In a traditionally male dominated field of Architecture, Chitra Tibrewal’s journey is a tale of resilience, creativity, and a deep-rooted passion for design. Chitra was inspired by her father Ah. Suresh Gupta with relentless work ethic and unfading dedication to his craft. Chitra inherited that passion from her father, leading her to pursue a career that would eventually redefine space, inspire creativity and defy the stereotypes.

Chitra Tibrewal is the Director of Gupta’s Associated Architects. It was established by her father Suresh Gupta in 1980. Her first project as an architect was the bungalow of her maternal uncle in Manmad. The project saw enormous use of scrap material in the construction process. Her uncle, who was an engineer, inspired her in the project. The creative repurposing of discarded MS pipes and tiles for beams, walls, and cladding depicted her sustainable ethos at the nascent stage and it still continues to shape her work. This project would later help her to land her first commissioned work in Indore.

“It was hard for people to have confidence in me because I was a female architect, especially being new to the area,” she recalls.

After marriage Chitra moved to Indore where she started again from scratch. Chitra had to encounter resistance from clients who didn’t trust her due to being a woman and relatively unknown to people. She had no proper office space and was operating from her residence. However, Chitra was persistent and had an unwavering dedication to her goal. She began receiving projects that would help define her style and reputation. She now takes pride in seeing the industry grow more inclusive, with shifting perspectives allowing for greater female representation.

“For me, all my projects are like my children—it’s impossible to prefer one over the other,” she shares.

All the projects in her career had offered are unique opportunities to explore new materials and methods. Everyone has unique challenges, whether it is an individual one or an institutional one.

Among her most challenging yet rewarding projects was a series of government college buildings. Winning this competitive entry opened doors to working on eight different sites in remote locations, where navigating government regulations and adapting to unique constraints tested her resilience and resourcefulness.

“It was tough to learn and adjust to the norms and regulations of the government system,” she admits, “but it was a wonderful experience that taught me invaluable lessons.”

Today, Chitra’s firm handles a wide array of projects, from bungalows and hostels to sports complexes and institutional buildings, and she leads with an eye on sustainability. Emphasizing eco-friendly designs, she incorporates local materials, modular construction, and energy-efficient methods, bringing her environmentally

Looking to the future, Chitra is passionate about sharing her insights with the next generation of architects. She’s impressed by their tech-savviness and encourages them to use technology as an empowering tool, rather than relying on it entirely. “Technology should aid the journey of a project, not replace creativity and conceptualization,” she advises. “We should be its master, using it to enhance our work and efficiency.”

From her early struggles to her inspiring leadership today, Chitra Tibrewal’s story is one of courage, innovation, and dedication. She continues to shape spaces and minds, paving the way for a more inclusive and sustainable future in architecture.