What is this Studio about?

This year, 10 Colleges of Architecture, as recipients of the Saint-Gobain Transparence Studio Incentives, come together for a reimagined Co-Learning Programme - a dynamic, dialogue-driven platform that explores design through the lens of time. With Acedge as the facilitator, this series encourages students, studios, and mentors to collectively reflect on how time - past, present, and future - influences design thinking, processes, and outcomes. As India nears its 100th year of independence, this initiative seeks to question, critique, and reimagine what it means to design for a future that is inclusive, resilient, and contextually rooted.

Powered by Saint-Gobain Transparence 19.0

The typology of the studio is open for each college to decide in accordance with the Saint-Gobain Transparence 19.0 design brief, themed as the ‘Urban Symphony: Evolution of CBDs'’.

  • Public buildings

  • Business

  • Workspaces

  • Retail

  • Banking and Financial Institutions

  • Mixed-use typologies

What to Expect?

Over the course of 4 curated sessions (Aug–Oct 2025), students will engage with renowned architects and educators who will respond to student-generated prompts, share insights from practice, and challenge design assumptions across four key themes:

  • For the Earth: Climate-conscious design and sustainability

  • For the People: Context, community and user-centric architecture

  • For the Tectonics: Construction systems and material exploration

  • For the Future: Innovation, technology and AI in design

Each session will include:

  • Vox Populi (student prompt sessions)

  • Mentor Talks (expert responses + Q&A)

  • Gamified studio tasks

Design Mela - Cross College Mentorship

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Benefits

What can the students and the institute take away from this course?

FOR LEARNERS 
 FOR INSTITUTION

Interaction and Collaboration with other colleges 

 Improve NAAC score for colleges

An exclusive Lecture by Ar. Sanjay Prakash on Responsible Building

 Acquaintances with other colleges across the nation for future events, student exchanges etc.
Direct mentorship from the team of ShiFt Studio known for completing 150+ projects oriented towards design for the future.

New approach to Rural documentation studio mandate under the CoA- already devised and planned by us 

Quality design results that can be submitted at various design competitions

Studio Incentives for the entire institute by Submissions of the studio students for the Transparence 20.0 competition 

Certified Course

 Cross-Design Mentorship

Outcomes of the studio are a merit to the CV and portfolio as well as a merit while applying for post graduation 

 Participation Scroll, Mentorship Certificates

Industry Experts

Ar. Sonali Rastogi

Sonali Rastogi is the Co-Founding Partner of Morphogenesis, one of India’s most awarded architecture firms and ranked among the Top 100 global architectural practices. She studied at SPA Delhi and earned dual diplomas from the Architectural Association, London, in Housing & Urbanism and Design Research Lab (DRL). Sonali is an architect, planner, artist, writer, and thought leader. Her work has been featured in 1100+ publications worldwide, and she is a frequent speaker at forums like the World Architecture Festival, Brown University, and Design Leadership Summit, NY. Deeply passionate about craft and materiality, she co-founded Manthan, a creative platform for cross-disciplinary dialogue. A Fellow of the IIA and RSA (UK), she also serves on the Delhi Urban Arts Commission. A champion of gender equity in the AEC industry, Sonali has made Morphogenesis a model for equal opportunity and pay parity. She continues to lead critical conversations on sustainability, design, and inclusion across global stages.

Ar. Biju Kuriakose

Biju Kuriakose is the co-founder of architectureRED, a Chennai-based design studio focused on place-making and community-centric urbanism. He holds a Master’s in Architecture and Urban Design from Pratt Institute, New York, and previously worked at FXFOWLE Architects, NY. His firm leads key projects across India and Oman—ranging from public spaces for Chennai, townships in Panvel, and mixed-use masterplans to institutional campuses and high-density housing across South India. In 2022, architectureRED won the Council of Architecture’s national competition to design the Center of Excellence at Bangalore University. Biju’s work has received top honors, including the World Architecture News Award (2009), IIA National Award (2023), IIA TN State Award (2021), and the JK Architect of the Year Commendation in Housing. He’s been a guest critic and speaker at Columbia, Pratt, and CEPT Ahmedabad, and was part of the Goethe Institute Visitors Program (2017). Biju currently teaches at KRVIA and CEPT as an external critic.

Ar. Sonal Sancheti

Sonal Sancheti is the co-founder of _OPOLIS, a multidisciplinary design practice known for its award-winning work, including the Bihar Museum in Patna with Maki and Associates. An alumna of CEPT University and SCI-Arc, Los Angeles, her global exposure shapes a unique design sensibility rooted in simplicity and innovation. Beyond architecture, Sonal explores filmmaking, set design, photography, and adventure sports. She co-authored “Scripting Destiny” and founded the India Foundation for Creativity in 2019 to promote arts in human development. A visiting faculty at CEPT, she’s deeply committed to mentoring young architects. Sonal’s practice resists signature styles, believing the most elegant solutions are often the simplest.

Dr. Anup Naik

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 28 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, transportation, and heritage conservation, underpinned by a rigorous design ethos. His work has received international acclaim, 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.

Participating Colleges