Summary

28 years experience in a range of complex building types including commercial, institutional super and mega tall buildings in the United States, China, Middle East and India. Expertise in all project phases, Sustainability, Client Management Design leadership, with empasis on both design and delivery

With the belief that “simple and honest” design is the answer to the many complex challenges we face, over the past 26 years, Diwakar has designed projects in the United States, the Middle-East, China and India. His design process at Studio Chintala, involves challenging preconceived notions about buildings and typologies and starting with a “clean-slate”.

The studio operates with the philosophy that design is problem solving, the process of finding the simplest and the most logical solutions. Beauty is the by-product of the inherent simplicity and honesty of the design. Every project is an opportunity to develop concepts based on logic, context and the aspirations of the users. “Style and aesthetics” are purely a consequence of this creative process.

From designing high-rise buildings such as the second tallest building in the world, to developing the $1,500 House, his work has acknowledged the impact of the built-environment on human behavior often offering a minimalist approach to design. Diwakar’s work spans designs for several products, a furniture line, graphic design, video documentaries and User Experience.

Experience

July 2016 - Present
Principal Architect
Studio Chintala, Bangalore, San Francisco, Hyderabad NetApp India Headquarters, Bangalore; India, NetApp Sales Center; T-Works Maker Space; Knowledge City Amenity Building; T-Road Urban Design; Pranaam Hospital; KSTePS Planetarium, Yadgir Science Center

August 2010 - July 2016
Design Director
Gensler, Bangalore, India, Shanghai, China and San Francisco, California
Suzhou Zhongnan Center, 748 M, the second tallest tower in the world, China
Coca Cola Asia Headquarters, Gurgaon, India.
BM Plaza- Mixed-Use development, Shanghai, China Executive Briefing Center, Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, California

August 2013 - Present
M.Arch Graduate Thesis Advisor.
Academy of Art, San Francisco, USA

February 2009 - August 2010
Owner / Principal Designer
Studio Chintala, San Francisco, California
Vedic Temples & Meditation Centers, Bangalore, India, Los Angeles & San Jose.
Trade-Show booth for Haiku Bags, Oakland.
Bicycle Shelter, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Illinois.

June 2002 - February 2009
Senior Project Designer / Project Architect
Fisher Friedman Associates, San Francisco, California
Jewish Community Center and Rohnert Park City Hall.

May 1998 - May 2000
Design Director
Bryant Palmer Soto, Inc., Los Angeles, California
Conceptual Design through Construction Documentation: Madrona Marsh Nature
Center, Sunrider International Headquarters, Los Angeles.
Business Development, competitions and project interviews.

January 1996 - May 1998
Black & Veatch Architects, Kansas City, Missouri
Project Designer, Conceptual Design of over 20 projects and competitions.

May 1995 - September 1995
Morris Architects, Orlando, Florida, Intern, Const Docs for Disney World.

May 1993 - July 1994
Lakeer Architects, Hyderabad, India, Project Designer, Design: Ramoji Film City.

Education

1994 - 1996    Master of Architecture, Urban Design / Environment Behavior and Place Studies, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas

1988 - 1993    Bachelor of Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, India

Related Experience

2011    Visiting Critic, Academy of Art, graduate studios (years 2010/03/02)
2010    Portfolio Reviewer, American Institute of Architects, San Francisco.
2007    Product Design: Design and prototypes of several household objects.
2006    Furniture Design: Design and construction of the DC Series Furniture.
1995    Teaching Assistant, Design Studio, Building Systems and Structural Systems, Kansas State University (years 1994 & 1995)
1992    Construction of the “Students Pavilion” with The Atelier, a workshop for hands-on learning of construction techniques, Hyderabad, India.


