Hometown: New Delhi, Delhi, India
Previous Degree: School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, Bachelor of Architecture
Role Before Joining MRED+D: Principal Architect, Studio ToolBox
Atul Shekhar is an architect by profession, and he loves everything related to visual design and food. He completed his degree in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, in 2014 and has been practicing architecture for the past seven years. After graduating, he worked as a project architect with Ant Studio, New Delhi, where he looked after multiple design-built projects. Here, with the team, Atul developed 'Cool Ant'- a natural air cooler based on a vernacular evaporative cooling technique that improves the microclimate of hot and dry weather conditions. This project has won the UN Asia Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyles Challenge.
Later, in 2016, Atul founded a multidisciplinary design studio called Studio ToolBox, based out of New Delhi and focusing on developing low-cost housing solutions and community development projects to create economic opportunities. Over the years, he has worked with multiple organizations (government, public communities, NGOs, and private developers), designing multiple mixed-use affordable housing solutions and many other sustainable community development projects of over 4.5 million ft2 built-up areas with an approximate estimated value of $475 million. At the studio, he invests his time heavily in design research to develop sustainable design proposals. Atul is also teaching as an adjunct and visiting faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, and at School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, for the past year.
Atul’s firm belief is that community empowerment projects could tap into impact investing funds that track social outcomes and invest on that basis, alongside the traditional underwriting criteria. He also believes a community can genuinely develop when all the residents’ needs are met, and housing security is the first step in that direction. With CED's MRED+D program, he hopes to build a solid foundational background and further explore his research interests in inclusive project development. The course will help him contribute towards creating sustainable habitats that are sensitive to social and environmental impact.