Exploring Excellence: Top 10 Architects in Kolkata You Need to Know

Year of establishment: 2005

Principal Architect/s: Abin Chaudhari

List of Services: Architecture & Interior Design

Range of Built Projects: Residential, educational, hospitality, public buildings

Location of Built Projects: All over Kolkata, Jaipur, Durgapur, Bhubaneshwar, etc. 

Design Objectives: Vernacular, contextual, innovative 

Website: www.abindesignstudio.com 

Intending to provide a “Soul in the Shell”, ADS believes that architecture is not about creation alone, but it also encompasses research. They believe that it’s a continuous process that involves exploring the cohesion of the social aspects, the interdependence between space and form, the play of light and shadows, and their provoking rhythm with nature and environment. Under the assistance of their principal architect, ADS tries to focus on ideas of creating a holistic design, the one that pushes the boundaries of thought, prevails in socio-cultural landscape, and spatial construct, eventually challenging the role of architecture in society. 

Over a significant span of ten years, completed projects of ADS have achieved a range of recognitions which includes their work being selected by the Museum of Modern Arts (MOMA), New York for their publication and travel exhibition titled “Uneven Growth: Tactical Urbanisms for Expanding Megacities”.  

Year of establishment: 2006

Principal Architect/s: Ar. Abhishek Dutta & Ar. Susweta Dutta

List of Services: Landscape & Architecture

Range of Built Projects: Residential, educational, commercial hospitality, industrial 

Location of Built Projects: All over Kolkata

Design Objectives: Innovation, cost-effective, functionally appropriate 

Website: www.arcon-design.com 

ArcOn Design is a design firm of multidisciplinary Indian Architects and Interior Designers that believes in creating sensitive and innovative designs. They believe in a design approach that aims for a responsible, waste-free, and suitable life. They value life's vital balance and are hence cautious about only optimum interventions.

ArcOn Design is dedicated to raising design awareness in society. Subsequently, the Architectural Structural and Design Management R&D wing of ArcOn Design has been educating students, design enthusiasts, and the general public on various aspects and impacts of design through various initiatives, podcasts, blogs, seminars, video tutorials, webinars, and structured courses.

Year of establishment: 1969

Principal Architect/s: Ar. Dulal Mukherjee

List of Services: Architecture, interior design and renovation

Range of Built Projects: Institutional, religious, IT/office, mixed-use, hotels/resorts, hospitals, township, residential, heritage, commercial, landscape and interiors

Location of Built Projects: Majorly Kolkata, Assam & Jharkhand

Design Objectives: symmetry, design for the future, vernacular

Website: www.dmaindia.org 

One of the leading architectural firms in the nation, Dulal Mukherjee and Associates, has been in operation for more than 40 years and employs more than 50 people, including a group of highly skilled architects and other professionals. With projects ranging from corporate offices to interiors, bungalows, high-rise residential/commercial complexes, government and institutional projects, restoration, and adaptive reuse, the firm has greatly influenced Kolkata's evolving architectural landscape. The office participated in multiple competition projects and emerged victorious in the Assam Assembly competition.

Year of establishment: 2005

Principal Architect/s: Ar. Anirban Bhaduri & Ar. Sanjay Mandal

List of Services: Architecture, civil and structural, and interiors

Range of Built Projects:  Educational, commercial and retail, residential and interiors

Location of Built Projects: Majorly Kolkata, Port Blair, Barrackpore and Murshidabad

Design Objectives: vernacular

Website: www.innateindia.com 

A group of architects, designers, urbanists, landscape experts, interior designers, and product designers is called INNATE. Currently, the office is working on numerous projects all over India. INNATE'S architecture is the result of a thorough examination of how modern life is ever-changing and evolving. At Innate, we think that a designer's job truly lies at the nexus of business and culture. Innate believes that design does not exist in isolation; it is a reflection of the larger society. As society changes, so should design.

Year of establishment: 1992

Principal Architect/s: Ar. Monica Khosla Bhargava

List of Services: Architecture and interiors

Range of Built Projects:  Residential, corporate, commercial, public buildings and installations

Location of Built Projects: Majorly Kolkata and North-East India

Design Objectives: contextual, experimental

Website: www.khamconsultants.co.in 

At Kham, the design process is heavily influenced by concepts and theoretical understandings, especially with regard to the city, environment, time, and detail. In order to advance towards a sustainable and holistic architecture, inter-disciplinary components of the built environment professions, such as climate, landscape, installation art, civil, and structural engineering, now have a platform thanks to our extensive expertise in architecture, interior design, and urban planning.

