Rooshad Shroff
Born on September 25, 1981 in Mumbai, India, Rooshad Shroff received his undergraduate degree in Architecture (B.Arch) at Cornell University in 2006, and went on to obtain his Masters from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (M.Arch) in 2011.
At Cornell, he was awarded the Edward Palmer York Memorial Prize for Outstanding Performance in Design in 2003, as well as the Michael Rapuano Memorial Distinction in Design Award in 2006. His graduating thesis was later exhibited in the Emerging Talents division of the Emerging Technologies Exhibit at the Beijing Architecture Biennial in 2006.
While pursuing his master’s degree, Shroff served as teaching assistant to renowned Spanish architect Inaki Abalos. His work at the Graduate School of Design was exhibited at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2010, as well as the Spanish Pavilion Expo 2010 Shanghai China.
Alongside his academic pursuits, Shroff gained work experience at the offices of internationally acclaimed architects OMA/REX in New York City and Zaha Hadid Architects, London; he also interned at Issey Miyake NYC as an undergraduate in 2005.
"The integration of Indian craftsmanship into contemporary design is the cornerstone of my work philosophy. I perceive craft not purely as ornamentation, but as a language, wherein a piece communicates a story, a lineage, a legacy. There also exists an authorship of origin, not necessarily because something looks distinct, but because it can only be made in a particular region, which is dictated by the craft. Luxury, therefore, translates into owning something made exquisitely via age-old techniques and paying homage to the quantum of time; the narrative, origin, and effort behind an object only serve to increase its intrinsic value."
Post his education, Shroff returned to Mumbai in 2011 and moved straight into establishing a private practice, which has quickly become a fixture in the city’s design circles. Since 2013, the firm has been showcasing at several prestigious exhibitions such as India Design and the Raw Collaborative, and undertaken a solo exhibit presented by Mumbai arthouse Pundole’s. Noteworthy projects in recent years include the India In Fashion exhibit held at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Convention Centre alongside Patrick Kinmoth (2023) and completion of the ambitious 100,000-square-foot retail destination-cum-design gallery Nilaya Anthology in Mumbai (2025). Internationally, RS has presented at London Craft Week 2019 and Ambiente 2019, invited to the latter as India’s representative in the Young Talents division by Messe Frankfurt.
