Dhiru Thadani

Dhiru A. Thadani (born June 8, 1955) is an Indian architect, author, educationist and an urbanist.. He started his career in 1976. He is known for planning and designing towns, urban settlements, small townships, infill densification projects and academic campuses in different parts of the world. Apart from being an architect, he has been conducting research on human settlements, specifically formation of towns and cities on different continents. He also does mentoring and lecturing on varied architectural topics.https://isocarp.org/app/uploads/2014/05/Scape-14-about-Dhiru-Thadani.pdf
He is known for designing urban scape master plan and rebuilding the neglected and disinvested neighborhoods in Atlanta Westside in the United States in 2013. In 2021, Thadani’s team was selected to update the master plan for Spelman College, the first private institution to educate women of color. His other significant projects include a new city in Chinaand several new high-density urban neighborhoods in India
==Early life and education==
Born on June 8, 1955 in Mumbai, India, to Gunu Gurbaxani and Ambrit Thadani, Thadani did his early education in Cathedral and John Cannon High School in Mumbai. He moved to Washington DC in 1972 to study architecture at Catholic University of America.
==Career==
Thadani began his career as a Freelance Architectural Renderer in 1976. From 1978 to 2009, Thadani held various key positions at leading architectural firms - Chapman & Associates and Ayers Saint Gross.7.	https://www.orissalinks.com/archives/813 In 1980, he also founded Thadani Architects for providing a broad range of consulting services in architecture and urban design to governments and corporations across the world. He is currently the Director at Thadani Architects and Urbanists.
==Important works==
===Westside Atlanta Master Plan=== 
He was the team leader for regeneration of 1700 acres (710 hectares) of disinvested historic neighborhoods in Atlanta.
===M Square: College Park Metro Station Development, Maryland=== 
Thadani was design principal for development of master plan and architectural design guidelines for transit oriented development on under-utilized land surrounding the WMATA Metro Station. The mixed-use development includes office space, research facilities for the university, multi-family housing, townhomes, retail and social services adjacent to the station, bus transit and university shuttle station, and long-term parking facilities.
=== Beall’s Hill Neighborhood, City of Macon, Georgia ===
He was the Design Principal for the revitalization of the Beall’s Hill Neighborhood. A number of investments to the physical infrastructure were required to support other neighborhood enhancements. These included, but were not limited to, repairing existing or installing new sidewalks and curbs, installing street lamps, and building retaining walls where grade changes occur adjacent to the public realm. Additionally, the city needed to provide utility services to vacant properties and prepare these lots for sale or development.
===University City Master Plan, Guangzhou University City, China===
Design consultation for the creation of a new 10,000-acre University City to house up to 30 different educational institutions in Guangzhou, China. Created on a greenfield island site, the city will house 250,000 students in seven university clusters with a total population of over 450,000. The 100 million GSF project is expected to be completed within 5 years. (50% complete)
==Other works==
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Architectural and planning projects designed by Dhiru Thadani have been published nationally and internationally in the professional and popular press. Additionally, articles, drawings, and cartoons by Thadani have been exhibited and published globally.
==Academia==
Dhiru A. Thadani, who began his teaching career as a teaching assistant at Catholic University of America in 1976, held key positions at the University till 1991. He was the Director, of the Foreign Studies Program, Director of Visual Studies, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Director, Graduate Thesis Research. Thadani has taught at numerous universities across the world, including University of Miami and University of Maryland. He continues to teach students at various universities in urban design & planning.
==Selected bibliography==
 
 
Contributor to The Teaching of Architecture and Urbanism Caleidoscópio Ediçao, Council for European Urbanism, Viseu, Portugal (2006)
 
==Honours and Awards==
* 2019 - CNU Charter Award for completion of the Lyceum Block at Seaside, Florida
* 2017 - CNU Charter Award for Westside Atlanta Master Plan
* 2016 - CNU Charter Award for Luhe, China, Master Plan, for a New City for a Million Inhabitants
* 2015 - ISOCARP, Design Award for Excellence for Luhe, China, Master Plan
* 2014 - Gerd Albers Book Award (ISOCARP) for Visions of Seaside: Foundations/Evolution/Imagination/Built & Unbuilt Architecture
* 2011- Gerd Albers Book Award (ISOCARP), The Language of Towns & Cities: A Visual Dictionary
* 2008 - CNU Charter Award for Vedanta University, Orissa, Indiahttps://www.cnu.org/sites/default/files/Awards%20book%20proof%203-20.fp7_.pdf
* 2007 - AIA/Baltimore Maryland Chapter, Design Awards for Excellence in Architecture for Vedanta University, Orissa, India
* 2007 - CNU Charter Award for Long Beach Mississippi Redevelopment Planhttps://www.cnu.org/sites/default/files/Awards2007.pdf
* 2005 - Jimmy Carter Center Award for Beall’s Hill Georgia Redevelopment Plan
* 2005 - AIA / Baltimore Maryland Chapter, Design Awards for Excellence in Architecture Beall’s Hill Georgia Redevelopment Plan
* 2004 - CNU Charter Award for Lexington Kentucky College Town Master Planhttps://www.cnu.org/sites/default/files/Charter%20awards%202004.pdf
* 2003 - Vision Award, The Committee of 100 on the Federal City for the Westminster Street Playground, Cardoza-Shaw Neighborhood, Washington, DC
Category:1955 births
Category:Indian architects
Category:Author
Category:People from Mumbai
Category:Indian people