Poonam is a multi-faceted professional, serving as an architect, building conservation expert, researcher, and author. With over three decades of experience in India and abroad. She is the founder and director of the acclaimed Goa-based design studio, Archinova_Environs.

Poonam embarked on her career journey in 1991 at Auroville, where she delved into alternative building techniques, including compressed earth blocks and ferro-cement. Her extensive research in traditional architecture of Kerala led her to become a Charles Wallace Fellow and on returning- a consultant for INTACH Jaipur. In this role, she worked on conserving and rejuvenating 22 listed heritage sites, encompassing temples, fort walls, cenotaphs, stepped wells, gates, reservoirs, and the design of Heritage Walks in Jaipur and Amber, all funded by the Asia Development Bank’s Rajasthan Urban Infrastructure Development Project (Tranche I-2001-4).

At her studio, Archinova_Environs, Poonam and her team have breathed new life into numerous Goan heritage houses and several privately owned palaces in Rajasthan. Notably, their eco-friendly boutique apartment project, Samskruti Hoysala, located in Bangalore, earned several awards, including the Best Green Project in 2014.

In 2016, Poonam was appointed as the Cultural Heritage Management Expert Consultant for the ADB- funded Infrastructure Development Investment Project for Tourism in Himachal Pradesh, undertaken by IPE Global Ltd.

This project included the rehabilitation of Shimla Townhall in November 2018 and the conservation of historic urban precincts and buildings in Mandi Town, such as temples, ghats, Victoria Bridge, and the restoration and reuse of Vijay High School, completed in 2020.

Since 2022, Poonam has served as a consultant to EGIS in the capacity of a Cultural Heritage Specialist for Project Support Consultancy (PSC-2) for the ADB-funded ‘Karnataka Integrated and Sustainable Water Resource Management Investment Programme’ –Tranche-2, at Hampi.

Poonam’s extensive body of research-based publications comprises over 20 articles and papers in peer- reviewed journals, as well as books like Kerala Heritage Guide (2000) and Silent Sentinels, Traditional Architecture of Coorg (HECAR, 2005), now in its third edition. She has contributed to monographs on Auroville architects Poppo Pingle (Mapin, 2012) and Piero and Gloria Cicionesi (Mapin, 2018). Poonam’s book Mapped Heritage of Panaji, Goa (GHAG, 2018) curates and maps the built and natural heritage of Panaji, the capital city of Goa. Additionally, her chapter titled ‘Vernacular Building Tradition of India’ is featured in Schittich C.’s (Ed) Vernacular Architecture – Atlas for Living Through-out the World (Berlin: Birkhauser, 2019).

Poonam’s article ‘Water Culture Connection: A Conservation-Led, Integrated Development Strategy for Water to Meet SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation’ was published in Vol 80 of the International Journal of Ekistics and the New Habitat. Her latest endeavour is the conceptualization, curation, and co-editing of the book Conservation and the Indian City: Bridging the Gap (INHAF & myliveablecity, 2023).

Beyond her professional endeavours, Poonam is the co-founder of the Goa Heritage Action Group, a citizens’ group and serves on the first Scientific Council Steering Committee of ICOMOS India. She has shared her knowledge through lectures at national and international conferences, including engagements in the US, Italy, Korea, and Nepal. Her commitment to education is evident through her roles as a visiting faculty member, thesis guide, and design jury member.