Ankur Choksi
Principal and Co-Founder
Studio Lotus
Studio Lotus is a globally recognized, multi-disciplinary design practice founded in 2002. Spanning the domains of Master Planning, Architecture, and Interior Design, the work of the award-winning practice is grounded on the principles of Conscious Design—an approach that celebrates local resources, cultural influences, an inclusive process, and keen attention to detail.
While overseeing the overall direction for the studio, Ankur is presently streamlining the practice for large-scale Integrated Hospitality and Adaptive Reuse interventions, along with Homes for a select few clients. Deeply invested in the nature of the practice, he works closely with the leadership group to hold the values & culture, the design process, leadership development & training, integration of technology, and strategic organizational structuring. Ankur has studied Visual Communication at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and has extensively worked in the domains of graphic design, exhibition and museum design prior to co-founding Studio Lotus.
Ankur believes in and is excited by the idea of storytelling through the studio’s work. His design approach draws from regional context and culture, and in the integration of the hand-built, to highlight the tactility and grace of local material and artisanal skills. He advocates adaptive reuse of the already-built as a starting point for sustainability in architecture. Some of the Studio’s significant projects which celebrate these ideas include the design for RAAS Hotels—in Jodhpur, Kangra and Lake Chhatrasagar; the Baradari at City Palace; four marquee projects within the Godrej Trees Project in Vikhroli—all adaptive reuse intervention within the legacy of an industrial site, Clubhouse for Antara—a first-of-its-kind senior living community in the city of Dehradun, the Stepped House—a family home in Coonoor developed in absolute synergy with the land it sits on. More recent hotel projects include public spaces for the Taj Theog in Himachal Pradesh and the Taj Guras Kutir in Sikkim, an upcoming jungle resort at Bandhavgarh for the Oberoi group, a boutique 15-key resort at Havelock Islands, and a 50-room hotel in the heart of old Mussoorie.
Keen to share the learnings of the practice Ankur actively engages with academia and the design community. He has served as a visiting faculty member, guest lecturer and juror at institutions such as NID, CEPT Ahmedabad, MSU Baroda, MIT Pune, NIFT Delhi, and other schools. Industry platforms where Ankur has spoken on the studio’s work and ethos include India-NOW, organized by AIA New York in 2022. He was also on the international jury at the World Architecture Festival in 2021 and the WAF China Awards in 2020, and a panelist at Talking Architecture hosted by WAF in 2020. Ankur has been an advisory board member at FIND (Design Fair Asia), Singapore; and was also a panelist at FIND’s Global Summit, where he discussed the critical role of culture in improving architecture and leaving behind a viable inheritance.
Ankur is driven by learning. Apart from physical adventures, he enjoys the exploration of new experiences. He loves to engage with technology and is deeply interested in the art of making music, and the language of music, especially Indian classical and Jazz. He loves building with his hands, and the satisfaction that the process of creation brings. In a different life, Ankur would have chosen to be a carpenter or a sculptor.
