, and the National Institute of Urban Affairs. Her practice has engaged with clients and partners including the Government of India, Tamil Nadu Housing Board, Andhra Pradesh State Housing Corporation, and international bodies such as the European Union, Ford Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation. She has collaborated with notable architects and theorists associated with Louis Kahn, Le Corbusier, Zaha Hadid, and institutions like the Museum of Modern Art and Victoria and Albert Museum for exhibitions and workshops.

Projects by Kundoo include housing, educational buildings, and experimental pavilions in locations including Auroville, Pondicherry, Alibag, and parts of West Bengal, often developed in collaboration with entities such as the Aga Khan Award for Architecture jury, Architectural Review, and regional bodies like the Chennai Metro Water authorities. Her built works have been exhibited or studied at the Centre Pompidou, Serpentine Galleries, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and featured in publications by Architectural Digest, Domus, and the Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Notable examples include experimental housing prototypes connected to projects cited alongside works by Wang Shu, Glenn Murcutt, and Tadao Ando in comparative exhibitions and symposia.

Kundoo’s approach emphasizes low‑tech materials, vernacular techniques, and lifecycle thinking, drawing conceptual links with thinkers like Buckminster Fuller, E.F. Schumacher, and Amory Lovins and practices advanced by organizations such as ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, World Resources Institute, and C40 Cities. Her sustainable strategies intersect with methodologies promoted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme, and the Global Green Growth Institute, and her projects often engage craft networks connected to the Khadi and Village Industries Commission and regional artisans represented by the Crafts Council of India.

Kundoo has received recognition including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and prizes and fellowships connected to institutions such as the RIBA International Prize, DAAD, and grants from the Asian Cultural Council and Prince Claus Fund. Her work has been shortlisted or discussed in contexts alongside laureates such as Balkrishna Doshi and Francis Kéré in forums hosted by the Venice Biennale and the Royal Academy of Arts.

As an educator, Kundoo has taught and led studios at institutions including the Architectural Association School of Architecture, University of Queensland, University of Cambridge, University of Pennsylvania, and the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, collaborating with scholars from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and the Bartlett School of Architecture. Her research outputs have been disseminated through conferences and publications associated with the International Union of Architects, World Architectural Community, and journals tied to the National Institute of Design and the Council of Architecture (India), influencing curricular frameworks and practice‑based inquiry adopted by design programs at institutions such as TU Delft, ETH Zürich, and Politecnico di Milano.

Category:Indian architects Category:Sustainability advocates Category:Women architects