Sandhya Naidu Janardhan wins the $100,000 Berkeley Rupp Prize

The Berkeley Rupp Prize has been awarded to Sandhya Naidu Janardhan, the Mumbai-based architect and founder of Community Design Agency (CDA). Janardhan has garnered praise for her democratizing work bringing important design ideas to marginalized communities. She has been involved in several important slum redevelopment projects and was particularly noted for her wide-ranging portfolio, which includes the Govandi Arts Festival and Niramay Place.

“A recognition of this nature for a practice from the Global South brings to light the significance and foundational role of the built environment, which is often overlooked in creating equitable communities. This will no doubt have a catalyzing effect on our work and impact,” her public statement reads. 

She is the sixth winner of the award founded by Class of 1966 graduate Sigrid Lorenzen Rupp. Janardhan will now teach a seminar on inclusive design during the Fall 2024 semester at the University of California at Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design and will deliver the Berkeley Rupp Prize Lecture on November 13th as part of the CED’s Fall lecture series.