Chennai Smart City Ltd Shilpa Foundation Nirmana Investments Shilpa Architects[1]
Children
Bhargav Sri Prakash (son) Pavitra Sri Prakash (daughter)
Sheila Sri Prakash (born 6 July 1955) is an architect and
urban designer of Indian origin.[2][3] She is the founder of
Shilpa Architects and is the first woman in
India to have started and operated her own architectural practice.[4][5][6][7][8]
Biography
Early life
Sheila Sri Prakash was born in Bhopal, India on 6 July 1955 to Lt. Col. G. K. S. Pathy, an officer in the Indian Army, and S. Thangamma.[9]
Child prodigy artist and artistic career
As a child, she trained in classical Indian dance, music and the arts. She started learning
Bharatanatyam when she was four years old and gave her first on-stage
Arangetram performance in 1961,[10] when
Padma BhushanDhanvanthi Rama Rau called her a
child prodigy.[11][12] Sheila demonstrated a talent as a Bharatanatyam and
Kuchipudi dancer,[13] and also played the
Veenai musical instrument. Over a period of nearly two decades as a performing artist,[14] she gave performances as a dancer of Bharatanatyam[15] and Kuchipudi.[16] Her family moved to Chennai to give her greater opportunities in the classical arts and to be trained in Bharatanatyam by Sri Dandayudha Pani Pillai. She was a student of
Vempati Chinna Satyam and was the protagonist in several of his dance dramas.[17] She practised Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi,
Veenai, Classical
Indian music,
painting and
sculpting.[18]
As a
Veenai artist, she played, composed and recorded Radha Madhavam and Sivaleela Vilasam with the
Veenai musician
Chitti Babu.[19][20][21]
She is considered as one of India's leading architects[24] and is counted among the most influential female architects in the world today, having designed and completed over 1200 architectural projects,[25] many of which are known for use of local arts, culture and heritage as inspiration for her designs.[26][27] She is known for architectural theories surrounding Reciprocity in
Design.[28] Her work ranges from the low-cost Reciprocal House for the socio-economically underprivileged that she designed on invitation from the
World Bank in 1987,[29][30][31] to the first of its kind energy efficient commercial buildings, custom
bungalows, residential communities, integrated townships, industrial facilities, art museums, sports stadiums, centers of education, public infrastructure and luxury hotels.[32][33] Her research findings are particularly relevant in high-density rapidly developing economies[34]
Her work in spaciology,[35][36] particularly as it applies to healthcare[37] and the leisure, wellness, and hospitality industry,[38] examines the impact of the built environment upon human behaviour, through
urban design, architecture and sociology.[5][39]
Several of her architectural designs can be seen at
Mahindra World City, New Chennai, the
Madras Art House[40][41] at the
Cholamandal Artists' Village, Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai, the
Paranur railway station, and the
World Bank funded urban housing development program in the year of shelter for the shelterless. She has combined the principles of Bharatanatyam, classical Indian music, sculpture and architecture in award-winning projects[42][43] In 1993, she designed a home in Chennai with recycled materials and pioneered a system for
rainwater harvesting.[44] This system was made compulsory by the state of
Tamil Nadu in 2003. It set a blueprint across India, as the most effective and low cost solution for addressing the crisis of depletion of freshwater sources in India.
She introduced vernacular[45] and culturally relevant techniques in contemporary designs.[46] She is known for using Indian art and culture as an integral parts to her designs, to achieve reciprocity and
sustainability.[47][48]
Preservation and Restoration Projects
Brihadisvara Temple
In 2012, Sheila Sri Prakash was selected to restore and preserve the
Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur by the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which falls under the trusteeship of the Ministry of Culture of the
Government of India. This was the first significant modern day attempt to restore this
UNESCO World Heritage Monument, following a rigorous process of technical and design proposal evaluation.[49] Sheila Sri Prakash's firm
Shilpa Architects, was commissioned by the panel from the
Archaeological Survey of India, out of more than a 100 short listed global and local architectural preservation considered for the project by the authorities.[49]
This restoration effort involved research and study of the original archives, dating back to 950 CE, to unravel the techniques of ancient Indian engineering.
