The principle partners, Dipal Kothari and Atrey Chhaya set up the practice in 2008.
Since then, they have been involved in various prestigious projects in India including Monument Conservation, Tourism and Infrastructure development projects at UNESCO World Heritage Sites at Ajanta and Ellora Caves. They were the Consulting Architects to Mumbai based Chhaya and Chhaya Design Consultants for the Exhibition Design Ajanta Visitor Center and Ellora Visitor Center that was opened to public in 2015. They were also the consulting architects for the Aurangabad International Airport.
Their works been recognised and featured in Indian and International Seminars, Exhibitions and Publications including Domus India and Indian Architect and Builder. The practice has been featured in the Architecture Association School of Architecture’s Publication “DRL Ten” in 2010.
Their project “Honey Bees: The Language Club”, a learning space for children, was awarded a Commendation Prize for the Institution Category at the recently concluded NDTV Design and Architecture Awards 2016. The practice were recognised in the iGen 2017 List by the Architects and Interiors India Publication as 50 Architects under 40 that would shape the future of the profession.
They were the runners-up in the National Competition for Barefoot School of Craft at Panjim, Goa and the project titled “The Crafted Shell” was exhibited at the recently concluded Serendipity Festival in December 2017.
Currently the practice is involved in various public and private projects from preserving ecologically sensitive waterfronts in rural Maharashtra to Institutes and various Private Residences.
Both partners firmly believe in enriching their practice with constant interaction with students and academics through studios, workshops, lectures and reviews. They are associated with Schools of Architecture and Design in India, Sri Lanka and Spain.
Dipal Kothari is a founding partner at Design Urban Office Architects. She studied at the undergraduate program at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture, Mumbai and received his Masters in Architecture at the The Bartlett, University College London, UK in 2003.
She worked with Pritzker Prize winning London based Zaha Hadid Architects in 2004 on projects including Smirgon Viterbi Residence in California, Olabaega masterplan in Bilbao Spain, won the competition for the Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion in Spain.
She returned to Mumbai and co-founded Design Urban Office Architects with Atrey Chhaya in 2008.
She has taught at KRVIA, Mumbai and is an Assistant Professor at Balwant Sheth School of Architecture (BSSA) NMIMS Mumbai since its inception in 2007. She heads the Design reserch Publication Cell at BSSA since 2012.
At BSSA, she has curated exhibitions, and co-authored and edited compilations and publications over the years including the “Urban Flux in Mumbai” exhibited at the UN Habitat Symposium at Barcelona, Spain in 2013 and BSSA Publications include “Divatia in Haveli” and “Suburban Sprawls” in 2016.
Atrey Chhaya is a founding partner at Design Urban Office Architects.
He studied at the undergraduate program at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture, Mumbai and received his Masters in Architecture and Urbanism at the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AADRL), London in 2004.
He went on to work with Pritzker Prize winning London based Zaha Hadid Architects in 2004 on a host of projects ranging from the Olabeaga Master Plans in Bilbao, won the competition for the Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion in Spain and various residences in New York, Mediatheque at Pau France and Moscow.
Upon his return to Mumbai, he set up Design Urban Office Architects with Dipal Kothari in 2008.
He is an Assistant Professor at Balwant Sheth School of Architecture (BSSA) NMIMS Mumbai since 2010.