(“Text as taken from the website”)
Shimul Javeri Kadri (Founding Partner)
Shimul Javeri Kadri is the founder of and partner at SJK Architects along with Vaishali Mangalvedhekar, Sarika Shetty and Roshni Kshirsagar. Founded in 1990, SJK Architects is a Mumbai-based collective of 30+ built environment professionals, working with clients and collaborators all across the country. They design spaces that are meticulously crafted from a study of climate, culture, history, and technology – each unique to the place and its people.
Shimul’s need for clarity drives her approach to design. Research, analysis and multiple approaches that can resolve a client’s aspirations (which she defines as the patron and society at large) are the starting point. Her ultimate goal is to transcend these through innovative thought and rigorous detailing. She studied urban planning in order to help her understand the dismal state of housing in Mumbai. This proved to be an exploration of the global politics of race, class and gender. Her focus on an equitable society still informs her work and choices, as is evident in her affiliation to causes related to education and women.
Shimul has built the practice over 32 years with careful consideration of the values she holds dear. She chose to steer the practice towards meaningful architectural projects by creating a loyal base of delighted clients that returns with growing aspirations and projects until today. She believes strongly in the potential of every human to thrive in the right ecosystem. This has led to a highly interactive atmosphere in the studio and a collaborative approach to projects. The studio became a partnership firm in April 2022 and hopes to continue the journey by providing young talent with the opportunity to have a voice and a stake in the firm.
In 2014, for her contribution to architecture, Shimul was one of three finalists and received a special mention at the prestigious ArcVision Prize – Women and Architecture (Italy), also referred to the “Pritzker for women”
Beyond her architectural practice, Shimul is on the Advisory Board of Vipla Foundation. This Mumbai-based non-governmental organisation works towards education and development for vulnerable children. The Foundation has worked on over 65 projects running across 18 states of India, where they were able to reach a total of 10.37 lakh children in 2020. Additionally, Shimul is on the Advisory Committee for Gender at the MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai), leading to the incorporation of the first chapter on gender in the Development Control Rules of Mumbai 2034. She is also on the Board of Trustees for Akshara, an NGO that works to empower women and girls. Shimul’s engagement with women’s issues began with feminist theatre through her college years and into teaching Women’s Studies at University in the USA. Her alignment with the work and values at Akshara has led to a 20-year-long engagement in their strategies and goals. They have had much success with creating cultural change with youth through Yuvati melas (youth fairs) and with combating violence through police helplines.
Sarika Shetty (partner)
Sarika Shetty is a partner at SJK Architects, along with Shimul Javeri Kadri, Vaishali Mangalvedhekar, and Roshni Kshirsagar. Founded in 1990, SJK Architects is a Mumbai-based collective of 30+ built environment professionals working with clients and collaborators across the country. They design spaces that are meticulously crafted from a study of climate, culture, history, and technology – each unique to the place and its people.
Sarika joined SJK Architects in December 2001 while still in college, and there has been no looking back since then. With 20+ years of rich experience, Sarika’s work cuts across multiple scales and building typologies, and diverse sites and clientele. She is passionate about cultural histories and believes in an architectural practice of contemporary idioms guided by the past.
Over the years, Sarika has led several award-winning projects at SJK Architects, setting benchmarks in context-driven, sustainable design in the country and across the globe. These include the Dasavatara Hotel (2015) in Tirupati, India, which draws inspiration from the crafts and culture of the holy city; the Boat Club Apartments (2020), which set a new precedent of apartment-living in the residential locality of Chennai; and more recently, a 100-Bed Rural Multispeciality Hospital (2022) in Alibaug, India, designed to create an environment of calm and healing.
Sarika strongly believes that with the right attitude and immense passion, any challenge can be created into an opportunity. Her constant endeavour to learn and improve at every stage, from sketching that first line on paper to ensuring the quality of execution on site, drives her and her team at SJK Architects.
Sarika’s quest for learning and exploring also translates into her love for the wilderness and bird-watching. When away from work, she can be found trekking and exploring the jungle with her teenage daughter.
Vaishali Mangalvedhekar (partner)
Vaishali Mangalvedhekar is a partner at SJK Architects, along with Shimul Javeri Kadri, Sarika Shetty and Roshni Kshirsagar. Founded in 1990, SJK Architects is a Mumbai-based collective of 30+ built environment professionals, working with clients and collaborators all across the country. They design spaces that are meticulously crafted from a study of climate, culture, history, and technology – each unique to the place and its people.
Vaishali’s alma mater, Sir JJ College of Architecture, established in her a great love for details and a strong technical foundation – this is a big part of her DNA. She has been deeply drawn to sustainable architecture and worked on a research paper from IIT Mumbai on climate and energy-conscious architecture.
More than 2 decades of being at SJK Architects and growing from a junior architect to a partner at the firm has been enriching for Vaishali. Through this journey, she has led teams of talented architects to create award-winning projects pan India and has gained experience and expertise across several sectors, from education to commercial offices and hospitality. Some of her favourite projects have been – an automobile design studio for M&M, a hotel at Bodhgaya that is steeped in Buddhist principles of serenity and compassion, a factory at Karur where entire vaults were constructed with terracotta hollow blocks for insulation and educational buildings in Warangal that rely almost completely on wind and shade to create comfortable environments for social interactions. She is currently working on a multi-use commercial building in Nagpur that uses radiant cooling systems and aims to achieve a Leeds Gold rating. Vaishali believes that her greatest strength is in forging strong collaborations between her team at SJK Architects, clients and consultants, and channelizing the synergy and joy these bring into the project.
While SJK Architects takes pride in creating climatically sustainable architecture, Vaishali’s current obsession is to assess if all their projects can be even lighter in their impact to the environment – she dreams that every single building that is ever put on earth is net-zero and totally circular!
Roshni Kshirsagar (partner)
Roshni Kshirsagar is a partner at SJK Architects along with Shimul Javeri Kadri, Sarika Shetty and Vaishali Mangalvedhekar. Founded in 1990, SJK Architects is a Mumbai-based collective of 30+ built environment professionals, working with clients and collaborators all across the country. They design spaces that are meticulously crafted from a study of climate, culture, history, and technology – each unique to the place and its people.
Roshni’s journey at SJK Architects began in 2007 after an internship with Samira Rathod, where she built her foundation in detail-oriented design. From her first project at SJK Architects, a small dining area in the heritage precinct of Mumbai, to leading interior design for the latest Penguin Random House office, she has worked through several prototypes and scales of projects. More recently, for the Hotel in Bodh Gaya and the Retail Store for Forest of Chintz, Roshni let cultural histories guide the core design principles while allowing honest thought processes, materials and craftsmanship to shine.
Roshni is conscious of the relationship between interior design and architecture, and strives to find a seamless connection between the two. She aspires to refine her practice through research, innovation, cultural context, and local techniques that have stood the test of time, along with modern technologies to build spaces that enrich human experiences and relationships with their surroundings. For her contributions to architecture and design, Roshni was selected amongst India’s Top 30 Under 45 design disruptors by Forbes magazine in 2023.
Roshni has also taught a course on ‘Design Approaches’ to senior-year architecture students at Rachana Sansad, Mumbai. She loves working around the kitchen, experimenting and adapting heirloom recipes that have inspired her family’s cooking style.
Practice Ideology
SJK Architects is a firm that has spent the last thirty-one years designing environments that are rooted in the earth – using the sun, the wind and nature to create spaces that are suffused with light and contemporary innovations that draw from Indian traditions and spiritual metaphors.
