Mona Doctor-Pingel
Principal Architect
©Catherine Karnow
After her graduation in Architecture from School of Architecture, CEPT University, Ahmedabad, Mona worked in Auroville for two years with architect Poppo Pingel, before moving to Germany for her Masters in Appropriate Technology as a DAAD scholar. There she was introduced to Baubiologie (Building Biology), the science of holistic interactions between life and living environment. She also had a chance to learn earthen dome construction techniques from German architect Gernot Minke, at Kassel University.
Since 1995 Mona has her independent practice, Studio Naqshbandi, based in Auroville where she lives and works.
Rooted in the essence and philosophy of Auroville, her Studio offers a holistic approach to the science of building by using biologically enhancing and environmentally friendly building technologies which are rooted in the local context of climate and culture. Working with architecture, interior design and landscaping simultaneously on every project allows the studio team to enhance the sensory experience through the built form and create a space that responds to the surroundings, bringing in Nature and a sense of wellbeing.
Her current field of exploration also includes teaching, writing and research.
Naqshbandi family,
March 2021
Madhivanan Gnanavel
Junior Architect & Landscape Designer
Ridho Cairns
Junior Architect
Mathura Maathangi
Junior Architect
Madhivanan is born in Auroville and joined Studio Naqshbandi in August 2018. He earned his degree at McGan'S Ooty School of Architecture, 2018.
Ridho joined Studio Naqshbandi in September 2019. From Australia, he earned his masters degree at University of Melbourne, 2019.
Mathura joined Studio Naqshbandi in February 2021. She earned her degree at VIT, Vellore, 2020
Narmadha
Trainee
Shambhavi
Intern
Almitra Roosevelt
Intern
Narmadha joined Studio Naqshbandi in January 2021. She earned her diploma in quantity surveying and evaluation in 2002.
Shambhavi joined in December 2020. She is studying her Bachelors of Interior Design at Faculty of Design, CEPT University.
Almitra joined in December 2020. She is studying her Bachelors of Architecture at CEPT University.
Abhinaya
Intern
Abhinaya joined in March 2021. She is studying her Bachelors of Architecture at Wadiyar center for Architecture.
Priyanka Salunkhe
Mocca
Intern
Priyanka joined in May 2021. She is studying her Bachelors of Architecture at CEPT University.
Mocca was born in Auroville, is self-taught, cookie lover.
COLLABORATORS
Tushita Gandhi
Interior Designer
Mohan Ayynarppan
Contractor
Baskar
Contractor
Tushita assists in the interior designing and execution of several projects of the Studio. She earned her degree at APIED, Vallabh Vidya Nagar in 2000.
Self taught from Alankuppam Village, constructed projects including Cottage Showroom, Fish House, Studio Naqshbandi and Temple Tree Retreat.
Self-taught, Aurovillian, constructed projects including Elizabeth House, currently constructing Utsav mixed-use development.
Shrishti Dangi
Visual Artist
Studied at International Visual Art School, Last School, Auroville (2009). She is currently collaborating with the studio for Temple Tree retreat Extension and SAIL.
Online presence:
Vinayagam
Contractor
Self-taught, Aurovillian, constructed projects including White Peacock and Aikido Dojo.
Rene Janssen
Building Biology Consultant
Rene Janssen is an electrical engineer and Building Biology consultant from the Netherlands. He is living in Auroville since 2004 and is involved in various construction projects which promote sustainable building solutions and social well being. In 2014 he founded the Centre for Building Biology in Auroville, with the aim to bring this needed science to a wider audience in India.
PAST COLLABORATORS
Late Arusha Shridhar Drouin
Architect
Arusha had worked on several of the studio's major projects from 2007-2012. She earned her degree at BNCA, Pune, 2001.
NAQSHBANDI FAMILY
Name | Role | School | Period of work at Studio Naqshbandi
Ralph Sequeira | Architect | MIET, Gondia | March 2019 - March 2021
Abishek P | Architectural Intern | CEPT University, Ahmedabad | June – December 2020
Ibn Talib | Architect | John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto | July - September 2020
Geetika Tyagi | Architectural Intern | AIT School Of Architecture & Planning, Greater Noida | January - August 2020
Saloni Mahajan | Interior Design Intern | SID, CEPT, Ahmedabad | September - December 2019
Renuka Gupta | Architectural Intern | MBS School of Planning and Architecture | Delhi, August 2019 - April 2020
Shaan Lyngdoh Lakshmanan | Architectural Intern | Syracuse University, United States of America | July - August 2019
Henrik Dutz | Architect | TU Dresden, Germany | December - March 2019
Abhishek K. Ramesh | Architectural Intern | CMRU School Of Architecture, Bengaluru | July 2019 - January 2020
Anshul Rathore | Architectural Intern | IIT, Roorkee | February - July 2018
Aakansha Jain | Architectural Intern | Manipal University | April 2017 - May 2018
Vishnu Vardhan | Research Engineer | VIT Mechanical Engineering,Vellore | November 2017 - November 2018
Nancy Agarwal | Architect | RV College, Bengaluru | September 2017 - September 2019
Nitya Kalyanaraman | Architectural Intern | Sushant School of Art and Architecture | Gurugram, June 2017 - November 2017