Year of establishment: 1998

Principal Architect/s: Ar. Sunil Maniramka

List of Services: Architecture and interiors

Range of Built Projects: Residential, public buildings, commercial, hospitals, schools, auditoriums, recreational and entertainment, temples, hotels 

Location of Built Projects: Majorly Kolkata, Howrah and Haldia  

Design Objectives: form follows function, contemporary 

Website: www.maniramkaarchitect.com 

The team at M&A is made up of driven structural engineers, quantity surveyors, architects, interns, studio assistants, and engineers. We have worked with top consultants worldwide and serve as a single point of contact (in-house) for all clearances. The firm's size has been intentionally kept small to preserve daily involvement in every project and strong working relationships amongst all staff members. Being a mid-sized office, communication and decision-making are still straightforward like in smaller businesses.

Year of establishment: 1987

Principal Architect/s: Ar. Neeta Shubhrajit Das

List of Services: Conservation

Range of Built Projects: Restoration of Historical and Religious buildings

Location of Built Projects: Majorly Kolkata

Design Objectives: renovation, restoration, refurbishment, preservation, conservation, study and research

Website: www.opentoskyarchitects.com 

In 1987, Neeta Shubhrajit Das Associates was founded. The company is a sole proprietorship with several associates. The office strives for perfection in terms of efficient planning, design economy, and simple, uncluttered aesthetics in all projects. The office's designs are founded on a solid theoretical foundation. Both of the office's architects are highly qualified, widely published, and eminent teachers. To ensure high quality work, the office only accepts a limited number of projects at a time. Every effort is made to keep the office abreast of new ideas, whether they are in the field of design philosophies, construction techniques, or new materials.

Mansara, a Social Enterprise of Neeta Shubhrajit Das Associates, was founded in 1989 by a group of young architects who were inspired by Prof. B.V. Doshi's talks during his visit to Lucknow. The society's primary goal is to identify, recognize, and promote the heritage of historic cities through research and outreach activities. It also makes an effort to provide technical assistance for conservation through workshops, training programmes, publications, and consulting.

Year of establishment: 2016

Principal Architect/s: Ar. Animesh Nayak

List of Services: Interior Design & Architecture

Range of Built Projects: Residential, institutional, commercial, recreational and urban design 

Location of Built Projects: Majorly Kolkata, Bengaluru, Assam and Champa 

Design Objectives: form follows function, incorporating solar-passive strategies 

Website: www.opentoskyarchitects.com 

With a belief that design must inspire people and ignite the human spirit, Open to Sky Architects is a firm committed to conserving and protecting the environment to sustain the quality of life through design. The is an emerging innovative Architecture and Design firm in India that focuses on orchestrating the use of unusual materials and techniques to create truly enigmatic spaces for living, working, and learning. We strive to create spaces that inspire and enlighten people.

Year of establishment: 2005

Principal Architect/s: Ar. Vivek Singh Rathore

List of Services: Architecture, landscape & interiors

Range of Built Projects: Master planning, urban projects, mixed-use, leisure and hospitality, healthcare, commercial and residential

Location of Built Projects: Majorly Kolkata

Design Objectives: research-oriented, contextual, inspired by Vedic sciences

Website: www.salientdesignstudio.com 

A thorough, research-based methodology is essential to Studio's design ethos. The environment, spirituality, and Indian culture tendencies shape Studio's thinking and provide its inspirations. The design expression purposefully explores a changing range while drawing inspiration from THE CONTEXT. The studio combines expertise in environmental graphics, interior design, landscape architecture, and environmental graphics to create comprehensive, sustainable design solutions. The studio is complete when ideas from various design disciplines are blended together. The company has published more than 200 articles. Salient won more than 100 design honors, with 15 of them coming from outside the country.

Year of establishment: 2008

Principal Architect/s: Ar. Ranit Maiti & Ar. Subhrajit G. Mitra

List of Services: Architecture, landscape & interior design

Range of Built Projects: Residential

Location of Built Projects: Majorly Kolkata, Hoogly 

Design Objectives: Parametric exploration, form experimentation, contextual, vernacular

Website: www.squareconsultancyservices.com 

Square is committed to helping its clients find unique solutions to their problems. The value and necessity of custom design are frequently underestimated in the age of unrelenting commercialization and modularization. However, each design problem has its own set of issues and calls for a creative yet practical solution in order to be solved. Square works to provide its clients with the best possible outcome by utilizing the most recent software and technological expertise. 

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Text provided by Kimaya Tendulkar-

Kimaya Tendulkar is an architect who graduated from the L.S. Raheja School of Architecture in Mumbai and is interested in working as a researcher in the subject of urban development and planning. Her interests lie in contributing to social justice and making cities more habitable. Her research interests include public and urban policy, urban inequities, and mobility. She believes that tackling a problem from an empathetic lens will lead to an authentic solution. She enjoys observing and writing about cities and their complexities. Her graphic and visual interests, which include illustrating and photography, assist her in better articulating her observations.