Shivani Pinapotu is a spatial thinker and designer interested in how space intersects with story, society and our sense of self.


My earliest memory of a space was a pillowfort that my aunt had built when I was young. The experience of having a space that fit me and a place to call my own fascinated me beyond measure. I have since then been driven by the impact of empathy, wonder and a story well-told, and always find myself reaching for these virtues to position myself within a project. My practice is, therefore, an attempt to humanise the built environment.

I hold an MDes. in Interior Studies from the Rhode Island School of Design, where I concentrated in Exhibition and Narrative Environments, and have extensive experience in architecture, interiors, exhibitions and theatre design across India and the States.

I am presently working at Home Studios, Brooklyn.

Reach out to spinapot@gmail.com or find me on Linkedin, if you have anything in mind!

WORK ︎︎︎

Writing on Urbanism

Are we building Smart-Cities or Smart-Looking Cities? ︎︎︎

A critical analysis of the smart city model brought onto the urban planning schema of Indian cities, and the practice of city-building, through a narrative reference to the Story of Icarus.

The Big Picture: On the rise of Public Visual Art in Modern India ︎︎︎
The first part of a four-essay series of Public Art in the Urban Space, it investigates Public Visual Art in the making of the city, through cues from an interview with a street artist, Amitabh Kumar.


On Resilience of Public Places in Winter Cities ︎︎︎
A critical essay investigating the livability of cities during winters, and the factors that make public spaces livable during cold seasons.


Writing on Architectural History

How War Affects the City ︎︎︎

An explorative article contextualising the challenging identities of five cities that were rebuilt in the wake of a war  within the context of the Syrian Civil War.


The Political Importance of Architectural Heritage ︎︎︎

An opinion piece reflecting on how the built environment has been woven into political agenda across times and coordinates.


Writing for Architecture Students

Architecture for Dummies ︎︎︎
A humorous listicle to enable and build a community of architects and architecture students.


Personal Writing

Echoes of the Kitchen: A synesthetic portrait of two worlds ︎︎︎
Drawn to be a series of synesthetic diptychs of two kitchens in tandem, my mother's in Delhi and mine in Providence, in an attempt to remember the sounds in her kitchen as I frantically try and make sense of mine.


This, Sister, is your power ︎︎︎
A personal narrative formatted as a postcard from a moment of doubt during my time in Sweden.
Running on Cargo