Ines Dahl | Architectural Intern| ETSAM Madrid / CEPT, Ahmedabad | June - July 2017
Divij Bhardwaj Architect | MNIT, Jaipur | April - May 2017
Ipsita Mallick | Architectural Intern | Balwant Sheth School of Architecture, NMIMS, Mumbai | February - Sept 2017
Roshita Sudhir | Architect | NIT Trichy | December 2016 - June 2019
Sukirth Gowder | Architect | SAP, Anna University, Chennai | December 2016 - May 2017
Yann Robichon | Research Engineer | ESIROI, Reunion Island | August - September 2016
Malvika Singh |Interior Design Intern |SID, CEPT, Ahmedabad | June - December 2016
Nehaa Bhavaraju | Architect | NIT Trichy | February - December 2016
Chandana Reddy | Architect | SAP, Chennai | January - December 2016
Pratha Bhagat |Architectural Intern | Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies | Mumbai, November 2015 - April 2016
Akash Puthuparambil | Architect | Kerala | August 2015-March 2016
Anant Mairal | Architectural Intern |National Institute of Technology | Raipur, June 2015- April 2016
Tanushree Charan | Construction Intern | SBST, CEPT, Ahmedabad | June - July 2015
Melina Wiedera | Interior Designer | HfT Stuttgart, Germany | June - July 2015
Hugo Lavocat | Research Engineer | ESIROI, Reunion Island | May - August 2015
Eleanor Figueiredo | Architect | Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, United Kingdom | May - June 2015
Suraj Dwivedi | Junior Architect | College of Architecture, SVIT, Vasad | December 2013 - May 2014
Ana Antunes | Architect | Porto School of Architecture, Portugal | August - September 2014 & February 2015
Aashna Agarwal | Architecture Intern | CEPT, Ahmedabad | June - December 2014
Pankti Mehta | Architecture Intern | Navrachana University, Vadodara | June - December 2014
Aanchal Subbaiah | Architecture Intern |RV College of Architecture, Bengaluru | March - May 2014
Darpan Arora | Architectural Intern | College of Architecture, SVIT, Vasad | February 2014 - January 2015
Anjali Ramachandran | Architecture Intern |School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Mysuru | November 2013 - May 2014
Anna Alma Bakhlina | Architect | Moscow Institute of Architecture MARKHI , Russia and KTH, Sweden |November 2012 - August 2014
S. Kishore Rajaram | Architecture Intern | Architectural Intern | SAP Anna University, Chennai |Dec 2012 - May 2013
Niharika Sanyal | Architecture Intern | SA, CEPT, Ahmedabad |May 2012 - Jan 2013
Parth Pandya | Interior Design Intern | SID, CEPT, Ahmedabad |June - December 2012
Rakesh N.M. | Architect | Manipal University | December 2011 - June 2012
Sachin Patil | Architect | Sir J. J. College of Architecture, Mumbai | June - December 2011
Kriti Gupta | Interior Design Intern | SID, CEPT, Ahmedabad | May - Dec 2011
Tejal Bafna | Architect | Academy Of Architecture, Mumbai | March - May 2011
Ojas Vyas | Architect | IPSA, Rajkot | January 2011 - January 2012
Sonam P. Kesarkar | Interior Designer | BNCA, Pune | January 2010 - January 2011
Sindhu Gopal | Architecture Intern | SRM University, Kattankulathur | July 2010 - January 2011
Shashank Achanthodi | Architecture Intern | NIT Trichy | June - December 2010
Annam Vaishnavi | Architect | CSI Institute of Technology, School Of Planning & Architecture, Secunderabad | June - December 2010
Sneha Bakshi | Academy Of Architecture, Mumbai | March - June 2010
Deepti Gangwal | Planning Intern | SP, CEPT, Ahmedabad | May - June 2010
Kaushal Jajoo | Planning Intern | SP, CEPT, Ahmedabad | May - June 2010
Swastika Mukherjee | Architecture Intern | Aayojan School of Architecture, Jaipur | January - June 2010
Prakash Raj | Architect and Model Maker | Self taught | October 2009 - January 2010; February 2016 - Present
Nidhi Dixit | Architecture Intern | University of Mumbai | December 2008 - March 2009
Joana Marques | Architect | Porto School of Architecture, Portugal | August - September 2009
Kanika Puri | Interior Design Intern | SID, CEPT, Ahmedabad, | May - August 2009
Akshaya L.N. | Architecture Intern | TVB School of Habitat Studies, Delhi | July - December 2009
Marcia Oliviera | Architect | Porto School of Architecture, Portugal | March - October 2009
Noble George | Architecture Intern | Sarvajanik College of Engineering & Technology, Surat | August - December 2008
Abhiruchi Anand | Interior Design Intern | SID, CEPT, Ahmedabad | May - November 2008
Venu Sivan | Architecture Intern | College of Engineering Trivandrum | June 2007 - January 2008
Tushita Gandhi | Interior Designer | APIED, Vallabh Vidyanagar | 2006 - 2009
Vishal Chudgar | Architect | APIED, Vallabh Vidyanagar | June - October 2007
Nithya E. J. | Architecture Intern | College of Engineering Trivandrum, | April - June 2007
Aamir | Architecture Intern | University of Lucknow | August - December 2004
Garima | Architecture Intern | University of Lucknow | August - December 2004
Pallavi Gopalkrishnan | Architecture Intern | B. M. S. College of Engineering |March - June 2003
Samir | Architecture Intern| Sarvajanik College of Engineering & Technology Surat | July - November 2002
Deval Gandhi | Architect | School of Architecture, CEPT, Ahmedabad | June 2000 - April 2001
Amorette Pereira | Architecture Intern | BNCA, Pune | January - April 2000
Arusha Shridhar | Architect | BNCA, Pune | January - April 2000
Batul Raaj | Architecture Intern | SA, CEPT, Ahmedabad | June - December 1995
Kanal Shah | Architect | MSU, Vadodara | June - December 1995
