SUSHMITA

Sushmita Shekar is an Architectural and Urban designer based in New York. She received a Masters in Science of Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University, New York. With a strong background of Architecture and Visual Arts she is passionate about design’s potential to amplify stakeholder voices and innovate resilient tools for planning, to empower cities and ecosystems to thrive in a world of crisis. Her work and research spans across different scales from large scale planning to grassroots and community focused design to foster social capital in cities.

Designing Cities of Difference

What inspired you to pursue architecture?

Growing up, I have always questioned the development of Indian cities largely driven by real estate, short team infrastructural solutions and economy. These ideologies of development have failed to address the social, cultural, economic and environmental challenges. While in pre-university I was a part of a Student Exchange Program in Germany supported by Robert Bosch Stiftung Foundation to study the carbon footprint of Bangalore and Munich. The research revealed that around 35- 40 percent of the total carbon emission was from the city’s architecture and construction, and this made me realize the relevance of architecture and city design in our daily lives. This actually paved the way for my career path. Pursuing architecture was a tool to understand the micro relations between people, context and the built environment. With a background in urban design, I am now interested to synthesize and understand the interwoven relationships between society, architecture, urban systems, social justice and ecology.

Retail Apocalypse is a project conceived in Fall 2019 at Columbia GSAPP in collaboration with Einat Lubliner, Hatem Alkathlan and Chris Zhang. This project radically questions and reimagines new possibilities of retail through multiple lenses of soc… — Retail Apocalypse is a project conceived in Fall 2019 at Columbia GSAPP in collaboration with Einat Lubliner, Hatem Alkathlan and Chris Zhang. This project radically questions and reimagines new possibilities of retail through multiple lenses of social equity, shared economy, reduced carbon emission and active street life. - Photo courtesy of Sushmita Shekar

What is the most important thing that you learned in the past year?

Although the last year has been challenging, I see the pandemic as an opportunity because it rekindled a discourse to radically question new possibilities of equitable, sustainable and healthy future. With greater opportunities to network virtually across the globe, the most important thing for me was to stay engaged and participate in different discourses. I think it's really important that as graduate designers and urbanists we make an impact and understand different perspectives. Cities are the best hope for humanity, in terms of climate change, social mobility and bridging our cultural and racial divides. In cities today we are not just dealing with planning or architectural issues but larger social issues. It’s harmful when architects or planners just engage in standalone work. Everything is symbiotic and has impacts on one another. So the biggest take away for me this year is to engage beyond the professional fraternity, look at issues from multidisciplinary lenses and work collaboratively with different professionals and stakeholders for a resilient future.

Resilient harbour development at Scheveningen. This project was conceived at a part of the summer school at TU Delft. - Photo courtesy of Sushmita Shekar

What are some architectural organizations (or specific person/role model) that helped you learn to overcome an obstacle? How did they?

In 2017 I had an opportunity to work at Vastu Shilpa Consultants, Sangath pioneered by Pritzker prize winning Architect BV Doshi. During one of the conversations he quoted “Life is only exciting when one is in deep curiosity and constant haunting “. This keeps resonating with me. In my opinion his ideology of connecting architecture and life/ society was the crux of his journey. Doshi believed that architecture was an extension of oneself and his work should celebrate life. His architecture is one of empathy, dignity and compassion – for people, lives, places and memories. Doshi’s keen observations and reflection on the smallest details made his work larger than life. So every time I encounter an obstacle I remember to look around me for inspiration, from everyday surroundings, from people in all walks of life and life incidences. Observation and listening is key to rethink challenges.

A handwritten personal note from BV Doshi in my sketchbook - Photo courtesy of Sushmita Shekar

If you were given the opportunity to repeat the year, what is one thing you’d do differently?

Moving to another country and engaging in a critical discourse in a very different context is always challenging. As designers we know that we can't generate urban design ideas without understanding the layers of historical, political and socio-cultural contexts. These issues impact cities in different ways. Given more time, I would love to dwell deeper into reading and learning from history, failures, socio-economic divides and racial biases that shaped American cities today.

Renewing the Brownfield was a project conceived in Summer 2019 at Columbia GSAPP in collaboration with Hatem Alkathlan and Yao Yao . This project is an attempt to foster a holistic system of interventions that informs and trengthens each other by fo… — Renewing the Brownfield was a project conceived in Summer 2019 at Columbia GSAPP in collaboration with Hatem Alkathlan and Yao Yao . This project is an attempt to foster a holistic system of interventions that informs and trengthens each other by focusing on revitalizing the brown field and underutilized areas in Jersey city. - Photo courtesy of Sushmita Shekar

As you reflect on the past year, what did you discover as your biggest strengths?

I think it's the ability to network, collaborate and willingness to experiment different avenues. At Columbia University, working with colleagues and faculty from different backgrounds and vocations not only brought about rich discussions and diverse perspectives but it has broadened my cross-cultural knowledge and depth of understanding. We cannot solve complex urban issues by working in isolation. As architects and urbanists we can foster powerful agency through collaboration. If we can bring stakeholders and resources together to leverage community support and foster social capital, we can build resilient communities and cities. The COVID-19 crisis brought to light the exacerbated immoral inequity in our economy, health, and justice systems, and the systemic racism in our society, and our architectural institutions. Only a collective demand for change might move towards a better society. Hence, I think the powerful tool of communication and bridging stakeholders, agencies and designers through potential collaborative solutions can change design thinking.

Columbia GSAPP MSAUD Graduates of 2020. - Photo courtesy of Sushmita Shekar

In terms of rising concerns and problems (in the architectural profession) over the past year, what is one change that you wished would happen and it did not? This can be in an educational or work atmosphere.

I am deeply aware of how much needs to change in our profession in terms of collaboration between small and big scale practices and the allied professions. Right now, many innovative small firms exist in isolation and competition with the larger firms. The ability to weave goals of sustainable urban development, social justice and ecological healing can happen only with cross disciplinary engagement and active participation of different scales of firms in city development.

SUSHMITA SHEKAR

Designing Cities of Difference

KARLA VICH

HAUWA ZAHRA MAHMOUD