Why I Started RADA ?

I post-graduated in the year 2020. Into a pandemic. Into a silence that made every architect to ask the same daunting question: now what?

My journey began at MANIT Bhopal, where I first learned that architecture isn't just about structures it’s about how a space makes a person feel. That perspective widened at IIT Kharagpur during my Master’s in City Planning. Suddenly, I wasn't just looking at a single room; I was seeing how a building acts as a node within a neighborhood, shaping how we move, work, and live.

When the world shut down, that perspective became my fuel. While construction sites were locked, the silence allowed for a different kind of work: reflection. I realized that too many projects lose their soul somewhere between the first drawing and the final brick. Visions get diluted, and the "why" gets lost in the "how".

I wanted to build a practice where the original vision remains protected from the first conversation to the final handover. That belief became RADA (Rishabh Atulkar Design Atelier).

In the years following my post-graduation, I put these ideas to the test. I worked on commercial complexes that had to perform on day one, residences that held a family’s entire life savings, and public projects like the CM Rise School for the Government of Madhya Pradesh. These experiences taught me that architecture isn't a render on a screen, it’s the logic of the local climate and the practical reality of execution.

At RADA, we operate on a few core commitments:

• Logic Over Trends: We design based on site, climate, and human use, not the "trend-board" of the season.

• Performance First: Before we ask how a building looks, we ask how it performs. How does the light move? Does it genuinely improve the life of the user?

• Depth Over Volume: We intentionally take on fewer projects to ensure every floor plan and section drawing gets the obsession it deserves.

The RADA Foundation:

We are also establishing a quiet initiative to bring thoughtful spatial design to communities that rarely have access to it.

Let’s Build Something Meaningful...

A space should be felt, not just seen. And what we build today must serve the people and the city around it for generations to come.

Ar. Rishabh Atulkar

Founder, RADA · Bhopal