Sir J.J. College of Architecture

Sir J. J. School of Art was established in 1857 and was earlier named as the Bombay School of Art & Industry. It was established by the great visionary Sir Jamshetjee Jeejeebhoy. By the mid-19th century, architectural learning got collaborated with art education which was followed by the Beaux-Arts School of sculptural ornament and architectural detailing. By 1913, that means a hundred years ago, architecture as a distinct discipline got recognized by the formulation of a separate as well as independent Department of Architecture of the Sir J. J. School of Art.

In 1952, the department of architecture was transformed into a department of the University of Mumbai, and the school then became the Sir J. J. College of Architecture. During the last hundred years, the college has consistently excelled and came out as top college as well as has enhanced its reputation by having a handful of distinguished alumni including architects like Padmashri Achyut Kanvinde and Padmashri Balkrishna Doshi. Mumbai University has consistently supported the College’s aim to achieve architectural prominence over the last six decades.

The institution offers two courses namely, Bachelor of Architecture (undergraduate, B.Arch.-5 years) and Master of Architecture (postgraduate, M.Arch.- 2 years). The B.Arch. course admits approximately 70 students per year. Every academic year commences by August and winds up by the month of April. The programs in fact provides a better outreach to the students as well as the faculties who always wanted to explore their area of interest.

The institution is able to provide top-rated facilities as well as amenities for the students in order to pursue their ambitions as well as a better career. The Students have facilities for tuition along with individual guidance from professors, and facilities like spacious studios, workshops and rich reference library are the special features of the institution. Plus, they will get sufficient exposure with the great architects of the time

PerinJamsetjee Mistri believed to be the first woman to have trained and qualified as an architect in India gained an architecture diploma from the College in 1936. Piloo Mody, an Indian architect and politician, one of the founding members of the Swatantra Party as one of the distinguished alumni from Sir J. J. College of Architecture. Prem Nath, the iconic Indian architect known for the revolving restaurant at the Ambassador Hotel in Mumbai, Cygnus world school in Gujarat and Golden Palm, Bangalore completed his diploma with highest honors in 1965 from the College. Abdulhusein M. Thariani who belonged to the first-generation trained architects from Pakistan, Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka being amongst his most prominent works in Mumbai, Karachi and Dhaka, born in Bombay of British India, went to Sir J. J. School of Art’s Architecture department. Minette De Silva, internationally recognized architect, regarded as the pioneer of modern architectural style in Sri Lanka travelled to train at Bombay at the College since she wasn’t able to train at Colombo during those times. Padma Shri Achyut Kanvinde graduated in architecture from Sir J.J. School of Arts in 1942 in Mumbai. OAL and Padma Bhushan B. V. Doshi pioneer of modernist and brutalist architecture in India, whose noteworthy designs constitutes Amdavadni Gufa, NIFT Delhi, IIMB, IIM Udaipur etc. studied from the College in Mumbai between 1947 and 1950.