Nandini Sampat is the principal architect and designer at Somaya and Kalappa Consultants (SNK), a multidisciplinary architecture and design practice that dates back to 1978. She is one of the leading museum designers in India and has been with the firm since 2007, during which time she has successfully designed many important museum galleries in Mumbai and other parts of the country, infusing digital interactives, translating strong storylines and inspiring young gallery designers.
Sampat graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Smith College, USA and then went on to qualify as a solicitor from the College of Law, London. Initially, she began her career working in India as a corporate lawyer, before making the decision to pursue her passion for design. She gained a postgraduate diploma in Architectural Interior Design from the Inchbald School of Design, London and then returned to Mumbai where she joined SNK Consultants. She also went on to study for a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Rizvi College of Architecture.
In her work with SNK, she is involved in all aspects of the design, coordination and execution of projects, working closely with founder Brinda Somaya. She has collaborated on projects ranging from institutional campuses and hotels to museums and commercial spaces. Sampat likes to take inspiration from local Indian arts and crafts.
She has served on a number of academic and competition juries and panels and written about a variety of issues for different periodicals and journals, exploring architecture and design, the use of public spaces, and more. She was a recipient of the IGEN (Innovation Generation) 50 award in 2013 and was also included in Forbes India’s list of the Top 30 Architects in India: The Bold Club 2021. In January 2020 she gave a TEDx talk at SIU Lavale, on the future of workplaces.