10 Inspiring Sustainable Architecture Firms in India (2022)

Among the sustainable architecture firms in India, the ones worth exploring for career opportunities are those that have a strong sense of architectural contextualisation and social responsibility, and do not refrain from adopting new technology with the excuse of ‘going back to the roots’.

Here’s our curated list of 10 sustainable architecture firms in India. Go on and have a read!

1. Biome Environmental Solutions

Founder: Chitra Vishwanath & Rainwater Club

Location: Bengaluru

This is the first name that pops into our minds when thinking about sustainable architecture firms in India. Biome Environmental Solutions was established in 2008 after a merger between the popular firms Chitra Vishwanath Architects and Rainwater Club, with the aim of combining their expertise and forging ecologically sound solutions while meeting their clients’ interests.

The two firms are also at the forefront of spreading awareness about sustainable design practices in India through the Biome Environmental Trust, which facilitates their participation in many non-profit projects. Biome Environmental Solutions welcomes students, graduates and professionals who show a keenness towards sustainability and an eagerness to learn.

Biome is one of the most successful architecture firms in India founded by a woman. Wish to know about more female-led firms? Read our blog - Boss Women: Get Inspired By These 10 Celebrated Female Designers in India.

2. Made in Earth

Founder: Shruthi Ramakrishna, Ajinkya Unhale, Jeremie Gaudin and Agnimitra Bachi

Location: Bengaluru

The founders of this firm pursued various academic and professional paths before coming together to found Made in Earth, which has now grown to become a sustainable architecture firm that is on every young architect’s radar. The firm’s love for Mother Earth defines their design philosophy, which brings the built environment, nature, and people together through the sensitive use of sustainable building materials, mainly clay and lime.

Their project portfolio comprises beautiful residences, college campuses, restaurants and offices spread across southern India. If you wish to work in a team of young innovators who share the same passion as you for the environment, this is the place for you!

3. Ashok B. Lall Architects

Founder: Ashok B. Lall

Location: New Delhi

Built on the foundation of environmentally ethical architectural practices, Ashok B. Lall Architects is one of the most well-known sustainable architecture firms in India. They believe that the architecture of today must address social inequity and environmental impact. Their design process is highly inclusive, with clients, consultants, and user groups being equal stakeholders in decision-making. However, preference is always given to design strategies and technologies that are in favour of sustainability and energy conservation. This is also what makes it one of the few architecture firms in India leading the way for BIM (Building Information Modelling) technology.

The firm has received several accolades for its socially responsible approach and outcomes. The founder, Ashok B. Lall, has also been engaging in teaching, building curricula and developing teaching methodologies in architecture schools.

Want to know how you can build a career in sustainable architecture? Watch this video!

4. Masons Ink

Founder: Rosie Paul, Sridevi Changali

Location: Bengaluru

Yet another female-led architecture firm, Masons Ink Studio in Bangalore specialises in sustainability, heritage conservation and social architecture. Rosie Paul and Sridevi Changali started this design studio with the philosophy of the ‘three H’s’ – hands, heart and humans – and centre all their projects around it. Their aim is to make sustainable design accessible to all and reach zero-carbon footprint in their projects through research and development.

As their name suggests, masons and every other individual involved in shaping the built form are earnestly valued at this firm. Their projects consist mainly of residences and cultural spaces, making it a perfect place to work and gain experience for anyone interested in sustainable residential design.

5. Morphogenesis

Founder: Sonali and Manit Rastogi

Location: New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru

Morphogenesis needs no introduction!

This award-winning architecture company in India, with offices in the nation’s three busiest cities, presents itself in all the lists related to architecture firms in India. They have a unique, copyrighted design process, ‘SOUL’, which aims at making spaces sustainable, optimised, unique and livable.

Interesting fact: Morphogenesis is the only architecture firm on the WA100 list to have successfully closed the gender pay gap! They are also one of the top firms in India leading the way for BIM technology. This only goes to show how invested the firm is in both ethical practices and innovation, which makes it ideal for an architecture internship in India!

[Want to know which other firms are great for an architecture internship? Check out - 15 Architecture Firms for an Internship in India]

6. Zero Energy Design Lab

Founder: Sachin Rastogi

Location: New Delhi

Net-zero building design is the primary goal of Zero Energy Design Lab. This sustainable architecture firm has won several awards for its efforts in creating energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.

This firm is perfect for anyone who wishes to build a

Curious to read more interesting design philosophies by world-renowned architects? Read - Decoding Design Philosophies: How Do These Famous Architects Think?

7. Footprints E.A.R.T.H

Founder: Yatin Pandya

Location: Ahmedabad

Footprints E.A.R.T.H is a pioneering sustainable architecture firm in India built on the design philosophy of the famous green architect Yatin Pandya, who has also authored insightful books on cultural architecture such as Concepts of Space in Traditional Indian Architecture. The firm deeply values socio-cultural appropriateness and critical regionalism. With sustainability at the core, their projects range from city planning, urban design, and mass housing, to architectural conservation.

At Footprints E.A.R.T.H main source of inspiration for sustainable solutions stems from the rich history of Indian vernacular architecture, which has been tried and tested and offers a strong foundation to build over.

8. Mosaic Design

Founder: Dean D’cruz

Location: Goa

One of the most popular architecture firms in Goa, Mosaic Design is a product and architectural design firm encouraging sustainable practices in both its verticals. A recipient of multiple awards for climate-responsive architecture and environmental initiatives, the firm specialises in boutique hotels and large-scale resorts as tourism is one of the biggest industries in the region.

The founder, Dean D’cruz authored the popular book Houses of Goa and often works with architecture schools in India to set curriculums for teaching environmental and social issues. Well, if you decide to work here, you’ll find that Goa has more to offer than just its beautiful beaches!

9. Stapati

Founder: Tony Joseph

Location: Calicut, Kochi, Bengaluru

An architecture practice established by Tony Joseph, Stapati has managed to set up successful offices operating in Bangalore, Kochi and Calicut. As a multidisciplinary sustainable architecture firm, it places deep emphasis on innovation, sensitive understanding of the context, and regional building techniques enhanced with modern solutions. Boasting an extremely diverse project portfolio ranging from master planning to interior design projects, it is perfect for those who wish to experience and understand regionalism in modern architecture.

Over the years, Stapati has managed to build a reputation for its unique and innovative hospitality projects, making it a perfect place for someone who wants to explore eco-friendly, regional hospitality architecture.

10. Auroma Group

Founder: Trupti Doshi & Viral Doshi

Location: Pondicherry

Founded by a brother-sister duo, Auroma Group consists of an award-winning team of international experts. Their design philosophy is built on five pillars – people, planet, prosperity, place and progress. Sustainability engineers, furniture designers, and eco-sensitive architects work together to bring the projects to fruition. Their portfolio includes eco-villages, luxury resorts, private residences, and educational institutions.

With climate action being the need of the hour, these firms are working hard to push for sustainable practices and setting an example for the rest of us architects to follow.

Sustainable architecture as a skill (and as a popular architecture trend) is also growing in demand as more and more firms are opting to hire or consult with trained sustainability experts for their projects. This means you have high scope for building a career in this interdisciplinary field.

So, if you have already decided to embark on this path, good for you! And if you haven’t, that’s okay too. You can still play your part in bettering the built environment indirectly by specialising in lateral skills like computational design or BIM (Building Information Modelling), which aid the development of sustainable building design.

For more insights on architecture careers and industry trends, head to our Resources. Wish to upskill? Check out various industry-relevant courses and upskill with Novatr!