Salil Ranadivé (b 1963) lives and works in Mumbai, India.
His father Sharad Ranadivé, was partner at Gregson, Batley & King - amongst (then) Bombay’s most engaged, rigorous and best established architectural firms of its time - so his exposure to, and encounter with architecture began early.
On completing his schooling in Bombay, he enrolled at the School of Architecture CEPT in Ahmedabad in 1981. Here he flourished under the teaching of Prof. BV Doshi, Anant Raje, Leo Periera, Prof. Karula Varkey, and Prof. RJ Vasavada - and won an Exchange Scholarship to study at the ETH in Zurich in 1985-86. Here he studied under Prof. Dolf Schnebli and Ruggero Tropeano, and later stayed back to apprentice at the studio of Lüscher + Micheal Architekten. On his return to Ahmedabad he completed his dissertation on the Colonial Architecture of Bombay 1860 - 1890 called :‘An Era Of Change’- which was subsequently published by CEPT in 1990.
From the outset his work has focused upon ways of approaching fundamental problems of space, proportioning, light, and materiality - rather than on developing any set of stylistic mannerisms. Investigations of Context - referencing its history, climate and social fabric, along with Contemporary Regionalism remains a continued thrust in every project.
Soon after graduation, his very first commission - the Arressa Art Gallery in Bombay, designed in partnership with Anish Shah, received the Indian Institute of Interior Designer IIID inaugural Award for Public Places.
Subsequent commissions, first done as Partner of Chinai:Shah:Ranadive CSAR, and later also as Design Director at Chinai:Ranadive:Associate Pvt Ltd CRA, earned for him
a growing reputation as a design professional of note through
projects that have spanned a wide range of scales and typologies.
These range from his continued involvement at the now 800 -acre Reliance Greens Township for RIL’s refinery at Jamnagar, to various Schools, Colleges, Learning Centers for Educational Institutions and Foundations, Corporate Campuses and Offices for India’s foremost industrial houses, services & professional organizations, to
Recreation Centers, Clubs & Swimming Pools, Private Homes for clients including Deepu & Shilpin Patel, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Amita & Ajay Chauhan, Vasudhara & Karun Sanghi, Insiya & Sangram Kirloskar, Nadia Chauhan & Raj Kurup, Vandana & Atul Kasbekar
as well as Civic Improvement Initiatives across the city of Mumbai.
Over these past two decades of rigorous practice Salil Ranadivé has accrued extensive experience of working within highly challenging, multi-disciplinary, professional environments of socio-economic and socio-geographic significance - key examples include the Marine Drive Initiative, the Songbirds Development outside Pune, and a Vision Plan for the Jamnagar pan-urban region.
His recently established new firm
SALIL RANADIVÉ ARCHITECTS SR+A
with its staff of 25
has successfully acquired a range of projects
Corporate, Educational, and Residential Housing Campuses
located across western India.
Besides Practice, his engagement with architecture extends to being a member of Design Juries
at various schools of architecture, as well as being actively involved with the FAAA – the alumni association of his alma mater, of which he is the founder-Chairman.
His passions extend to Iyengar Yoga, and Trekking in the Himalayas.
