SANDHYA SOOD
accent architecture+design
SAY IT LOUD - CALIFORNIA Exhibitor
California Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Transforming people's lives through good design. Renee Chow and Adele Santos at CED, UC Berkeley inspired an elevated understanding of habitability. Working with Raj Rewal on his vernacular architecture projects in India has been a life-long lesson.
SANDHYA SOOD
Bio:
Sandhya has led an impactful architecture practice in the San Francisco Bay Area for two decades. A UC Berkeley graduate, her multicultural experience in India, Europe and US has contributed to her expertise of blending traditional and modern sustainable design strategies. She has presented at professional conferences and her essays have been published by AIACC, SAH and Docomomo. The Mayor of Berkeley made a proclamation commending her work on the architectural heritage of the city and state.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
As a teen artist I loved drawing buildings and landscapes. Observing concrete being poured in situ during construction became a pivotal experience. Also, being told that as a woman, I should not be on a construction site only spurred me further.
What do you do?
I’m an architect with multidisciplinary perspectives. Research on climate responsive design, historic architecture and the genesis of typology inform my practice. When I shape buildings to align with the shape of the land, I honor place and purpose.
What excites you in the work you do?
The inherent capacity of spaces for adaptability is a tool for sustainable design. Thoughtfully designed spaces can accommodate diverse ways of living and working that can evolve over time, enabling dynamic interactions over an extended lifespan.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Transforming people's lives through good design. Renee Chow and Adele Santos at CED, UC Berkeley inspired an elevated understanding of habitability. Working with Raj Rewal on his vernacular architecture projects in India has been a life-long lesson.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
My rehabilitation work on a 120 year old house received the 2022 Preservation Award by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association as “ outstanding projects that have renewed the life of historic properties and neighborhoods in the City of Berkeley”
Featured Project Name:
Ecological Abode
Featured Project Location:
North India, Himalayan foothills
Featured Project Completion Date:
1998
Role in Featured Project:
Architect, Builder, Landscape &Interior Designer, Fabricator
Featured Project Description:
Inspired from vernacular architecture, the house incorporates low cost indigenous construction methods that use local materials and hand mixed concrete. Innovative 18” thick masonry walls with rammed earth collect, store and distribute passive solar energy to neutralize temperature fluctuations. Collected rain water, double roof, thermal barrier and shaded Verandah are designed to respond to a changing micro-climate. Site topography is conserved amidst a seasonal creek and century old ecology.
