Start to Finish: Perkins Eastman's Supriya Thyagarajan on Building Teams, Successful Delivery Processes, and Female Mentorship
By Julia Gamolina
Supriya Thyagarajan, who studied architecture at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture and Environmental Studies in Mumbai and earned an MSc in Construction Economics and Management from University College London, UK, champions design excellence. With more than eighteen years of experience working in India and the UK, she brings expertise in higher education and planning to projects with major clients across Southeast Asia and the world. Instrumental in the growth and success of the Perkins Eastman’s Mumbai studio, Supriya was recently promoted to the Executive Committee.
Passionate about women mentorship, she champions initiatives in the firm and throughout the Southeast Asia region. In her interview, Supriya talks about representing international offices, women, and the younger generation, advising those just starting their career to practice patience.
JG: Tell me about your foundational years - where did you grow up and what did you like to do as a kid?
ST: I grew up in Mumbai in a small family. My father was a marine engineer and my older brother also studied to be an engineer. My mother was instrumental in my decision to pursue architecture. My grandfather was a contractor and my mom used to accompany him to construction sites. She hosted prominent architects in Mumbai for lunch at her home. She always found architects to be fascinating and convinced me to join the profession.
I actually wanted to become a doctor but by the end of my senior year in high school, I was tired of studying. Architecture seemed refreshingly new and I did well in my entrance tests. As a kid I was always good at arts, so this seemed like a good option.
Supriya Thyagarajan as the only woman on a project team is a typical occurence. Here she is as Project Manager of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Photograph by Sameer Relan, courtesy of Perkins Eastman.
What did you learn about yourself in studying architecture?
Five years in architecture school was life-changing. We were exposed to various forms of critical thinking. I started reading a lot and took in all that the school had to offer. I took part in everything that came my way from theatre to running multiple events as part of the Student Council. I enjoyed our study trips to various parts of India, documenting towns, and understanding culture through stories. I learned early on that more than design, I enjoyed the process of bringing people together to solve problems. I also caught the travel bug.
How did you get your start in professional practice?
As soon as I graduated, I left for England. Over a period of four months, I applied to hundreds of architecture firms for a job, but didn’t get one. I came back to India disappointed and humbled. Some of my friends from college were starting a firm and I jumped at the opportunity. We started small by doing interior fit out projects for corporate clients and took any work that came our way. I was also simultaneously teaching at my architecture school and was a research assistant at a design cell.
It was tough but helped me grow as an individual. I enjoyed being on project sites, meeting clients, understanding their needs, and developing project goals. It was, again, the delivery process that excited me the most and I was sure that I would want to continue developing my skills in this direction. After three years, I decided to pursue my masters degree and went to London for an MSc in Construction Economics and Management at Bartlett School, University College London.
“I spent a lot of time on my project site and learned to understand the sequence of work needed to deliver good quality workmanship.”
Tell me how your work evolved, and you with it.
While I was studying in London, I also worked at a boutique architecture firm in Chelsea. My manager was supportive of my studies and gave me much exposure to Project Management. I spent a lot of time on my project site and learned to understand the sequence of work needed to deliver good quality workmanship. I needed to be diligent with time management as I was working three days a week, attending college for two days, doing my assignments over the weekend, and partaking in all the fun that a city like London had to offer.
With the onset of a recession, work slowed down, and in 2010, I decided to move back to India. I had applied for a position at a German Project Management firm. From 2010 to 2013, I worked on several projects as a Design Manager. I worked with many reputed developers in the country, which gave me great insights into decision making processes on the client’s side.
Then in 2013, I joined Perkins Eastman as a Project Manager. I was managing internal resources and delivery of a few large projects in the office. Being the only non-designer in the office, I did all the work I could get my hands on from marketing and business development to office administration. In 2016, I was promoted to the position of Managing Principal of our Mumbai office. Over the period of eight years with Perkins Eastman, I have been fortunate to work on reputed higher education projects such as Ashoka University and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). I have grown with my projects and clients and being part of their success story gives me immense satisfaction.
Supriya Thyagarajan was Project Manager for Ashoka University, a world-class campus for 4,500 liberal arts students outside of New Delhi. Ashoka University, one of the first liberal arts universities in India, involved thirteen buildings on the first campus. Perkins Eastman is currently designing a second campus.
During her tenure at Perkins Eastman, Supriya Thyagarajan has worked on all three facilities for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), in Guntur, Kalyani, and Nagpur, India. Renderings courtesy of Perkins Eastman.
Where are you in your career today? What is on your mind most at the moment?
I am the Managing Principal of our Mumbai office and was recently elevated into the Executive Committee of Perkins Eastman. I am excited about my new role and the opportunity to represent international offices, women, and the young generation in the decision-making process.
Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges? How did you manage through a disappointment or a perceived setback?
Being a woman in a predominantly male industry is an everyday challenge. It becomes more pronounced when you are working with bureaucratic institutions with patriarchal organizational structures. The only way to manage this is to show up every time, do your work diligently, and advocate change every day knowing that you are doing the right thing.
“...show up every time, do your work diligently, and advocate change every day knowing that you are doing the right thing.”
What are you most excited about right now?
I look forward to the post-pandemic world. I am excited to go back to the office, be with my colleagues, and continue working as a team on delivering good design.
Who are you admiring now and why?
This a long list and I don’t have to look too far. Brad Perkins and Mary-Jean Eastman are people I look up to for the way they have built a firm of such repute, done exemplary high-impact projects, and developed deep relationships with their clients and colleagues. I admire women in my own team who seamlessly juggle work, home, kids, and continue to mentor the young generation.
Supriya Thyagarajan is onsite outside the Ashoka University Library while it was under construction. Photograph by Chhavi Lal, courtesy Perkins Eastman.
What is the impact you’d like to have on the world? What is your core mission? And, what does success in that look like to you?
I would like to continue working on projects that meaningfully better the way we live, learn, play, and heal. I am passionate about female mentorship and would like to positively contribute in making the architectural profession more inclusive. Success for me is building a good team.
Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?
Architecture is a collaborative process and it takes years before you can see your projects come to life and see the impact it has on the lives of the people and the surrounding community. In this fast moving, instant gratification world, young professionals will need to have patience to see their projects through to completion.