Skills & Qualifications

Revit, Rhino, 3D Studio Max, SketchUp, AutoCAD, Adobe Suite, MS Office.
Sketching, renderings, various media including water-colors, model-making,
sculpture, graphic design, product design, furniture design, UI/UX, film making
Languages: English, Hindi, Telugu, Urdu

LEED Accredited Professional, 2006; AIA Licensure requirements substantially completed; Licensed Architect in India; IIA Registered Architect

Awards, Publications & Speaking engagements

Winner of over 36 painting, sketching and sculpture competitions.
Wiiner of multiple Design Awards
Speaker, Guest of Honour at over 40 conferences and events
Visiting faculty at multiple architecture colleges
Multiple publictions

2015    Panel Guest, IFMA, International Facility Management Association
2015    Speaker, Graduation, Raffles Millennium International, Bangalore
2015    Guest of Honour, DSK International, Student Annual Expo
2014    Speaker, Kohler Bold Art, Bangalore
2014    Architectural Profile, published in a leading architecture journal

2013    Speaker,“Facades: More than Skin-Deep”, World of Facades, Bangalore
2013    Speaker, “Indian Design”, Raymond’s Design Conference, Mumbai
2013    Gensler Innovation Award, 2-min construction instructional videos.
2012    Gensler Innovation Award, design and deployment of the $1,500 House
2010    Gensler Design Award, HP Executive Briefing Center, Palo Alto, CA
2011    Centennial Towers Project published in Architectural Record
2007    Furniture Design published: “ApartmentTherapy.com”, Ikeahacker.com
1999    Design: Rolling Hills Prep School published in Los Angeles Times.
1997    Outstanding Achievement award, Black & Veatch Architects.
1999    Design of Sheraton Hotel, Kansas City published in Kansas City Star.
1995    First Prize “Project Minuteman”, AIAS, published in AIAS Journal
1993    Vice Chancellor’s Gold Medal for undergraduate design thesis.
1992    Founder/Director “The Concern”, a student organization documenting and conserving the architectural heritage of Hyderabad, India.
1992    Designer of the Year, Indian Institute of Architects, National Association of Students of Architecture convention, Mumbai.
1991    First Prize, sketching, National Association of Students of Architecture Winner of over 36 painting, sketching and sculpture competition

List of Projects

Commercial Office Building

George P. Johnson Office/Studio, Los Angeles, California
Beijing Finance Street, Beijing, China
Jinmen Jinta Tower, Tianjin, China
25 Acre SEZ, Mantri Agara, Bangalore, India
Coleman Highline Technology Campus, San Jose, CA
Centennial Towers, South San Francisco, California
Hewlett-Packard, Executive Briefing Center, Palo Alto, CA
Sunrider International World Headquarters, Los Angeles, California
Abu Dhabi National Oil & Gas Company, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E
Cedar Creek Office Park, Lawrence, Kansas
North Park Central, Office Tower, Dallas, Texas
NOAA Admin & Research Center, Dulles Airport, Sterling, Virginia
Suzhou Zhongnan Center, Suzhou, China
BM Plaza Mixed-Use Devleopment, Shanghai, China
Digital Realty Data Center Prototypes, Various Locations, USA
The Tower at PNC Plaza, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
WORP 99, KIADB, Devannahalli, Bangalore
WORP Downtown, Devannahalli, Bangalore
WORP 44, KIADB, Devannahalli, Bangalore
WORP 81, KIADB, Devannahalli, Bangalore


Residential

UCSF Student Housing, Mission Bay, San Francisco, California
Treasure Island Housing, Treasure Island, California
VillaScapes West Luxury Villas, Hyderabad, India
Worldhaus, $ 1,500 House, Various Locations, India
Suzhou Zhongnan Center, Suzhou, China The Audrey Residence, Hercules, California
The Boloyan Residence, El Cerrito, California The Rai Residence, Fremont, California
The Huang Residence, Hercules, California
The Ganti Residence, San Mateo, Californai
The Snake Road Residence, Oakland, California
The Desai Residence, Cupertino, California
The Khan Residence, Fremont, California
The Nigam Residence, Fremont, California
The Doshi Residence, Cupertino, California
Maithri Serviced Apartments


