Studio
Collaborative Architecture is a verb
Architecture, for us, is a medium to investigate Speculative Futures at the intersection of design innovation, sustainability and social responsibility.
Lalita Tharani · Mujib Ahmed · Principals
Collaborative Architecture is an internationally award-winning studio led by Lalita Tharani and Mujib Ahmed, headquartered in Mumbai, India, with a satellite studio in Riyadh, KSA. The studio approaches each project as an opportunity for inquiry—bringing together clients, researchers, specialists, makers and multidisciplinary collaborators to challenge assumptions and discover new possibilities.
Our work is grounded in the belief that architecture emerges from the convergence of people, culture, technology, economics and ecology. We look beyond predetermined formal outcomes to investigate the forces that shape each project: its physical and cultural context, patterns of use, material systems, environmental conditions and long-term purpose. This process enables us to develop context-specific responses that reconcile spatial quality, functional performance, environmental responsibility and economic viability.
Architecture is a collaborative act of discovery
Our collective approach draws on diverse perspectives and international expertise, allowing us to navigate complexity through shared knowledge and critical exchange. Working closely with clients and consultants, we integrate conceptual thinking with technical resolution, connecting design intent to the realities of fabrication, construction, occupation and use.
We see architecture as an evolving dialogue between time, place and human experience. Its value lies not only in its immediate experience but also in its capacity to adapt to changing needs, resources, technologies and social conditions. From material research and prototyping to environmental performance and the long-term life of a building, we consider the consequences of design decisions across the project life cycle.
Across Architecture, Interior Architecture, Urban and Infrastructure Design, Exhibition Design and Research-led Experimentation, we seek to create places that are purposeful, resilient and capable of sustaining their relevance over time.
Total Design
From human insight to spatial intelligence →Key facts
- Founded
- 2004, in Mumbai
- Principals
- Lalita Tharani and Mujib Ahmed, co-founders
- Studios
- Mumbai Studio | Mumbai, India
Riyadh Studio | Riyadh, KSA - Disciplines
- Architecture, interior architecture, urban design and infrastructure, narrative environments and installations, products and objects, design and behavioral mapping
- Recognition
- 60 awards, honors and international shortlists, 30 of them international
- Exhibitions
- Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York; Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco; The National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai
- Research
- Collaborative Lab: design research, policy advocacy, epistemologies and architectural cartographies
- Contact
- For new projects and collaborations: enquiry@collaborativearchitecture.com
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Lalita Tharani
Co-founder and Principal
Lalita Tharani’s work focuses on how people perceive and use space, on materials and on the adoption of new technology, and she leads material research and technology at Collaborative Lab. She brought the studio’s Black-Box Series of experimental installations to life with Levitation, shown at the DX Show in New Delhi in 2019. Lalita is an advocate for women’s leadership and diversity in architecture. She received the WADe Role Model Award and the AIS Keystone Award in 2016, and she has served on juries and spoken at design events in India and abroad.
“Design is a stroll along the road whose designated destination is failure. Good design happens when you either ditch the road or the destination.”
Lalita Tharani
Mujib Ahmed
Co-founder and Principal
Mujib Ahmed brings conceptual depth to the studio’s major projects and competitions and leads complex, multidisciplinary teams across countries. He leads academic research at Collaborative Lab and, with Lalita Tharani and colleagues, contributed to the Design Policy for the State of Kerala, the first such policy adopted by an Indian state. Mujib writes The Collaborative Logs, a monthly newsletter on architecture, research and speculative futures.
“Architecture connects people. Good architecture transcends and connects cultures.”
Mujib Ahmed
Design and Behavioral Mapping
Before design begins, we map the patterns of human behavior that shape space. Through organizational mapping, workshops and spatial audits, we translate how people work, interact, move and rest into a human-centric brief that informs every design decision.
Design and Behavioral Mapping →Collaborators
Each project is shaped with an international team. Partners on recent work include:
Careers
We seek architects, designers, building specialists and researchers driven by curiosity, critical inquiry and interdisciplinary exchange. To join us, select “Career” in the contact form and submit a portfolio (maximum 10 MB), accompanied by a brief note on the project you are most proud of along with your design response to the Design-Snippet challenge.
Apply through the contact form →Or mail your work to studio@collaborativearchitecture.com