Notable Awards
- World’s 100 Best Architectural Firms, Archello, 2024
- Special Mention, Architizer A+ Awards, New York, 2024 | Best Adaptive Reuse and Renovative Firm
- Winner, LIV Hospitality Design Awards, Switzerland, 2024 | Interior Design, Restaurant
- Winner, International Design Awards, USA, 2024 | Hospitality Architecture Design, Cabins & Lodges
- Winner, Surface Design Awards, London, 2024 | Housing Exterior
- Third Place, IFI Design Distinction Awards, New York, 2024 | Sustainability
- AD100 2024 | Architectural Digest India | Studio Lotus has been part of AD100–the definitive list of India’s 100 most influential architects and designers, for 11 years in a row
- Honorable Mention, Architecture Masterprize 2023 | Firm of the Year
- Winner, Loop Awards 2023 | Hospitality & Hotels
- International Union of Architects 2023 | UIA Guidebook for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainability
- Winner, International Design Awards 2023 | Hospitality Architecture Design, Lodges and Cabins
- Longlisted, Dezeen Awards, London, 2022 | Architecture Studio of the Year
- Winner, JK AYA Awards 2022 | Architect of the Year
- Winner, AHEAD Asia Awards, Singapore, 2022 | Sustainability, Lodges, Cabins, and Tented camps
- Winner, Hospitality Design Awards, New York, 2022 | Lodges+Camps
- Winner, Architecture Masterprize, USA, 2022 | Design of the Year, Hospitality Architecture
- Winner, World Architecture Festival, Lisbon, 2021 | Hotel & Leisure
- Third Place, Fifth Baku International Architecture Award, Azerbaijan, 2021 | Best Project undertaken in the field of rehabilitation and reconstruction of historic buildings, Adaptive Reuse
- Shortlisted, The Merit List 2021
- Gold Winner, ARCASIA Awards, Singapore, 2020 | Socially Responsible: Commercial Buildings
- Winner, AZ Azure Awards, Canada, 2020 | Official and People’s Choice, ‘Social Good’ category
- Winner, HUDCO Design Awards 2020 | Green Building
- Supreme Winner, Surface Design Awards, London, 2020 | Public Building Exterior, Public Building Interior
- Winner, IIA National Award for Excellence in Architecture Awards 2019 | Conservation
- Winner, FuturArc Green Leadership Award, Hong Kong, 2019 | Institutional Category
- Special Prize, Prix Versailles World Architecture Awards, France, 2018 | Interiors
- Winner, Architizer A+ Awards, New York, 2017 | Popular Choice
- Honorable Mention, FastCompany Innovation by Design, New York, 2016 | Spaces, Places, Cities
- Winner, INSIDE World Festival of Interiors, Berlin, 2016 | Creative Reuse Category
- Winner, Kyoorius Design Awards 2015 | Design for Space-Branded Environment
- Nominee, Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2013
- Winner, World Architecture News (WAN) Awards, UK, 2013 | Hotel of the Year
- Certificate of Excellence, Perspective Global Awards, Hong Kong, 2011 | Interior Design
- Winner, A+D Awards 2006 | Innovative Interior Design Award
Talks, Panels and Juries
- Kyoorius Design Awards, Juror | Oct 2023
- FIND Singapore Insiders Advisory Panel member | Sep 2023
- Hotel and Hospitality Expo, Riyadh, Panelist | Sep 2023
- FIND Global Summit, Singapore | The Fourth Pillar of Sustainability, Panelist | Sep 2022
- AIA New York | IndiaNOW: Architecture in the Contemporary Landscape (w S Talwar) | Jun 2022
- Transparence 17.0, Curator | 2022
- World Architecture Festival, Juror | 2021
- MSU College, Baroda | Reflection 2021-Connecting the Dots, Keynote speaker | Mar 2021
- Times of India DesigNXT | Trending Now: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Panelist | Mar 2021
- Canadian Centre for Mindful Habitats | This Thing called Cultural Space (w S Talwar) | Mar 2021
- World Architecture Festival China Awards, Juror | 2020
- Design Dekko Musings | Who Moved My Park – Rethinking Our Public Spaces | Oct 2020
- IIID | Perspectives on Crafting Interiors | Oct 2020
- Auro Design School | Design is Joy | Oct 2020
- World Architecture Festival; Talking Architecture | Impact of COVID-19 on Architecture and Urban Planning | Jun 2020
- [IN]SIDE (Matter) | Reboot and Refresh | May 2020
- LivingEtc | Adaptive Reuse of Old Buildings | Apr 2020
- FOAID | Building Brand Matters | 2019
- GreenOtels Convention | Approach and Mindset of Sustainability in Architecture and Design | 2018
- NineDotSquares | Crafts & Craftsmen | 2017
Connect with Ankur
- Email: ankur@studiolotus.in
- Instagram: @choksiankur
- LinkedIn: @ankur-choksi-0b3b563
- Facebook: @choksi.a
- Twitter: @ankurchoksi
