M.Arch. (Architectural Conservation)
Ar. Afifa Nuzhat is an architect and academic whose work lies at the intersection of architectural history, heritage conservation, adaptive reuse, and urban studies. With over a decade of integrated experience spanning academia, professional practice, research, and institutional engagement, she has contributed to architectural education while actively participating in conservation and heritage initiatives across India.
She currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the Jindal School of Design and Architecture (JSDA), O.P. Jindal Global University. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes critical inquiry, interdisciplinary learning, and the integration of historical understanding with contemporary design practice. She is particularly interested in exploring architecture as a medium of cultural production, collective memory, and socio-spatial transformation.
Afifa holds a Master's degree in Architectural Conservation and has previously taught at several reputed institutions while contributing to professional conservation projects. Her research focuses on heritage conservation, historic urban landscapes, tourism, resilience, and the adaptive transformation of historic environments. She has presented and published her work in national and international conferences and edited volumes, with recent publications examining urban conservation strategies and the evolving relationship between heritage and contemporary cities.
Her academic interests extend to design pedagogy, interdisciplinary education, and institution building, with a strong commitment to fostering collaborative learning environments that bridge architecture, history, culture, and the city. Through her teaching and research, she seeks to equip future architects with the critical and contextual understanding necessary to engage meaningfully with the complexities of the built environment.
Abdurahiman, Shahim, Kasthurba, A. K., & Nuzhat, A.
Framing a Conceptual Approach for Urban Conservation in Historic Cities- A Case of Kuttichira,
Kerala
Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH)
2024 | Book chapter
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33222-7_5
Afifa Nuzhat, Shahim Abdurahiman(2025)
Colonial echoes to contemporary resilience: A Case of Nainital as a Tourism Refuge
In Research Symposium Proceedings – Refuge City: Towards a New Urban Perspective in Global South, edited by
Afifa Nuzhat, Ophylia Vinodhini and Soumini Raja, 107–8. Kozhikode: Avani Institute of Design, 2025.
ISBN 978-93-343-8905-0.
Nuzhat, A. & Abdurahiman, S. (2021).
Community Driven Approach for Conservation of Cultural Heritage- A Case Study of the
Riverfront of Agra, Normal? Ecologies of Adaptation, Research Symposium Proceedings, Avani
Publications, June 2022, Calicut. 43-47, ISBN:978-93-5636-535-3
Afifa Nuzhat, Shahim Abdurahiman(2025)
Colonial echoes to contemporary resilience: A Case of Nainital as a Tourism Refuge
In Research Symposium Proceedings – Refuge City: Towards a New Urban Perspective in Global South, edited by
Afifa Nuzhat, Ophylia Vinodhini and Soumini Raja, 107–8. Kozhikode: Avani Institute of Design, 2025.
ISBN 978-93-343-8905-0.
Abdurahiman, S., Kasthurba, A. K., Nuzhat, A. (2024). “Assessing the socio-cultural impact of urban revitalization using Relative Positive Impact Index (RPII)”. Built Heritage, 8(1). [Indexed: SCOPUS]
Shahim Abdurahiman, Kasthurba A.K, Afifa Nuzhat (2024)
Built heritage aspect and its implication for value-based urban conservation in historic urban
precincts Wiadomości Konserwatorskie - Journal of Heritage Conservation
Month & Year: April 2024 || Vol. 77, Issue 1, pp. 72 -81
Indexation: SCOPUS
Shahim Abdurahiman, Kasthurba A. K., Afifa Nuzhat (2023)
Mapping and Decoding the Trajectory of Heritage-Centered Urban Transformation
Assessments
SCIRES-IT - SCIentific RESearch and Information Technology
2023-12-31 | Journal article
https://doi.org/10.2423/22394303v13n2p1
Abdurahiman, Shahim, Kasthurba, A. K., & Nuzhat, A. (2022).
Impact of Urban Heritage on Social Values in Historic Urban Precincts - Public Perception of the
Kuttichira Community, Kerala.
SCIRES-IT-SCIentific RESearch and Information Technology, 12(1), 19–30.
https://doi.org/10.2423/i22394303v12n1p19
Abdurahiman, Shahim, Kasthurba, A. K., & Nuzhat, A. (2023).
Role of Street Art and Graffiti in Conserving Cultural Built Heritage in Historic Precincts: A
Socio-Cultural Comparative Analysis of Three Case Models in India.
SCIRES-IT-SCIentific RESearch and Information Technology, 12(2), 99–108
Nuzhat, A. & Abdurahiman, S. (2021).
Community Driven Approach for Conservation of Cultural Heritage- A Case Study of the
Riverfront of Agra, Normal? Ecologies of Adaptation, Research Symposium Proceedings, Avani
Publications, June 2022, Calicut. 43-47, ISBN:978-93-5636-535-3
Nuzhat A, Abhirami, Devakumar, Raja R, Prabhakar N & Mhatre O. (2024). Kulapuras: The traditional bath pavilions of Kerala. In Architecture beyond the Blueprints (pp. 254-271). Council Of Architecture
Afifa Nuzhat, Aditi Verma, Nida Ansari, and Salil Mohan (2013). Application of Universal Design principles at World Heritage Site Architecture for Masses, Jamia University, New Delhi
Avani Academic Excellence Award 2023
Shortlisted entry in IIA National Awards 2019
GATE Scholarship 2015-2017
Received 'Pidilite Award For Excellence' 2013
INSDAG 2012 - North zone finalist
National Student Design Competition, SPA Bhopal (top 17)
Collaborative Workshop on 'Integrated Approachesfor Conservation of Natural and Cultural Resources: Community Contribution for Sustainable Development and Mitigating Climate Change’ by ICOMOS - March 2024
Normal?Ecologies of Adaptation, 2021, Avani Institute of Design, Thamrassery
International Conference on Design pedagogy and Contextual Aesthetics- Thanima 3, 2020, NIT Calicut
Geospatial Technologies for Heritage Conservation and Management, July 2019, NIAS, IISc Campus, Bengaluru
Beyond the Given: What? Organizing for Critical Pedagogy, Practice, and Institution Building in Architecture, September 2019, AVANI Institute of Design, Thamarassery, Kerala
DesignCon 2019: ‘ Design Huddle – Dreamsfor Building Future’, 2019, Karaparamba Govt. Higher Secondary School, Calicut
Editor of faculty magazine- ‘Skyline’
TRANSPARENCE 2012
Participated in LIK trophy NASA 2010
Participated in Photography & Lamp making competitions in "MANIFOLD "2010
Delegate in "Islamic Arts and Architecture" 2011
Participated in "INK" 2012 (2nd prize in sketching)
Participated in ARCHUMEN 2010, 2011
Conducted Heritage walk in Lodi Garden on World Heritage Day, 2017
Volunteer to prepare a Conservation Plan for St Joseph’s Anglo Indian School, Calicut
Conducted a documentation workshop for students at BMSCE, Bengaluru
Special lecture on Vernacular architecture of Melukote at CMR University, Bengaluru
Special lecture during Altitude ’19 at Vedavyasa College of Architecture, Malappuram, Kerala
Talk ‘Decoding Historic Cities’, INTACH Calicut Chapter
Talk ‘Ode to a Memory’ Sushant School of Design
‘Conversations on Conservation of Built Heritage,’ October 2019, DeEarth
