© 2019, Oracleslandscape.in
True to the genesis of its name, Oracles constitutes outstanding professionals associated with the field of landscape architecture, geared towards providing site planning, landscape design and construction administration services.
…has by far been the supreme inspiration in the conception of designed environment. An ode to this reality forms the basis of our philosophy. Our work strives to integrate the physical, cultural and spiritual flow of thoughts and processes associated with open spaces and built form.
Each site bears testimony to the physical, biological and cultural history as layers that define its identity, waiting to be discerned. Our strongest concern lies in evolving a unique design vocabulary that is highly responsive to the context.
“What is important is to keep our mind high in the world of true understanding, and returning to the world of daily experience to seek therein the truth of beauty. No matter what we may be doing at a given moment, we must not forget that it has a bearing upon our everlasting self, which is poetry.”
ASHWANI DATTA
ASSOCIATE
Ashwani did his undergraduate studies in Architecture from the Centre of Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad in 1986. He went on to pursue his masters in Architectural Design from the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA. He has been the recipient of University of Arizona Foundation award for outstanding teaching student and was awarded the prestigious scholarship for the Architectural design summer program at the Boston Architecture Centre conducted by the internationally acclaimed Kevin Rosch. Before returning to India, Ashwani has worked at internationally renowned offices of Raffial Vinolli and VSP Associates, New York. His competition entry for the West Coast Gateway Project was exhibited at the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art in 1988.
He teaches at the School of Planning and architecture as a visiting professor at the Department of Architecture and leads design studios as a key member. His vast experience with design management, construction processes, materials, technology and resourcefulness are his key competence and responsibility as a part of Oracles.
ANUJ KATHURIA
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL | PARTNER
Anuj graduated as an architect from Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon in 2008, following which his interest in the natural environment and site planning took him to explore the realm of landscape. He holds masters in Landscape Architecture from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad.
His research work titled ‘Role of anthropogenic processes in evolving Landscape’ was aimed at understanding the relationship between cultural and the natural resources through time. A sensitive designer, his academic work was exhibited at the Hobart International Waterfront Design Competition at Australia in 2006.
As a partner at Oracles, he brings in sensitive and creative design skills coupled with a keen understanding of urban landscape, environmental issues, ecological reclamation and landscape construction practices. As a key design leader, he contributes towards conceptual ideation and documentation for projects. He controls design quality as well as adherence of the design intent through meticulous construction documentation, coordination and periodic site assessment.
HARBIR SINGH
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Harbir, a 1993 graduate from School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi completed his graduate studies in Landscape Architecture from the same institute. He served as a research fellow at CEEST, University of Massachusetts, USA, looking at environmental geo-technology issues with a globally sustainable development perspective. Harbir’s key competence lies in Landscape design coordination, site engineering and project management.
He takes up visiting faculty assignments at School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi at the Department of Landscape Architecture. His lectures deal with ‘Professional Practice’ and ‘Advanced Landscape Engineering’, followed up with engineering and design studios.
PRINCIPAL | PARTNER
Sandip holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture New Delhi, graduating in 1992. At post graduate level, he received the prestigious India Scholarship from the University of Oxford, UK for the Masters in Science program in Sustainable Urban Development. He is also a post graduate associate at the ‘Future of Cities’ program of the Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, University of Oxford and a member of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN).
At Oxford, Sandip’s key research interests were exploring the theory and idea of urban sustainability, and its intersections with the politics and architecture of urban production. These concerns were also central to his dissertation on understanding ‘densification’ as a strategy of urban sustainability and its influence on design and planning interventions in Delhi. At his under graduate studies, Sandip excelled academically with the best dissertation in class and his studio design project being exhibited at the Venice Biennale, Italy 1990. Sandip received a ‘special mention’ in the ‘Young Architects Award’ by the ‘Indian Architect and Builder’, in the year 2000. He, along with Suneet Mohindru were invited to present their work and thoughts at the prestigious DesignXDesign expose’ talks, organized by the Alliance Francais de Delhi, New Delhi in 2014. A design project led by him was also nominated for the NDTV Design and Architecture Award, 2015.
He is a visiting Professor at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, his alma mater, where he has now been teaching for the last several years. Apart from his role as a tutor and a mentor in the design studio, he has guided several student dissertations and seminars. .
With his leadership quality, vast array of experience, applied knowledge and professional expertise, Sandip has led prestigious residential, hospitality, institutional, commercial and industrial projects. His key competence lies in context assessment, urban design, master plans and architecture design.
FOUNDER PRINCIPAL | PARTNER
Suneet Mohindru, practicing architect and landscape designer, founded ‘Oracles’.
The consultancy practice focusses on landscape design, planning and conservation with a view to bring to the fore intense theoretical background and passionate rigor.
Its foundations lie in its vision as an organization that would not only serve its patrons to deliver highest standards of professional work but also provide a fertile ground to foster young, aspiring individuals to develop and contribute collectively to the profession.
Having graduated in architecture from ‘School of Planning and Architecture’, New Delhi, in 1995, Suneet completed his Masters in Landscape Architecture from the same institute, bagging proficiency awards and gold medals for academic excellence for both the courses. These included the Narendra Juneja gold medal for the best final year thesis in Landscape as well as SPA gold medal for highest rank as an aggregate over the entire course. He also bagged the CM Master Memorial award for the best student in Architecture along with a general proficiency prize for ranking first in the five-year course duration. He received a merit award at the International Students competition organized by the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) at their 33rd World Congress in Italy for 21st Century Riparian Gardens. His pioneering research into site planning methodologies in the Himalayas and a critical, hands-on primary appraisal of post-earthquake construction in disaster-hit Uttarkashi town was picked up for further study by the Center for Advanced Studies in Architecture (CASA) at SPA, New Delhi with him being a key team member.
A fellowship from the Charles Wallace Trust took him to ‘De Montfort University’ in the UK for furthering his theoretical backing and practical experience in conservation of historical landscape precincts. He has pursued this as an academic interest and developed a detailed framework for documenting cultural sites and their settings. This research was published after a paper presentation at the XIII ICOMOS General Assembly in Madrid, Spain. His work on landscape conservation and heritage tourism in the historical town of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh was taken up by Indian National Trust for Architectural and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for listing of open spaces and landscape character zones around monuments and natural settings in the fort-city. He was also a key member (as the Landscape consultant) for the International Design consortium that won the 1st prize in the two stage International design competition for the North South University, Dhaka.
His work and interests have seen him travel though the globe and acquire extensive exposure while also establishing strong collaborative bonds with leading international practices. He has constantly endeavored to use his consultancy practice to polish his own skills and engage in innovating responsive and responsible design ideas towards creating stimulating living and working environments. His key competence lies in developing landscape master-plans, open-space structure planning, landscape-urban interface, site planning and landscape design, context assessment, landscape history and theory, and landscape construction technologies.
Academics are Suneet’s strong parallel pursuit. He is appointed as Visiting Professor at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and Senior Advisor and Visiting Professor at the Landscape Department at PVP College of Architecture, Pune. He regularly engages himself with special courses, electives and as a jury member in various other institutes. Cultural Landscape, open spaces associated with learning environments and Hill Architecture have been his key research areas. Apart from being an active member in the studio design teams, he runs lectures on ‘Landscape Theory and History’ for graduate students at the Department of Landscape Architecture. He also leads studios and lectures for ‘Site planning’ at the Department of Urban Design.