About Me

I am Sonal Gangrade. I am an architect by profession and an artist by passion, who, as a researcher, is trying to explore the realms of design and the ways to integrate my profession and passion. I have done my Masters in sustainable architecture from National Institute of Technology Hamirpur,Himachal and I have recently joined Department of Design, IIT Delhi as a Phd student. I am exploring the role of adaptive thermal comfort as a part of my research.

Education

Bachelors in Architecture (B.Arch) - I completed my B.Arch from Sardar Vallabhbhai Institute of Technology (S.V.I.T),Vasad, Gujarat, India in 2017. Bachelors in Architecture helped me develop a firm fundamental and theoretical understanding about various aspects related to architecture. My undergraduate thesis project was a science city, where I attempted to make the user experience vibrant and engaging to various human senses through an interactive architectural design.

Masters in Sustainable Architecture (M.Arch) - I completed my M.Arch from National Institute of Technology Hamirpur (NITH), Himachal Pradesh, India in 2020. NITH offered a high-quality learning environment with specialized knowledge in construction materials and practices, intelligent building systems, energy-efficient architectural design, sustainable landscape practices, GIS, and, urban design and planning. The institution presented me with a new outlook on architecture. I learned that sustainability in architecture can be achieved not only by sustainable construction materials and functional planning, but also by optimizing the workability of a building through quantification and assessment of its design elements such as daylighting, ventilation, thermal, and visual comfort, based on certain standards.

Ph.D in Design - I joined the Department of Design in IIT Delhi in August 2021 as a research scholar under the guidance of Dr.Jay Dhariwal. Pursuing a Ph.D. has allowed me to feed my curiosity and providd an opportunity to develop specialized expertise in my area of interest. Currently my area of research is - "Role of adaptive thermal comfort in improving health and well being of individuals".

Work experience

Ar.Karmavir Ghatge and Associates (2017) - I joined the architectural firm as a junior architect in 2017. The practice believed in an ecological approach towards design. It presented itself as a forum for exploring and practicing the principles of sustainability by designing architectural, interior, and landscaping projects by immaculately working with site-sensitive, cost-effective, energy-efficient, natural and sustainable elements. This sparked a curiosity in me to explore the field of sustainability.

PcZ Associates (2020) - I joined this architectural firm after my masters in 2020 as a sustainable architect and consultant. As it is a recent startup, I got an opportunity to try new ideas of integrating art and sustainability in furniture design.

Skills