Perhaps now more than ever before, we are all aware of the built environment that surrounds us, and of the impacts it has on the health of individuals, communities, and the planet. The Architecture of Place series brings together the established and emerging voices working to create a better built future.
From December 2025 through February 2026, the ICAA, INTBAU, and The King's Foundation will co-host The Architecture of Place: In Conversation with..., a series of interviews featuring three designers and place-makers from different backgrounds and points of view: Manvendra Singh Shekhawat, Felicity Cain, and Soraya Hosni.
In this three-part series, each speaker will alternately serve as interviewer and interviewee, discussing the influences, experiences, and projects that have shaped their approach to the architecture of place. Each session will conclude with an open Q&A. The programs are free and open for public registration, and recorded versions of the programs will be made available to all.
In this iteration of the series, Soraya Hosni will interview Manvendra Singh Shekhawat.
Manvendra is a systems thinker and regenerative developer reimagining growth at the intersection of culture, ecology, and economy. He leads Dhun, a 500-acre regenerative town project in Jaipur; the Suryagarh Collection, which transforms historic forts into boutique hotels and cultural districts; and The I Love Foundation, dedicated to strengthening civic capacity and cultural preservation.
His work fuses ancestral knowledge with modern tools to prototype scalable models of regenerative development for the Global South. Recognized by The King’s Foundation (HM King Charles III) and the Qatar Foundation, he is a fellow of the Aspen Institute, the Unreasonable Group, Summit Impact, INK and the Frontier Technology Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Manvendra also writes poetry, makes short films, and explores how imagination can transform scarcity into abundance.