About Us

WHAT WE DO

We are an Architecture and Design studio based in Almora, Uttarakhand. Our studio integrates architecture, interior design, furniture design, urbanism research and sustainability consultations for built spaces.

OUR STORY

Our love for mountains and nature, aversion to metropolitan city lives; some opportunities and fluke moments; and passion to design differently led us to establish our studio in a Himalayan village near Almora in 2016.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

The practice embraces the use of indigenous materials + techniques to craft contemporary built environments in the mountains. Aware of the sensitive and complex ecosystems in the Himalayas, the studio aims to minimize ecological impact through contextual resource planning for all buildings.

MEET THE TEAM

Kshitij Aggarwal

Founder & Principal Architect

Kshitij is a graduate from School of Planning and Architecture (Delhi) and has worked on projects in several Himalayan places such as Gangtok, Shimla, Dharamshala, Almora and surrounding places in the Kumaon region. He lives and works in Uttarakhand since 2014. He is a COA licensed Architect and specializes in hillside built environments. Realising his passion for architecture and the Himalayas, he founded this practice in Almora in early 2016. He is a trained professional in nature based waste-water management and rain-water harvesting solutions. He believes in minimizing the impact on the natural environment while designing for buildings.

Nikita Verma

Co-founder, Architect and Urbanist

Nikita is a graduate in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture (Delhi) and holds a Masters in Urbanism from the Bauhaus University in Germany. She has worked in India, Slovenia, Germany, and Spain with several international organizations as an Architect and Urbanist for brief periods before moving to Almora. She has collaborated on several architectural and design projects with Kshitij apart from pursuing urban development research projects and venturing into curating design competitions for students and young professionals. She has assisted and participated in international planning workshops in Russia and France.

Bhaskar Bisht

Design Assistant

Bhaskar was a student of DBIT, Dehradun. He did his diploma in Civil Engineering and is passionate about the blend of design and technology. He is keen to learn new things in this field and is interested in on site execution and management. He is always ready to take up any given responsibility. Beside this, he loves to travel and explore and is a photography enthusiast. He is a core part of the studio since 2021.

Harshvardhan Singh

Junior Architect

Harsh completed his B.Arch from DBSA, Dehradun in 2023. He is deeply interested in traditional architecture, vastu-shastra and their connection with nature. Keen to learn new technologies and typologies through experiments and exploration, he tries to amalgamate traditional and contemporary styles of architecture in design. He likes being in the mountains for its peaceful living.

Asawari Nikam

Intern Architect

Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Architecture at VIT’s PVP College of Architecture in Pune. She has a keen interest in exploring emerging technologies and mastering the end-to-end process of turning concepts into reality. She thrives on hands-on, on-site learning and is passionate about blending traditional design principles with modern techniques to create innovative and functional solutions.

Shrutika Deshmane

Intern Architect

Studying in 5th year B.Arch at VIT’s PVP College of Architecture, Pune, Shrutika likes working and living in the mountains. She likes to learn new skills in software as well as on site and feels on site learning is important in architecture. She likes to click photographs of micro life, making new connections with people, travelling, exploring new things and places.

Studio Bardo Alumni

Raghuraj Sharma | Summer Intern, June 2024- July 2024