Krithika Sridharan

Bringing together training in architecture and planning with doctoral research in climate change, Krithika’s academic work is grounded in an interdisciplinary understanding of the built environment. She brings considerable experience in undergraduate architectural education, with teaching spanning architectural design, climatology, vernacular architecture, history of architecture, drawing and graphics, human settlements, town planning, and thesis-oriented work.

Her professional experience beyond academia includes work in urban governance, real estate advisory, and strategic consulting, contributing to a broader understanding of the institutional, economic, and social dimensions of the built environment.

Her research is grounded in an interdisciplinary approach that combines field documentation, climatic and environmental assessment, socio-spatial inquiry, and stakeholder perspectives. Her current work investigates climate responsiveness and socio-technical transitions in vernacular-built environments, examining how materials, spatial practices, environmental knowledge, and technologies evolve as social and environmental contexts change.

• From 09-2021 – Ongoing: Ph.D., Department of Climate Change, IIT Hyderabad, India
  Dissertation/Thesis Title: Climate Responsiveness and Socio-Technical Transitions in Vernacular Built Environments: Evidence from Hyderabad
  Supervisor: Dr. Aalok Khandekar, Dr. Anant Maringanti
• From 07-2008 – To 07-2010: Master of City Planning , Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, IIT Kharagpur, India
  Dissertation/Thesis Title: Planning for Bishnupur, West Bengal as a World Heritage Site
  Supervisor: Dr. Sanghamitra Basu
• From 2003 – To 2008: Bachelor of Architecture , Department of Architecture, Town and Regional Planning, IIEST Shibpur, India
  Dissertation/Thesis Title: Design for Tourist Village Malgudi, Mysore
  Supervisor: Dr. Subrata Kumar Paul

• Sridharan K, Khandekar AD, Maringanti A (2026;), “Transitions in vernacular built-environments: socio-technical perspectives on climate-responsive sustainability in Hyderabad, India“. Open House International, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-04-2026-0148
• Sridharan, K., Khandekar, A. (2025). Climate Responsiveness and Built Heritage of Hyderabad City. In: Chakrabarti, A., Singh, V., Onkar, P.S., Shahid, M. (eds) Responsible and Resilient Design for Society, Volume 8. ICoRD 2025. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-7316-2_5
• Krithika Sridharan, A. S. (2023). Cultural Heritage Conservation Through the Framework of UNSDG. In A. C. (eds.), Design in the Era of Industry 4.0, Volume 2 (pp. 1129 – 1145). Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-0264-4_89
• Krithika Sridharan, D. S. (2023). Climate Change Impacts on the Built Heritage of Hyderabad. In A. C. (eds.), ICORD 2023: Design in the Era of Industry 4.0, Volume 2 (pp. 1087 – 1101). Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-0264-4_92
• Krithika Sridharan, T. P. (2023). The Architecture of the Ao Nagas: Culturally Deep-Rooted to Venerate and Conserve the Local Biodiversity. In A. C. (eds.), Design in the Era of Industry 4.0, Volume 2 (pp. 1115 – 1127). Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-0264-4_91
• Sridharan, K., & Khandekar, A. (2026). Bricks and stones breathe, Hyderabad is forgetting this. Question of Cities. September 18, 2026. https://questionofcities.org/bricks-and-stones-breathe-hyderabad-is-forgetting-this/

• From (09-2021): Research Scholar, Department of Climate Change, IIT Hyderabad (Ongoing)
• From (07-2019) – To (09-2021): Associate Professor, Vaishnavi School of Architecture and Planning, Hyderabad
• From (06-2015) – To (06-2019): Associate Professor, Aurora’s Design Academy, Hyderabad
• From (09-2014) – To (05-2015): Consultant, Sarv HR Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad
• From (08-2013) – To (09-2014): Lecturer, JBR Architecture College, Hyderabad
• From (10-2012) – To (07-2013): Senior Associate, Strategic Consulting Group, CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd.
• From (11-2011) – To (10-2012): Consultant, Transaction Advisory Services, Ernst & Young Pvt. Ltd.
• From (07-2010) – To (10-2011): Senior Research Associate, Centre of Excellence in Urban Governance, Administrative Staff College of India

Krithika’s research explores the relationship between climate, culture, and the built environment, with a particular focus on vernacular built environments and their transitions over time. It investigates how material systems, spatial practices, environmental knowledge, technological adaptations, and stakeholder perspectives shape climate responsiveness and sustainability. Her work brings together field documentation, climatic analysis, environmental assessment, stakeholder interviews, and socio-technical perspectives to understand how vernacular systems evolve in response to changing social, technological, and environmental conditions.

• Climate-responsive built environments
• Vernacular architecture and environmental knowledge
• Socio-technical transitions and sustainability
• Built heritage, climate adaptation and resilience
• Sustainable built environments
• Climate-responsive architectural design