People | Field architects

Founded by Faiza Khan and Suril Patel in 2017, Field Architects is a Ladakh-based architecture and design studio rooted in vernacular traditions, material experimentation, and contextual responsiveness. The practice evolved from their shared experiences of travel, immersive learning, and a deep engagement with indigenous knowledge systems and craftsmanship.

Their work spans residential, institutional, and conservation projects, with a focus on passive solar design, adaptive reuse, and earth-based construction. With an interdisciplinary team of architects, masons, carpenters, and artisans, the studio bridges traditional techniques with contemporary needs, creating architecture that is both environmentally and culturally attuned.

Field Architects has received both national and international recognition for their work, which is celebrated for its sensitivity, innovation, and impact. Their projects demonstrate how architecture can be deeply rooted in place while addressing contemporary aspirations—reviving traditional knowledge systems to shape sustainable and resilient futures.

Ar. Suril Patel
Founding Partner

Suril Patel has worked with Serie Architects, in Mumbai, Beijing, and London for about a decade, and experienced working with Studio Mumbai for Ganga Maki Textile Studio in Uttarakhand. He pursued his B Arch in 2005 from IED, Gujarat. He regards processes related to design, representation, and construction as the fundamental aspects of the practice and is a perfectionist for details. His methodical approach, engineering mindset always push design boundaries.

Ar. Faiza Khan
Founding Partner

Faiza Khan earned her B Arch from AoA, Mumbai, and pursued M Arch from Barcelona Institute of Architecture in 2011. She has worked with Serie Architects, Malik Architecture, Stantec, and Studio Mumbai. She is an avid learner, and observant towards the local context and lifestyle that help her mould, appropriate, and execute the wide variety and scales of projects with utmost sincerity. She is trained under Ruedi Krebs, a Swiss master artisan, for lime and earthen finishes while working on Ganga Maki Textile Studio.

For the past few years, they have actively collaborated on adaptive reuse and conservation projects of various scales with Achi Association India, a non-profit organization working to safeguard the outstanding but endangered cultural heritage in the Himalayas.

They have coordinated and taught the Passive Solar and Earth Building two-year course and worked on various Passive Solar Buildings with SECMOL and HIAL in Ladakh. Faiza has also curated the Sun and Earth festival of Ladakh in 2017, which had multiple hands-on workshops exploring earth-building techniques and design principles for climate-responsive buildings.