Centre for Vernacular Architecture

The Center for Vernacular Architecture Trust has grown out of Shramik, a co-operative of building craft persons initiated by the late R. L. Kumar, in the late 80’s as part of his work with the CIEDS Collective. The CIEDS Collective — the space in which Kumar and his ideas and work grew — was initiated by visionary human rights and women's activist Corinne Kumar and several other colleagues in 1976, to search for meaningful ways of life and politics rooted in and relevant to the specific realities of India and other non-western cultures. As part of the Collective's efforts to secure land and housing rights and access to basic civic amenities for slum dwellers, Kumar began working in Khader Sharief Gardens. Murgesh, one of the local community leaders who joined Kumar as an idealistic social worker became a lifelong friend and partner. The years that followed brought in independent projects that shaped and sculpted Kumar's inherent talent for materials, textures and architecture. Founder Trustees and Principal Architects who have trained with Kumar since 2003 on all aspects of Vernacular Architecture, from design to construction. At present Khalid handles the day-to-day affairs in the main office in Bangalore and Goutam handles the Chennai office.