Civic Buildings

North Peninsula Jewish Community Center, Foster City, California
Rohnert Park City Hall, Rohnert Park, California
San Ramon Civic Center, San Ramon, CA
Hindu Vedic Monastery Temple & Meditation Center, Bangalore
Hindu Vedic Monastery Temple & Meditation Center, Los Angeles


Hindu Vedic Monastery Temple & Meditation Center, San Jose
Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park, Kansas Redondo Beach Marina, Redondo Beach, California Madrona Marsh Nature Center, Los Angeles, California

Work Place

Accenture India Learning Center, Bangalore, India
Coca Cola Asia Headquarteres, Gurgaon, India
NetApp India Headquarters, Bangalore, India
Novartis Global Center, Hyderabad, India
Jinmen Jinta Tower, Tianjin, China
Sunrider International World Headquarters, Los Angeles, California
Abu Dhabi National Oil & Gas Company, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E

Hospitality

ITC Yamuna, Noida, India
Westin Hotel, San Francisco, USA
Hyatt Hotel, Mantri Agara, Bangalore, India
Boca Raton Convention Center & Hotel, Boca Raton, Florida
Cedar Creek Golf Resort, Lawrence, Kansas
Suzhou Zhongnan Center, Suzhou, China
BM Plaza Mixed-Use Devleopment, Shanghai, China
Tomo’s Spa, Alameda, CA
Jinmen Jinta Tower, Tianjin, China
Padma Yoga Studio, San Francisco, California
Sheraton Four Points, Mission, Kansas
Sheraton Hotel, Kansas City, Kansas

Retail & Mixed Use Projects

Suzhou Zhongnan Center, Suzhou, China
BM Plaza Mixed-Use Devleopment, Shanghai, China
Mantri Agara 70-acre Mixed-Use Project, Bangalore, India
Trade-Show booth for Haiku Bags, Oakland.
Tomo’s Spa, Alameda, CA
Beijing Finance Street, Beijing, China
Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel
Denver Downtown Chiller Plant & Retail Building, Denver, Colorado
Redondo Beach Marina, Redondo Beach, California
Padma Yoga Studio, San Francisco, California
Bogenini 551, AECS Layout, Bangalore
Boutique Black, VR Mall, Bangalore
Bogenini Black, Whitefield, Bangalore

Entertainment

Usha Kiron Gardens Theme Park, Hyderabad, India
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida

Airports

Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel

Education

Rolling Hills Preparatory School, Palos Verdes, California
Michigan State University, Engineering Building, Michigan
Shanghai Advanced Research Center, Shanghai, China
Ravenwood Public School, Shawnee, Kansas


Masterplanning & Urban Design

Redondo Beach Marina, Redondo Beach, California
3M Master Plan and Offi ce Building, Columbia, Missouri
North Park Central, Offi ce Tower, Dallas, Texas
Mantri Agara 70-acre Mixed-Use Project, Bangalore, India
Shanghai Advanced Research Center, Shanghai, China
UCSF Student Housing, Mission Bay, San Francisco, California
Treasure Island Master Plan, Treasure Island, California
Suzhou Zhongnan Center, Suzhou, China
San Ramon Civic Center Master Plan, San Ramon, CA
Beijing Finance Street, Beijing, China
Coleman Highline Technology Campus, San Jose, CA
BM Plaza Mixed-Use Devleopment, Shanghai, China


Tall Buildings

Jinmen Jinta Tower, Tianjin, China
Suzhou Zhongnan Center, Suzhou, China
The Tower at PNC Plaza, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Centennial Towers, South San Francisco, California
UCSF Student Housing, Mission Bay, San Francisco, California
Beijing Finance Street, Beijing, China

Product Design

Trade-Show booth for Haiku Bags, Oakland.
Bicycle Shelter, Champaign, Illinois Green Business Association
“PostModern” Mailbox design and prototype for manufacturing
DC Series Lounge Chair, Sofa and Daybed
Trade-Show booth for Haiku Bags, Oakland


Branding

The Human Element
“PostModern”
Studio Chintala