Jagan Venkataramanan
Founder and Managing Partner
B.Eng (Civ) (India), M.Eng (STR), OSU, OK, M.Arch, SFIA, CA
Close examination of Jagan’s extraordinary portfolio of works, accumulated from over 28 years in USA & in India, reveals evidence of craftsmanship, economic sensibility, ecological sustainability and unadulterated innovation - a style that consistently challenges the status quo of building design in a raw and unyielding manner. He is a BIM/VDC technology evangelist & is constantly researching new processes & technologies to change primitive legacy methods in design & execution by orchestrating design & leveraging technology.
This challenge of the conventional takes form in the characteristics that his work possesses. They defy any straight jacketing into any simple categorization and have the continual ability to innovate and surprise with each new project. It is both an architectural and strong engineering mind-set that constantly searches for new breakthroughs in many fields, be it cutting edge building technology, sustainable ecological designs or interpretations of conservation.
Jagan sees every project as a design puzzle where all goals, problems, constraints, ideals and opportunities have an innovative solutions to be found. Adopting an open mind-set and an unwavering vigour, he has a gift for unlocking the hidden aesthetic potential in projects and has an uncanny ability to seamlessly weave in the needs and aspirations of the people and environment involved.
He has been a senior partner at Venkataramanan Associates (www.vagroup.com), Architects for 21 years and was instrumental in driving the firm’s vision and goals . He was involved in leading and directing several greenfield projects for Fortune 500 firms and leading Indian corporates. He was instrumental in setting up the firm’s systems and processes and facilitating their quality processes & ISO 9000 approvals in addition to spearheading several JV's with leading design and international Engineering firms like PM group (www.pmgroup-global.com) in India leading as the joint managing director for their Indian operations. He is the brainchild behind the development of the revolutionary Konnect (www.konnectaec.com) which is an ERP software which was developed for AEC and other profesional services firms to provide instant visibility into their people, projects & business from anywhere & on demand anytime.
He has a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering (India), Masters in Structural Engineering, (USA) and Masters in Architecture, (USA). He has done challenging projects in California, Arizona, Idaho and Mid-Western United States & in India in the areas of IT and Biotechnology, Advanced and Hi-Tech semiconductor manufacturing, Healthcare, Aviation, Industrial, Commercial and residential projects. He has done some path breaking research projects in close collaboration with Prof. EGOR Popov at the University of California, Berkeley.
Shalini Sundaram
Partner
B.Arch, CCAC, CA, U.C. Berkeley, CA, M.Arch, SFIA, CA
Shalini’s flair for design and passion for space is apparent in the way she conceives and designs living and working spaces with the simplest, yet sleekest strokes. An exceptional designer and intuitive architect, her focus lies in the art of balance, combining architectural details and design elements like spatial flow, light, scale and material with clients’ goals to bring their dreams into reality.
She has a keen eye for detail and has led the design teams of complex, ambitious projects. Understanding the importance of both beauty and functionality, Shalini works meticulously through each detail to accommodate special interests, overcome challenges, and transcend client expectations. Her intimate knowledge of material and technique make her a vital resource in all aspects of the project and her perspective is always respected, as is her ability to multi-task on an ongoing basis.
She is the design director at Sundaram Architects Pvt. Ltd. since 1996 and has been leading the master planning and building design for several large urban scale projects for Institutional, Educational, Corporate offices & IT, Healthcare, Aviation, Science & Technology, Real Estate Clients over 21 years in the firm.
Shalini Sundaram after completing her Under Graduate degree from California College of Arts and Crafts, CA, Certification courses in Lighting and Interior Design from University of California, Berkeley, she obtained her Masters in Architecture from SFIA, USA. When in California she has had the privilege of training under the famous architect Arthur Dyson and attended workshops with the celebrated architect, Tadao Ando, in Osaka Japan.
V+S Board – Advisor
P. K. Venkataramanan
N.D. Architecture, SPA, India
M.IIA, M.AICTE, M.VAC
P. K. Venkataramanan is the Founder Architect of Venkataramanan Associates (www.vagroup.com) which he founded in the year 1970. In a highly successful career, he was instrumental in designing for some of the prestigious projects for Indian Space Research Organisation, Raman Research Institute, Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian institute of Sciences, Council of Scientific Research etc.
He has designed some outstanding well designed & detailed buildings to house corporate facilities, public buildings, industrial buildings, hospitals, theatres etc.
He firmly believed in the philosophy “God is in the Details” & his built work is a testimony of the same.
He qualified from School of Planning & Architecture New Delhi with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. He is a fellow member of the Indian Institute of Architects since 1978. During his long carreer he has been a member of the Urban Arts Commission, GOK, Bangalore.
Other positions he has held include Chairman, IIA, Karnataka Chapter.
Member - Academic Council of Arch & Planning, New Delhi.
Member – AICTE.
He has served as a visiting professor of Bangalore University.
V+S Board – Advisor
R. Sundaram
Chairman & Managing Director, Sundaram Architects
B. E. (Civil - India), S.M (MIT,MA), B.L, FIE
M.ASCE, M.ACI, M.IASS
Sundaram, a novel and a pioneering engineer-architect in the country, has adopted construction methods and practices ahead of its times while adeptly balancing the triumvirate of aesthetics, function and economy in the buildings he has designed. Incorporating pre-cast and pre-stressed concrete in structures and doing away with expensive form work has been his forte. The country is just catching up with this concept with most infrastructure projects such as bridges and flyovers being built using precast segmental construction adopted by him since 1980.
