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


Her earliest memory of a space was a pillowfort that her aunt had built when she was young. The experience of having a space that fit her and a place to call her own fascinated her beyond measure. She has since then been driven by the impact of empathy, wonder and a story well-told, and always finds herself reaching for these virtues to position herself within a project. Her practice is, therefore, an attempt to humanise the built environment.

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

She is presently working at Home Studios, Brooklyn.

Reach out to spinapot@gmail.com or find her 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