Heritage conservation, adaptive reuse, interiors, housing, and urban design
Architecture practice
My architecture work ranges from the Freedom Museum at Red Fort and the adaptive reuse of Qila Mubarak to an entertainment store, a lakeside residence, and a rainwater-harvesting bus terminal.
- Period
- Academic work + two years in practice
- Role
- Architect · designer · 3D visualisation · project coordination
- Field
- Architecture · conservation · adaptive reuse · visualisation
Designed and visualised museums, heritage hotels, public spaces, interiors, homes, and transport infrastructure.
I trained at the Faculty of Architecture, Manipal, then worked at Abha Narain Lambah Associates on heritage conservation and adaptive-reuse projects across India. My role combined design development, 3D modelling, rendering, walkthroughs, and stakeholder coordination. This section brings together the professional and academic work shown in my original architecture portfolio.
How it works
How I moved from a brief to a design people could evaluate.
The exact process changed by project, but the core work stayed consistent: understand the place, make the constraints visible, develop options, and communicate the proposal clearly enough for clients and teams to make decisions.
- 01Understand
Read the brief, the users, the site, and—on conservation projects—the existing building and its history.
- 02Document
Use site studies, drawings, photographs, circulation maps, and environmental analysis to define the real constraints.
- 03Develop
Turn the brief into plans, sections, spatial sequences, material directions, and design options.
- 04Model
Build detailed SketchUp models to test form, layout, furniture, exhibits, and architectural interventions.
- 05Visualise
Create Enscape renders and walkthroughs so clients and teams can understand the proposal before it is built.
- 06Coordinate
Present options, collect feedback, work through constraints, and revise the design with stakeholders.
Selected work
Projects from the architecture portfolio.
Freedom Museum
A Red Fort barrack was restored and converted into a museum on the Indian freedom movement. I developed concepts for three galleries, modelled and rendered the full museum, and created its walkthrough.
The Park Hotel Patiala
A 200-year-old royal guesthouse was being adapted into a heritage hotel. I designed the Caravan Serai outdoor dining area and produced the restaurant models and renders.
Udupi Bus Terminal
A six-bay KSRTC terminal and adjoining public programme organised around a parametrically explored roof that collects and channels rainwater.
Entertainment Store
A 128-square-metre two-level store for film, television, comics, music, gaming, and skate merchandise, planned around clear departments and strong visual merchandising.
Manipal Lake Residence
A leisure-focused home for a family of four, with a two-car garage, a double-height atrium, and a compact first-floor swimming pool.
Wider professional portfolio
3D design and visualisation work included Gateway of India Plaza, Galeries Lafayette, Bikaner House, Srinagar Smart City, Willingdon Sports Club, NCPA, Royal Calcutta Turf Club, and other major projects.
Professional practice
Abha Narain Lambah Associates
I joined Abha Narain Lambah Associates as an intern in July 2020 and later returned as an architect. The practice specialises in heritage conservation and adaptive reuse, so the work began with an existing place, structure, or history rather than an empty site.
My main responsibility was to build 3D models that helped the team compare design options, then create renders that made those decisions clear to clients. I also handled meetings with the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, for the Travancore Illumination Project.
- Internship: July 2020–March 2021
- Architect from July 2021
- Primary tools: SketchUp + Enscape
Heritage museum
Freedom Museum — Red Fort, New Delhi
The project restored a barrack inside the Red Fort and converted it into a museum about the Indian freedom movement. The building has two floors with six galleries on each floor, so the design had to create a clear visitor journey while working within the rhythm and limits of the historic structure.
I developed the conceptual design for three galleries. I then built the 3D model and produced renders for the full museum, including exhibition walls, display cases, graphics, lighting, and circulation. I also created a walkthrough video so the complete spatial sequence could be reviewed before execution.
- Concept design for three galleries
- 3D model and renders for the full museum
- Walkthrough video
- SketchUp + Enscape
Adaptive reuse
The Park Hotel Patiala — Qila Mubarak, Punjab
This project adapted a 200-year-old royal guesthouse inside the ten-acre Qila Mubarak complex into a heritage hotel managed by The Park Hotels. The design needed to support a contemporary hospitality programme without losing the atmosphere and identity of the existing architecture.
I developed the concept for the Caravan Serai, an outdoor dining and smoking area designed to host Raqs Baladi performances. I also produced the 3D models and renders for the hotel restaurant, using material, lighting, furniture, and landscape studies to make the proposal easy to assess.
- Caravan Serai concept design
- Restaurant 3D model and renders
- SketchUp + Enscape
Professional portfolio
Design and visualisation across major Indian projects
Across the practice, I used 3D models to support design development and renders to help clients understand spaces before construction. The portfolio includes work on public landmarks, heritage buildings, hospitality spaces, offices, clubs, museums, and urban projects.
Projects included the Travancore Illumination Project, Gateway of India Plaza, Galeries Lafayette, Balasaheb Thackeray Rashtriya Smarak, Haji Ali Mosque Plaza, Bikaner House, Elphinstone Technical Institute, Durbar Hall at Raj Bhavan, Victoria Hall, Srinagar Smart City, Willingdon Sports Club, NCPA, Dadar Flower Market, and Royal Calcutta Turf Club.
Interior design
Entertainment Store — Canara Mall, Manipal
This 128-square-metre academic project proposed a premium fan store for movies, television, comics, music, gaming, and skating merchandise. The store was organised across two levels so every department remained visible and easy to browse.
The design used an azure-and-black identity with white oak and chromium details. Recessed wall racks, pegboards, display spines, and a long glossy blue point-of-sale counter created a strong retail system while keeping the circulation simple.
- Academic project
- 128 sq m
- Retail planning + visual merchandising + interior detailing
Residential design
Residence — Manipal Lake Road
The residence was designed for a family of four as a leisure-focused home overlooking Manipal Lake. The plan balances family rooms and private spaces around a central double-height atrium.
The scheme includes a two-car garage and a compact swimming pool on the first floor. Plans, sections, elevations, and an axonometric study were used together to resolve the spatial relationships and communicate the proposal.
- Academic project
- Two-storey family home
- Plans + sections + elevation + axonometric
Urban design
Bus Terminal — Udupi, Karnataka
The proposal combined a six-bay KSRTC intra-state bus terminal with an adjoining complex for shops, a drivers’ lounge, ticketing, waiting, and other public functions. Site documentation and movement studies shaped the terminal layout and its connection to the surrounding city.
Because Udupi receives heavy rainfall, the roof became part of the environmental system rather than only a shelter. Its form was explored parametrically to collect water through a catchment basin, filter it, and carry it through pipes to a sump.
- Academic urban-design project
- Six bus bays
- Parametric roof study
- Rainwater harvesting system
What I learned
Key lessons from the project.
Understand what already exists
A historic building, a busy city site, and a compact interior each contain constraints that must shape the design.
Make options visible
Models and renders are decision-making tools. They help teams compare ideas before changes become expensive.
Design the full experience
Plans matter, but so do circulation, lighting, exhibits, furniture, material, climate, and the way a person moves through the space.
Coordination is part of design
A proposal becomes real through clear communication with clients, consultants, institutions, and public stakeholders.