Founder Trustee, President
Nirmal Kulkarni is an award-winning architectural practitioner, researcher, educator, and design activist. He focuses on the development of conceptual narratives in architectural practice. As a practitioner, Nirmal specializes in collaborative architectural and interior design projects. With a focus on institutional facilities, corporate offices, retail spaces, private residences, and art installations, he helps shape spatial relationships in built environments. He engages with hierarchies of scale in architecture, embracing fractured geometries in design.
Currently, he is a PhD scholar at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, with research interests in ethno-architectural histories, architectural heritage, and historiography. He has presented papers at international conferences, received the Berkley Paper prize, and served as Director at GD Goenka University’s School of Architecture. Nirmal co-founded AUM Architects, focusing on innovative design and integrating art in architecture. He also advocates for incorporating urbanism and heritage studies in architectural education.
His contributions to architectural discourse extend beyond the classroom. He has curated and moderated conferences on themes like “Challenges and Opportunities” in contemporary architecture and “Modern Heritage: Lost in Translation,” drawing professionals and participants from across India. Nirmal also participated in several panel discussions and served as a jury member for design and dissertation evaluations in undergraduate colleges in New Delhi and NCR.
Since 2014, Nirmal serves as President of “Investigating Design,” a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting design for people, education, and research. He has conducted design workshops for children in urban informal habitats, focusing on grades 6th to 9th. In 2013, he became the first Convener of the National Museum of Architecture under the Greha Initiative, where he also served as treasurer from 2011 to 2014.
