WADE ASIA is deeply saddened by the passing of Prof. Minakshi Jain, a venerable visiting scholar at CEPT since its inception. Prof. Jain, born in 1943 in Baroda, was an early and prominent conservation architect of India who went on to complete her undergraduate degree in architecture from M S University in 1964 and a masters’ degree from the University of Pennsylvania under Louis Kahn two years later. Considered one of India’s first conservation architects, she leaves behind a lasting legacy with regards to ideas and practices related to architecture and urban design at the University.

Early in her career, she collaborated with Charles and Ray Eames, as well as Louis Kahn. She was involved in the design of numerous residential and institutional structures. Her main interests included housing and historic building preservation. 

Minakshi Jain was the lead architect in charge of the Nagaur Fort restoration, which received a UNESCO award for excellence and was later nominated for the Aga Khan Award in 2013. Aside from her professional pursuits, she co-founded the AADI centre, an NGO in Ahmedabad for conservation research, with Prof. Kulbhushan Jain.

She also worked with Prof. Kulbhushan Jain on the books Mud Architecture of the Indian Desert, Fort of Nagaur, and Indian City in the Arid West. Mehrangarh: An Ensemble of Poetic Spaces with Prof. Kulbhushan Jain and Dr. Meghal Arya, was her most recent publication.

WADE ASIA extends its condolences to her daughter, her family, friends, colleagues, and students. May she rest in eternal tranquility.