While structural upgrades are ongoing, the surrounding facilities have been enhanced through lighting, signage for devotees and visitors. The lighting of the monument is designed to enhance the natural color of the stone along with the sculptural forms adorning all corners of the temple.
World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council
In 2011, she became the first Indian
architect to serve on the
World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Design Innovation,[23] a 16-member team of international experts in design and innovation. She served on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the role of arts in society, in recognition of her signature works of architecture[50][51] that feature art, culture and heritage.[52][53]
As part of her role at the Forum, she developed the "Reciprocal Design Index"[54] that details parameters and metrics surrounding sustainable design.[55][56]
Reciprocity Wave & Festival
She is the founder of the Reciprocity Wave Movement, which is an art and design competition to raise awareness about holistic sustainability.[57] The second Reciprocity Wave Event in Chennai was conducted in partnership with the
Indian Premier League's
Chennai Super Kings[58][59]
Shilpa architects have already conducted three such initiatives, two in Chennai[58][59] and one in Bangalore.[57]
Involvement with Zonta
She is known for her contributions as an active member of
Zonta International, which is an organisation that aims to enhance the status of women around the world.[60] She served as the area director of
Zonta International for her district[61] and participated in events internationally.
Academia
Sheila Sri Prakash routinely participates as a juror or expert critique at student
charrettes at Universities around the world.
She was also invited to serve on the Board of Studies at the
Anna UniversitySchool of Architecture and Planning, for a three-year term.[64] The Board of Studies influences the syllabus, key appointments of faculty/academic leadership and major initiatives at the Institution.
Recent projects
Shilpa Architects, Planners and Designers have been working recently on several projects, including a LEED Platinum rated office building as their own design headquarters. Other projects include the HITEX exhibition center in
Hyderabad[65] and the South City Township by
Larsen & Toubro that is an approximately 4000 apartment residential township. Another large scale housing project is within
Mahindra World City, the upcoming
Taj 5-star beach resort near
Pondicherry,[66] the state of Tamil Nadu's first platinum rated office complex for Cethar Vessels, an office building for
HDFC Bank, as well as the regional headquarters for the
State Bank of India. Her portfolio of current projects includes
Industrial architecture. She designed a large scale manufacturing facility and warehouse for
de:OBO Bettermann in India[67] and is currently designing a factory for the industry leading technology hardware manufacturer
Flextronics.
Honors and awards
Featured among the top "9 Female Architects Designing the Future" by
Travel+Leisure magazine of
Time Inc.[68]
50 most influential names in
Architecture and
Design in 2015 by
Architectural Digest and listed among a category of "Reinventors" for having "built a formidable legacy" and an "inspirational practice that designs societies and not merely buildings or cities".[76][77]
^Srinivas, Daketi (March 2013). Role of Women in The Profession of Architecture (pg 311). Human Rights International Research Journal ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 6942; Volume 1 Issue 1.
ISBN978-93-81583-98-2.
^Indian Council for Cultural Relations (1978). "Cultural News from India, Volume 19". Indian Council for Cultural Relations, digitized by University of California (2010). {{
cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (
help)
^William Indursky (28 February 2014).
"List of Top Architects". Design Life Network. Archived from
the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
McCann, Michelle Roehm (2017). More Girls Who Rocked the World (p. 120). Simon & Schuster.
ISBN978-1582706412.
Srinivas, Daketi (2013). Role of Women in The Profession of Architecture (p. 308). Human Rights International Research Journal; Volume 1 Issue 1.
ISBN978-93-81583-98-2.
ISSN2320-6942.
Mitchell, Saundra (2016). 50 Impressive Kids and Their Amazing (and True!) Stories. Puffin Books; Dgs Rep edition.
ISBN978-0147518132.
Desai, Madhavi (2016). Women Architects and Modernism in India: Narratives and contemporary practices (Visual and Media Histories). Routledge India; 1st edition.
ISBN978-1138210691.