DCOOP Architects | Recent Work 2013
Shilpa Ranade + Quaid Doongerwala | Architects
As a professional practice, DCOOP aims at bridging the gap that exists between concerns of ‘pure’ design, the contingencies of construction, and sensitivity to the requirements of the user. It is an appropriate response to its particular reality that gives each DCOOP project a unique sense of identity. Pragmatically planned, meticulously put together, subtly fine-tuned to stimulate the senses; DCOOPs projects are characterised by their refined proportions and their sense of balanced restfulness. At the core of their work is the belief that architecture should be constructed well, it should function well and it should look and feel beautiful.
Shilpa Ranade trained in architecture at CEPT, Ahmedabad and did her MA in Cultural Studies at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Since the time she cut her teeth as a junior architect at Rahul Mehrotra Associates, Shilpa has enjoyed being simultaneously involved in design and research projects. She is an associate of PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge, Action and Research), and has been involved in the seminal Gender & Space Project. She has co-authored a book on women and public space
in Mumbai published by Penguin Books India in 2010. Shilpa’s writing on architecture and gendered spaces has been published in various books, academic journals and professional magazines. She has taught architecture and humanities courses at various colleges in Mumbai.
Quaid Doongerwala studied architecture at the School of Architecture, CEPT, Ahmedabad. Before embarking on his independent practice he worked with architects Geoffrey Bawa (Sri Lanka) and Rahul Mehrotra (Mumbai), and designer Andrea Anastasio.
Quaid’s interest in the visual and spatial experience of Mumbai’s urbanity has involved the DCOOP studio at many levels. This engagement has evolved from a simple documentation project to multiple media explorations including films, publications, exhibition panels, and most recently an art installation. Quiad is visiting faculty at the Kamala Raheja Vidyaneedhi Institute of Architecture (KRVIA) in Mumbai and has been a member of the jury at several architecture colleges in the country.
