ABOUT | Malavika Madhuraj

ABOUT

P R O F I L E

Malavika Madhuraj is a Designer at Studio Gang,NY, a renowned architecture and urban design practice based in Chicago. She joined the firm in June 2022, after completing her Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), where she received the Award for Excellence in Advanced Architecture. Malavika also holds a Bachelor of Architecture from VIT University in India. At university, she was awarded Merit Scholarship for Best Academic Performance during all 5 years.

Malavika has a passion for humanitarian architecture and social justice, which she demonstrated in her undergraduate thesis on the Rohingya Refugee crisis, which won her the Honourable Mention award in the ‘Architecture Thesis of the Year competition’ conducted across 104 nations. In 2020 she was selected as one of the 25 young architects from applicants all across the world for the high-level training in ‘Architecture for exhibition’ at YACADEMY, Bologna, Italy. Where she developed project under David Chipperfield Architects for the design of the 2021 - MUDETEC (Museum of Automobili Lamborghini Technologies)

In march 2023, RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects) came out with a book Drawing Attention: Architecture in the Age of social media, which showcased the works of 18 architectural designers from different part of the world. Malavika is the only Indian architect to be featured in the book. Her chapter talks the reader through her full drawing process, influences and top tips for digital architectural illustration.

Education

Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (May 2022)
Columbia University, New York
M.S. Advanced Architectural Design
Awarded Excellence in Advanced Architectural Design Prize

VIT School of Planning and Architecture, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India (2015 - 2020)

Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.)

Second Rank Holder

YACademy HIGHER EDUCATION COURSE 2020

Architecture for Exhibition

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Studio Gang Architects, New York, USA (June 2022 - Present)

Roots Practitioner’s Fellowship, Remote (March 2020 - March 2021)

YACADEMY - Architecture for Exhibition, Bologna, Italy (Sept-Nov 2020)

Roy Antony Architects, Cochin, India (April- July 2019)

Hundredhands, Bangalore, India (June-November 2018)

ACADEMIC ROLES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Featured among 18 designers in the book "Drawing Attention: Architecture in the Age of Social Media," published by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in March 2023.
Award for Excellence in Adavanced Architectural Design, Columbia University, 2022.
Shortlisted for ‘Drawing of the year’ competition organised by Archisource, 2022.
Board member at rAADio (architectural investigative podcast at GSAPP), 2021-2022.
Winners of World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards 10+5+X 36th Cycle in Architecture, Student Category, 2021.
Honourable award in the ‘Architecture Thesis of the Year competition’ conducted across 104 nations, 2020.
First-runner up in the Humanitarian Unbuilt Project of the ‘2020 Gaudi Architecture Prize.’
Shortlisted for ‘Sustainability first steppers’ competition organised by Chorus architecture, 2020.
Top 15 Finalist and Special mention award at ‘Mango thesis award’, 2020.
Merit Scholarship for Best Academic Performance (Dean’s List)- in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, VIT University.
Content creator of the school newsletter ‘BLAB’ since 2019.
2019 G.D. Naidu Young Scientist Award- First place for research that culminated in the paper ‘Effect of Logo Design on Consumers and their Affective ResponseTowards Brands.’
Elected VIT B.Arch Program Representative during 2015-16 and 2017-18 academic years.
Board member (2015-2020) of VIT Film, Creativity and Architecture Clubs.
Student Delegate at the Indian Institute of Architects Award- September 2017.
Event coordinator for the VIT Art festival 2017, which comprised of exhibition, workshops and talks with eminent artists and architects from India.
First-runner up in VIT green ideation contest, March 2016.
Third place in the event ‘Best out of waste’ at Saarang 2016, IIT Madras.

CONFERENCES & PUBLICATIONS

Co-author of ‘Drawing Attention: Architectural Representation in the Age of Social Media’, to be published by RIBA in 2023.
Article about an interview discussing my architectural projects published in the ‘architecture student blog’ in 2022.
‘Architect Malavika Madhuraj Designs Shelter For Refugee Community In India’- published in Design Nuance website, December 2021.
Thesis titled ‘Fragmented Imaginary: Seeking Resilience for the Rohingya’- published in Silk matter Annual Design Magazine Design Log, 2021.
Presented project ‘Revitalising Green Circle in Katpadi’ at Visionary Action towards Liveable Urban Environment (VALUE) conference, VIT University -February 2020.
Presented paper ‘The Great Exhibition: An Analysis of the Crystal Palace’ at the 22nd International Conference on Architecture and Design, held in Bali- January 2020.
Defended dissertation ‘Transcendence in Transition: Enhancing the Experience of Transitional Spaces in the City’ at the International Architecture and Urban Planning Conference held in London- October 2019.