March 1, 2019

AIA New Jersey Women In Architecture Spotlight on AIA Associate Garima Kaushal

Coming from a family of engineers and architects, I knew what I wanted to become when I grow up! I got admitted to Architecture school and under the guidance of some distinguished professors, I started developing my interest in sustainable architecture. I delved deeper in the vernacular architecture of India varying from Haveli architecture of deserts to stone architecture of timeless monuments spanning throughout the country. I researched how passive design strategies were used in different climatic
regions to keep buildings comfortable and thus ageless.

I worked part-time while studying for my B. Arch and got exposed to various project types. The one I
enjoyed working on the most was the Thyagaraj Sports Complex, New Delhi, India. It was the first-ever
model Green Venue built with the latest green building technologies.

After completing my B. Arch I further wanted to continue my research in Architecture and joined the
Master’s program with a focus in Sustainable Design at NJIT where I worked as a Research Assistant at the
Center for Building Knowledge. I performed an analysis of energy consumption in educational buildings and
developed learning modules and web-based tools to analyze and monitor energy usage with ENERGY
STAR Benchmarking program.

Currently, I’m working with AECOM as an Architectural Designer focusing on sustainable, transportation
and educational projects. With the help and guidance of my co-workers, I focused even more on
sustainable design and got LEED and WELL accredited.

I strongly believe that we need to act upon the global warming crisis. With the help of sustainable
architecture advancements and lessons learned from traditional and vernacular architecture, we can
significantly reduce our energy consumption and build a better tomorrow for future generations.

Garima Kaushal, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, AIA Assoc.

By Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, AIA NJ Advocacy Consultant | Posted in Diversity, Emerging Professionals, Environment, EquityInArchitecture, Women in Architecture | Tagged: #AECOM, #AIANJEPiC, #diversity, #EnergyStar, #equity, #GarimaKaushalAIAAssocaite, #Inclusion, #India, #WELL, #WIA, #womeninarchitecture, LEED, MARCH | Comments (0)