| Sunand Prasad | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962 Sevagram, India |
| Nationality | British |
Sunand Prasad MA (Cantab), AA Dip, PhD (RCA), PPRIBA, FRSA, HonFRIAS, HonRTPI, HonFRAIC is Senior Partner of architectural practice Penoyre & Prasad LLP, a multi sectoral practice with an internationally recognised profile in health, education and civic buildings. From 2007 to 2009 he was President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).[1] He has campaigned in recent years on issues relating to climate change and the built environment and was listed 26th in the Independent's 2008 Green List.[2]
He was born in India in 1962 and came with his family to the UK when he was 12 years old.[3] Following studies at the University of Cambridge, The Architectural Association School of Architecture and a PhD from the Royal College of Art, he co-founded Penoyre & Prasad in 1988 with Greg Penoyre.
In 2008 Sunand was appointed a member of the Mayor’s Design Advisory Panel for London. He also served two terms as a member of the Mayor of London’s Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group helping select art works exhibited in Trafalgar Square.
He is a trustee of the think tank Centre for Cities and of Article 25, a charity set up in response to the 2005 Indian Ocean earthquake, to provide design and construction expertise to NGOs active in disaster relief and development.
In 2008 as part of the Cape Farewell programme, Sunand travelled to Greenland with a team of artists and scientists, committed to engaging the public in the cultural shift necessary to tackle climate change, and created an art installation that has been widely shown and exhibited, through the travelling exhibition 'Unfold'. Sunand became a Trustee of Cape Farewell in 2010.
Sunand was one of the founding Commissioners of the UK Government’s Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE); launched its highly regarded Enabling Programme and later led its work on Skills. He played a central part in the development of the Construction Industry Council’s Design Quality Indicator.
After his RIBA presidency in 2009, Sunand continues to campaign on behalf of the built environment professions for an equitable and effective climate treaty, and to highlight the professions' actual and potential contribution to combating climate change. He was a member of the Steering Committee of the UK Government's Innovation & Growth Team on Low Carbon construction which reported in November 2010.
Sunand has written about architecture and cultural diversity, the value of design, architecture and construction, hospital design, urbanism and domestic architecture of North India, and the work of Le Corbusier, as well as the work of Penoyre & Prasad. Sunand has taught and lectured in many schools of architecture, acted as external examiner and continues to be occasionally involved in teaching.