Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur |

Academics Units

Academy of Classical and Folk Arts

About The Department

Established in 1952, the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning (ARP) at IIT Kharagpur has a distinguished legacy as a pioneer of architectural and planning education in India and the first architecture department within the IIT system. From its early beginnings with a small group of students, the Department has evolved into a multidisciplinary centre for education, research, innovation, consultancy, and professional engagement in the built environment. The Department has a rich history of academic innovation. It introduced postgraduate education in architecture and planning during the 1950s and awarded its first doctoral degree in 1970, contributing to the development of advanced architectural and planning research in India. Over the decades, ARP has played an important role in shaping architectural education, planning practice, research, and professional capacity in the country.Today, ARP brings together architecture, urban and regional planning, urban design, landscape, environmental design, heritage conservation, building technology, housing, transportation, infrastructure, GIS and spatial technologies, inclusive design, climate resilience, disaster resilience, and emerging digital technologies. The Department's accomplishments extend beyond academic programmes. Its faculty, students, researchers, and alumni have received national and international recognition, and its research and consultancy work have supported projects with government agencies, public institutions, industry, communities, and professional organisations. The Department has also developed a strong tradition of translating academic knowledge into practice through consultancy, capacity building, professional training, and applied research.ARP is also an important contributor to IIT Kharagpur's multidisciplinary urban research ecosystem and its Centre of Excellence in Urban Planning and Design (CoE-UPD). Through interdisciplinary collaborations, the Department contributes expertise in architecture, urbanism, planning, heritage, environmental design, inclusive cities, and resilient urban development. Our academic programmes—including B.Arch., M.Arch., Master of City Planning (MCP), PhD, and postdoctoral research opportunities—combine rigorous scholarship, design thinking, technological innovation, and social responsibility. Read less

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Message from the Head

Prof. Debapratim Pandit

hod@arp.iitkgp.ac.in

+91-3222-282246 | +91-3222-288034

Amid the largest campus and among the most number of departments in all IITs, Architecture and Regional Planning at Kharagpur is perhaps the most unique department that blends science and art to perfection and deals with human technology. Here we conceive architecture and planning both as a discipline as well as a profession. Our courses are structured in a way that enhances the teaching-learning experience, giving the students in-depth technical know how, exposure to state of the art laboratories and freedom to apply their creative minds to the hilt. We also draw our strength from the sister departments and faculty members of mechanical, civil, electrical engineering, humanities and social sciences among others. They are an integral part of our family. Read less

Copyright for AUDIT FORMAT FOR UNIVERSAL MOBILITY FOCUSED ACCESSIBILITY ASSESSMENT OF FOOTPATHS AT THE CORE OF OLD INDIAN CITIES," by the Registrar of Copyrights, Copyright Office, Government of India, under Registration Number L-155962/2024, and authored by Dr. Gaurab Das Mahapatra, Dr. Suguru Mori, and Dr. Rie Nomura

Prof. Shankha Pratim Bhattacharya was awarded the Sakura Science Program 2025 by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to visit Hiroshima University, Japan for one week with three PhD research scholars during August 2025.

Hult Prize 2015 San Francisco Regional Finalists: Abhimanyu Abrol, Pooja Rai, Vishesh Gupta,

NIRF Ranking 1 - adjudged as TOP ARCHITECTURAL SCHOOL in the country by Government of India (2018 - 19)

Dr. Shreya Banerjee was awarded Global Visiting Research Associateship at the Global Centre on Healthcare and Urbanisation, Kellogg College, University of Oxford, for 8 weeks.

Transparence, Eastern Region Finals, 2014 Winners: Nishant Nain, Ankita Diwan, Suneet Jagdev

The Department has worldclass collaboration with the Ivyleague foundation universities like Columbia University on PROJECT Varanasi; with MIT, Cambridge on PROJECT Santiniketan; and expected Advanced GIS Lab studios with GeorgiaTech Atlanta (2018-19)

NASA 2015, Nari Gandhi Trophy (Analysis) Special Mention

Schneider Electric Go Green in the City 2015, International Winner: Mohamad Meraj Shaikh