Prof. K T
Ravindran (Retd)
Prof. K. T. Ravindran is an architect, urban designer and academician with over five decades of distinguished professional experience. His contributions span the fields of architecture, interior design, urban design, conservation and planning both nationally and internationally.
He is also the Chair of the Academic Council at KMEA College of Architecture and has held multiple significant positions, including Chairperson of the Governing Committee of the Goa College of Architecture, Trustee of The Madhavan Nayar Foundation, Kochi. He has been a former Member of the Governing Council, former Chairman of the Architectural Heritage Advisory Committee, and former Convener of the INTACH Delhi Chapter.
Prof. Ravindran was a member of the Advisory Board for the United Nations Capital Master Plan in New York, contributing to the renovation and refurbishment of the original 1939 UN headquarters and campus under the leadership of the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. He has served as Consultant to the President of India. He has been consultant to UNESCO, preparing the mission report for the heritage city of Fort Kochi.
During his academic career, Prof. Ravindran taught Urban Design for over three decades at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, where he also served as Dean. He was the Dean Emeritus of RICS School of Built Environment for six years and also a Senior Academic Advisor. He is the Founding President of the Institute of Urban Designers India and has held key positions such as Chairman of the Delhi Urban Art Commission, Member of the Heritage Conservation Committee (Delhi), and Member of the National Advisory Committee on HRIDAY Cities. He has also mentored the Smart Cities Mission on Public Open Spaces.
As part of his advisory roles, Prof. Ravindran was a member of the committee for identifying a capital location for the State of Andhra Pradesh and later served on the International Jury for the capital complex design. He subsequently led the expert committee for balanced regional growth of Andhra Pradesh. He has also served as Vice Chairman of the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee, Government of India, for two terms. He has been associated with Unnayan Kolkata, an NGO dedicated to improving living conditions for low-income communities in East Kolkata and rural areas. He has been Member of the Kerala State Design Policy and is Member of the Kerala State Urban Policy Commission responsible for creating a framework for the development of Kerala state for the next 25 years. He is also member of the High Level Advisory Board, Konkan Coastal Project, Maharashtra. He is also currently Advisor to Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority for the formulation of Urban Design Guidelines for the Chennai Metropolitan Area.
Over the course of his 58-year career, Prof. Ravindran has served on a number of national and international juries, his practice includes urban design projects ranging from greenfield cities to memorials and adaptive reuse, he has actively promoted urban conservation and sustainability. His recent professional work includes the development of Resilient Urban Design Framework for Low-Income State Housing in Tamil Nadu for the World Bank. His works and research have been widely published in leading international journals and books. He has been awarded the Gold Medal for Education in the year 2022 by the Indian Institute of Architects. His life’s work continues to inspire generations of architects and planners toward sustainable, inclusive, and contextually rooted urban development.