Manoj Kumar Kini

An alumnus of CEPT University, Ahmedabad, and the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, Prof. Dr. Manoj Kumar Kini is an architect, academician, and heritage professional with over two decades of experience in design education, research, and practice. He served as Director of the Muziris Heritage Project under the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, and is currently the Managing Director of Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited (KTIL). He has been Programme In-Charge of Urban Design at CET, Thiruvananthapuram, and is the founding and lead faculty of Urban Design—the first such programme in the government sector in South India, initiated by the Government of Kerala. He serves as Chairman, Board of Studies (Design), and as a member of UG and PG academic and curriculum committees at APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University. Dr. Manoj has led faculty improvement programmes, professional education initiatives, research and publications, integrated design and consultancy services, outreach programmes, and international workshops, and has been instrumental in community-based public projects, including steering the Government of Kerala’s design-led rebuilding efforts after the 2018 floods under the CARE Kerala programme. He has also coordinated joint workshops with international institutions such as La Salle University, Bogotá, and the AA School, London, and contributed to several scholarly publications.

His primary research interests include urban conservation, morphological studies, timber architecture and joinery traditions of Kerala, architectural history, and disaster management and resilience building, areas in which he continues to be actively engaged through ongoing projects and advisory roles.