The Merit List [TML] is an initiative by Matter and supported by Takshila Educational Society to recognise projects of critical relevance in terms of design and thought in the context of contemporary architecture in India.
The 2026-27 Cycle is now open for submissions.
About
Context
The Merit List seeks to celebrate consequential work and institute a line of inquiry through a peer review process with an intent to evaluate each project in its own context and judge the merit of each against the programme it deals with.
BE CRITICAL
BE RIGOROUS
BE SELECTIVE
RUBRICS
Outline
The List
Projects are products of context. The premise of a list rather than a ranking system is to view projects as critical readings that represent desirable values and concerns in contemporary architecture in India. Irrespective of typology, scale, and divest of ranking, these works are celebrated as examples of excellence and rigour to address the complexities and spatial opportunities of the landscape of India.
The Takshila Lecture
The Takshila Lecture on Architecture and Society is delivered by an eminent professional / academician that addresses the realities of our social, cultural and economic contexts. The lecture and the following dialogue aims to challenge the status-quo with a conviction that an open and honest conversation on the state of practice will instigate positive change.
Valediction
Authors of the projects selected in The Merit List receive a citation letter, a personal and memento, and a curators’ note as a record of the recognition. All recipients are invited to participate in a Valediction Ceremony planned every cycle. The formerValediction Ceremonies were held at Frame Conclave, Goa; ATMA, Ahmedabad and BIC, Bengaluru.
Publication
At the conclusion of each cycle, an annual publication of The Merit List publication is released as a chronicle. The book records the Citations and Commendations in detail along with select project data reproduced in a compilation as well as a glimpse into the previous cycles of the initiative. These connections allow the reading of further resources on each project.
THE JURY
K S Radhakrishnan
Sculptor; Founder, Musui Art Foundation
K S Radhakrishnan is recognised as one of the eminent figures of contemporary Indian art. A bronze sculptor, he is celebrated for the recurring themes in his work: the male and female archetypal figures called Musui and Maiya, as well as works created from tiny interlinked figures that represent ephemeral human experiences.
Radhakrishnan studied at one of India’s iconic cultural centres, Santiniketan, pursuing his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Fine Arts at Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University. Over the decades, he has not only exhibited widely but also mentored younger artists, curated noteworthy exhibitions and publications through his Musui Art Foundation. He also founded the art centre Tokaroun in Santiniketan. The KS Radhakrishnan retrospective exhibition was held at New Delhi’s Bikaner House in 2024.
Mausami Andhare
Design Principal, Indigo Architects
Mausami Andhare is a Design Principal at Indigo Architects, Ahmedabad, a studio she co-founded with Uday Andhare in 1998. She holds a Master’s degree in Architecture with Honours from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, and an undergraduate degree in architecture from CEPT University.
With over two decades of practice, Mausami leads a diverse body of educational, residential and cultural projects. Her work is rooted in a contextual, climate-responsive and eco-sensitive architecture, with a strong emphasis on place, materiality, drawing and documentation.
Notable works by Indigo Architects include the Natarani Amphitheatre in Ahmedabad, the Living & Learning Design Centre and Museum in Kutch, and the Ajrakh Studio in Ajrakhpur, Kutch.
Mrinalini Ghadiok
Head of Editorial Content, Architectural Digest India
Mrinalini Ghadiok is the Head of Editorial Content at Architectural Digest India. She is responsible for overseeing the vision and content across all platforms for the title in the market.
Mrinalini is an architect, design writer, editor, and cultural innovator with over two decades of experience spanning architecture, publishing, and public discourse. Earlier in her career, Ghadiok was the editor of mondoarc India* and STIR, where she helped establish a rigorous and distinctive editorial voice.
Ghadiok has worked independently with leading architecture and design practices, institutions and brands, developing studio and project monographs, shaping communication strategies and conceiving public programmes and conversations that position design within a broader cultural context.
Ghadiok has taught architecture at university level, served on design juries in India and internationally and remains actively engaged with emerging voices in the field.
Biju Kuriakose
Co-founder and Partner, architectureRED
Biju Kuriakose co-founded architectureRED, an architecture and urban design practice based in Chennai, India. He studied architecture in Mumbai and received his Master’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Pratt Institute, New York.
architectureRED approaches design as an exercise in place-making, seeking to strengthen communities and facilitate the expression of identities. The act of building is viewed as an inquiry into creating places for people; a spatial manifestation of movement, memories and patterns of life. rchitectureRED has received several national and international design awards.
Prior to founding architectureRED, Biju was an Associate at FXFOWLE Architects, a leading architecture, planning and urban design practice based in New York. Biju has served on the Board of Review at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, since 2018 and is a member of the Academic Review Board of SEED, Kochi. He has taught design studios and served as an external critic at KRVIA, Mumbai; CEPT University, Ahmedabad; CARE, Trichy; and SAP, Chennai.