Sundaram’s contributions include large concrete hypar shells, large span RCC and steel folded plate roofs, inverted umbrella, cylindrical shells, pre-cast pre-stressed folded plates, segmental bridges etc. He has been responsible for the design of several major projects including Industrial projects, IT campuses, Bio-Tech facilities, Shopping malls, Sports stadia, Educational campuses, Chemical plants, Road transportation net works like Flyovers, Subways, Multi-storeyed car parking, Auditoriums, Convention centres, Hospitals, Housing, Townships etc.
Also, his contribution to shell structures in India cannot go unnoticed. From his first shell structure in 1961 to the latest shell structure in the 2018, Sundaram has demonstrated the sleekness of the form while eliminating all visible surface stiffening and enhancing the visual appeal of the buildings. Labour costs have always been relatively cheaper in India but it is Sundaram’s skillful use of repetitive form work and intelligent prefabrication that has enabled him to design economical, efficient and elegant shell structures of long spans.
Sundaram has been quite active in many International Forums/Associations like International Association for Shell & Spatial Structures [IASS], Madrid and SEWC etc. He has been attending their annual international conferences since 1982 in different parts of the world as a Keynote Speaker and Invited Speaker. He has been successfully conducting a number of International Conferences in India and abroad as well.
Some of his prestigious awards and accolades:
Winner of the prestigious “EDUARDO TORROJA MEDAL“ by the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures [IASS] based in Madrid, in recognition of his outstanding and distinguished contributions to design, construction, or research of shell and/or spatial structures”. IASS conferred the medal on him in Seoul, South Korea on 24th May 2012 during the annual IASS International Symposium. The first Indian to receive this prestigious International award.
Honoured by the Board of Directors of the Structural Engineers World Congress Inc., USA by conferring on him the International Award “SEWC Roland Sharpe Medal”.
Prestigious Award - conferred on him by the Construction Industry Development Council, New Delhi – the 5th CIDC Vishwakarma Award namely the “ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR INDUSTRY DOYEN” for the year 2013.
Honoured by the Prestressed & Precast Concrete Society, Singapore by conferring him a “Life-Time Honorary Membership” in Singapore on 27th August 2010.
Elected as President, Structural Engineers World Congress [ SEWC ] Inc. Worldwide for 2007 to 2011, again re-elected in 2011 for the period till 2015 and once again re-elected for the 3rd term from 2015 to 2019. SEWC is head quartered in San Francisco, USA. First time an Indian to become the President of SEWC and extended for the 3rd term.
Princeton University, USA published a Thesis by Meggie June Betancourt on “R. Sundaram & Modern Thin Shell Concrete Structures”
Recipient of a number of other National & International awards/accolades
Former President [ for two consecutive terms ] of Association of Consulting Civil Engineers [India] [ACCE(I) - 1993 to 1997.
Former Vice President of Indian Concrete Institute [ICI]
Former President of Rotary Club of Bangalore, 1995-1996.
Member of Council of Architecture, India
Member of American Concrete Institute
Member of American Society of Civil Engineers
Member of International Association for Shell & Spatial Structures, Madrid
Member of ACI Jt. Committee on Shells
He is a fellow of Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India), Institution of Engineers, India and Indian Institution of Bridge Engineers.
He is a permanent member of the prestigious International Advisory Board of International Association for Shell & Spatial Structures [ IASS ], Madrid
Sundaram holds a Master’s Degree in Structural Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA and a B.E. in Civil Engineering from B.M.S. College of Engineering, Bangalore
Rajarshi Das
Chief Technology Officer
B.Arch (India)
Rajarshi Das has a Bachelor's degree in Architecture. He has about 20 years of experience in Design-Build and in the AEC industry working on several greenfield construction projects, restoration and adaptive re-use projects in India as well as in US, Europe, middle eastern countries and Africa. He has worked on office buildings and mixed use campus design, educational Institutes, civic buildings, residential townships, metro projects etc. He is a technology enthusiast and has incorporated advanced computational design and modelling techniques in all his projects from the beginning of his career. He has enabled design and engineering firms to formulate and implement technology to achieve strategic goals and delight their clients by providing an exceptional design and delivery experience. He has implemented solutions in most of the current technology frontiers including Virtual Design and Construction, Integrated Project Delivery, Building Information Modelling, Knowledge Management Systems, Outsourcing and Custom Software development.
At V+S he works on all aspects of Information Technology, from the computers on every desk to advanced BIM design and analysis software that enable the staff to model complex building behaviour, including day lighting, environmental performance, structural performance, pedestrian flows, vehicle swept path analysis, clash detection and resolution of intricate ASMEPF systems in buildings, code compliance, and many other systems. He has keen interests and researches constantly on the future emerging technologies in the areas of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Embedded software and IOT which have applications in the AEC industry in particular.
Newton S
Software Architect
B.Sc (India), MCA (India)
He has completed his bachelor's degree from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He did his Master of Computer Applications (MCA) from Manipur University and was awarded as a Gold Medalist in his batch. He is very passionate and enjoys programming, design and developing applications which will enhance business processes and give smart solutions and benefit clients.
He has over 13 years of experience in software development life cycle (SDLC) and likes to work on challenging projects. He was the main Software Architect at Venkataramanan Associates (VA) from 2006 to 2017. He has designed enterprise level of architecture and has developed Konnect (www.konnectaec.com) (end-to-end ERP solution for A/E/C firms). Konnect provides an enterprise-wide information management system that facilitates the flow of information and for managing all resources and activities efficiently and productively within the business organization.