I am a multidisciplinary designer working across architecture, interiors, landscape, and urbanism, using design as a tool to connect people, ecology, and place.
Trained as an architect with an M.S. in Architecture and Urbanism from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a B.Arch from KRVIA, Mumbai, my practice brings together technical precision, material sensitivity, and an understanding of context at multiple scales.
Over the past decade, I have worked on projects ranging from residences and interiors to urban masterplans and ecological restorations, integrating insights from each discipline into the other. My approach combines craft and modern technology, grounding design in natural materials, light, and proportion — to create spaces that are functional, timeless, and emotionally resonant.
I see design as a collaborative process that bridges vision with lived experience — aligning the needs of clients, communities, and environments.
I am also the Founder of Jaldhaara, a collective dedicated to restoring and reimagining India’s waterscapes through research, education, storytelling, and on-ground ecological action.
Awards & Recognitions
Julian Beinart Research Award, MIT
For research exploring cultural, ecological, and spatial relationships with water.
For research exploring cultural, ecological, and spatial relationships with water.
Priscilla King Gray IDEAS Social Innovation Award, MIT
For filmmaking on water systems in Pune, India.
For filmmaking on water systems in Pune, India.
Graduate Merit Scholarship, MIT
Sandbox Fellowship, MIT
K.C. Mahindra Scholarship for Higher Education
RICS – Square Foot House Design Competition
First position for affordable home design.
First position for affordable home design.
NSDC, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
First position for informal housing redevelopment.
First position for informal housing redevelopment.
International Association for Humane Habitat (IAHH)
Second position for informal housing redevelopment.
Second position for informal housing redevelopment.
INTACH – Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
Commendation award for heritage documentation.
Commendation award for heritage documentation.
Publications & Media
Jagtap, Ahuja & Lal (2025). Jalandhar’s Water Bodies: Restoration & Stewardship.
World Resources Institute India.
Read here →
World Resources Institute India.
Read here →
Jagtap, P. (2023). Humanizing Urban Waters: Civilian-led Water Corps to Strengthen Decentralized Water Systems in Western India.
Master’s Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
View →
Master’s Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
View →
Jagtap, P. (2021). Urban Theatre – Architecture of Future Collectives.
Published in Unbuilt 2.0, featuring emerging design practitioners in India.
Published in Unbuilt 2.0, featuring emerging design practitioners in India.
Jagtap & Thole, P. (2020). Epidemiology and Urbanism: Mumbai.
City Observer, Volume 6, Issue 2.
City Observer, Volume 6, Issue 2.
Jagtap, P. (2018). Confronting Informality Symposium and Ideas Competition.
Published by TU Delft, Netherlands.
Published by TU Delft, Netherlands.
Jagtap, P. (2017). People Called Ahmedabad.
Random House India. Co-authored collection of stories on Ahmedabad.
Random House India. Co-authored collection of stories on Ahmedabad.