Samira Rathod (born Samira Mehta in 1963) is an Indian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, furniture designer, writer, and teacher based in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. She is a Principal of Samira Rathod Design Associates.

Biography

Samira Rathod attended the Sir J. J. College of Architecture in Mumbai and graduated in 1986. Thereafter, she received a Master in Architecture degree from the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

in 1988. Samira Rathod worked for the California firm of Don Wald and Associates on various projects including some for

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

. Returning to India, she worked for Ratan Batliboi and then eventually started her own partnership firm in 1995 called RLC. Her 1996 solo furniture exhibition called 'Liasons de Formes' led to a much broader public recognition in India. In 2000 she started a solo practice called Samira Rathod Design Associates. In 2008, she founded ''SPADE'', a critical architectural publication with a focus on Indian architecture. Rathod is an adjunct faculty member at the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies (KRVIA) in Mumbai.

Work

Samira Rathod worked on residential architecture, offices, schools and factories. *2010: The Broacha House,

Alibag Alibag, also known as Alibaug (Pronunciation: �libaːɡ, is a coastal city and a municipal council in Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It is the headquarters of the Raigad district and is south of the city of Mumbai. Alibag is part of the ...

. *2012: The Camera House *2016: The Acid test (Apartment design), Mumbai *2017: The Shadow House, Mumbai, India *The Bangalore House *The Mariwalla House *The Hariharan House *The Karjat House (designed for Morarka Gannon with a kitchen, dining hall, a living room, bedrooms and 6 bathrooms) *Mumbai office of retailer Hometown *2019 : School of Dancing Arches (with asymmetrical arches), Bhadran, India *2022: Dismantling Building: A Kit of Parts at

Chemould Prescott Road Chemould Prescott Road, founded (as Gallery Chemould), is the first contemporary art gallery in Mumbai, India. Gallery Chemould Prescott Road, a contemporary art gallery in India, was founded by Kekoo Gandhy and Khorshed Gandhy in 1963. Base ...

The style of Samira Rathod is characterized by playful shapes and eclectic designs. She works with a cohesive approach of interior/exterior, which explains some of her architectural choices. Exhibitions in which she has participated include a contemporary architecture exhibition at the Jawahar Kala Kendra,

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

(February–April 2018), where she exhibited 'A Wall as a Room', and a travelling exhibition, 'The Death of Architecture Circa 2000' (2018), featuring 13 leading Indian architects, in which Rathod's piece 'In the Presence of Absence' explores an almost abandoned town near

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

Publications

*Samira Rathod, ''Museum of Trees'' (2018): a documentation of the 3000 trees of the Byculla Zoo in

Awards

*2015: Honorable mention for the arcVision Prize - Women and Architecture by the Italcementi Group. *The Habitat Award for Single Residence Winner's Trophy for The Karjat House

References

External links

Samira Rathod on practice of interior design
''Thinkmatter.in'', 8 March 2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rathod, Samira Living people 1963 births 20th-century Indian architects Indian women architects Indian designers 20th-century Indian designers Furniture designers 20th-century Indian women artists Artists from Mumbai Women artists from Maharashtra Indian women artists