RMA Architects

What RMA Architects does

RMA Architects is a privately held architecture and urban design practice founded by Rahul Mehrotra in Mumbai in 1990 and re-formed under its current name in 2010, operating dual studios in Mumbai (Fort district headquarters) and Boston, Massachusetts. The firm delivers architecture across the full typological spectrum—single-family residences, corporate campuses, academic institutions, heritage conservation, museums, retail, and urban design—serving governmental agencies, academic institutions, NGOs, corporate clients (Hewlett-Packard, KMC, LMW), and high-net-worth private clients in India and internationally. Its technical signature is climate-responsive, contextually rooted design that integrates traditional South Asian passive cooling strategies (double-skin façades with evaporative cooling, operable louvres, courtyard humidification, manual perforated screens) with contemporary materials and craft-led construction techniques developed alongside local tradespeople.

The practice earns revenue through negotiated, project-based professional fees for architectural design, conservation, and urban planning services, with no public pricing, subscription model, or standardized rate card. Multi-year contract cadences are typical given the duration of institutional and conservation projects. Go-to-market is entirely direct: clients are acquired through academic visibility (Rahul Mehrotra's Harvard GSD chairmanship), professional reputation, peer referrals, invited architectural competitions (Sydney Modern Gallery finalist), and editorial coverage in design publications (Architectural Record, Domus, Dezeen). The firm is led by four Principal Architects and roughly 30 design and support staff, with affiliated initiatives—the Architecture Foundation, the Taj Mahal Conservation Collaborative (TMCC), and The Bombay Collaborative—operating parallel research, conservation, and exhibition platforms. There is no disclosed external equity, debt, or venture funding; the practice remains wholly controlled by its founding principals and operates as a boutique, expertise-led studio.

Name

RMA Architects

Legal name

RMA Architects

Website

https://rmaarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RMA Architects is a Mumbai-based, privately held architecture and urban design practice with a Boston studio, founded in 1990 by Rahul Mehrotra, serving institutional, corporate, heritage, residential, and NGO clients in India and internationally through climate-responsive, culturally rooted design and conservation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Heritage conservation architecture
• Urban design planning
• Climate responsive design
• Passive cooling architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: RMA Architects generates revenue through fees for architectural design and conservation services. Projects span single-family residences to large institutional and corporate buildings and urban design proposals, serving governmental agencies, NGOs, corporate entities, and private clients. The firm also undertakes pro bono work for social causes such as community toilets for SPARC.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RMA Architects provides full-service architectural design, heritage conservation and restoration, and urban design and planning services. Projects span residential houses, corporate workplaces and campuses, institutional buildings, retail spaces, art galleries, and museums, as well as restoration of palaces and monuments for governmental, corporate, NGO, cultural, and private clients across India and internationally.

Product overview

RMA Architects is an architectural practice offering comprehensive design services structured around three core offerings: Architecture Services (residential, workplace, institutional, retail, and art space design), Conservation and Restoration (heritage buildings and cultural sites), and Urban Design and Planning. The practice complements its design work with Research and Publications including books by Principal Rahul Mehrotra, and operates an Architecture Foundation for research initiatives. Projects range from single-family residences to large institutional campuses and urban design proposals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Architecture Foundation: An initiative by RMA Architects focused on architecture foundation work including the Goa 2100 sustainable cities project and exhibitions.
• Taj Mahal Conservation Collaborative (TMCC)
• The Bombay Collaborative

Products and services

• Architecture Services
• Conservation and Restoration
• Urban Design and Planning

Quantifiable outcome

• HP Software Campus reduced air-conditioning by one-third compared to business-as-usual software campus design through passive cooling and cross-ventilation strategies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2020Rahul Mehrotra serves as Chair of the Department of Urban Planning and Design and John T. Dunlop Professor in Housing and Urbanization at Harvard GSD. This academic position provides ongoing research integration, intellectual leadership, and global visibility for the practice.
• Taj Mahal Conservation Collaborative (TMCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2000Established by RMA Architects in July 2001 as a multidisciplinary conservation collaborative bringing together international conservation professionals. The TMCC was formed under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Tata Group and the Government of India (National Culture Fund / Archaeological Survey of India) for the Taj Mahal Visitor Centre project — one of the first private-public partnership projects related to architectural conservation in India.
• The Bombay CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA conservation-focused collaborative mentioned in project work, including the Cappella Da Nossa Senhora Do Monte restoration in Old Goa. The firm collaborates with local craftspeople and contractors on conservation projects.
• Architecture FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture Foundation is listed as an affiliated organization. Ela Singhal serves as Executive Director of Architecture Foundation while also listed on the RMA Architects staff. Architecture Foundation co-produced the 'Architecture of Practice' exhibition with Goethe Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai in 2021.
• Charles Correa FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNondita Correa Mehrotra serves as Director of the Charles Correa Foundation in Panjim, Goa. This connection extends the firm's network in conservation and architectural education in India.
• Aga Khan Award for ArchitectureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMA Architects is affiliated with the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The CEPT Library was shortlisted for the 2022 award, and Nondita Correa Mehrotra served on the award's Master Jury for the 2017-19 cycle.
• LSE Cities BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRahul Mehrotra serves on the LSE Cities Governing Board, connecting the practice to urban policy research networks at the London School of Economics.
• Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an affiliated organization. UDRI is a Mumbai-based organization focused on urban design research.
• Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an affiliated organization. IIHS is a national knowledge institution working on housing and human settlements in India.
• PUKAR (Partners for Knowledge, Action and Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an affiliated organization. PUKAR is a Mumbai-based organization focused on knowledge sharing and research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• David Chipperfield Architects: Global practice with deep heritage conservation credentials (Neues Museum Berlin, Procuratie Vecchie Venice) alongside contemporary cultural and institutional architecture. Directly comparable to RMA's conservation + contemporary cultural portfolio, but operating globally at substantially larger scale.
• Foster + Partners: Global architecture firm with significant Indian institutional and corporate work (Bloomberg headquarters, Apple Park, and Indian commercial projects). Competes with RMA for marquee international commissions and operates the kind of large-scale campus commissions RMA pursues in India.

Direct peers

• Christopher Benninger Architects: One of India's most established architecture firms with a comparable portfolio spanning institutional campuses, corporate headquarters, and urban design. Both firms serve major Indian academic and corporate clients (IIM-type institutions, large enterprise HQs), though Benninger operates at larger scale.
• Matharoo Associates: Ahmedabad-based practice with craft-based, contextually responsive architecture for residential and small institutional clients. Shares RMA's design philosophy and Gujarat/India regional focus on contextual modernism.
• Studio Mumbai: Bijoy Jain's Mumbai-based practice shares RMA's philosophy of craft-led, contextually rooted, climate-responsive architecture across institutional and residential typologies in India. Both firms work with local artisans and emphasize material honesty, and both maintain internationally recognized design profiles of comparable boutique scale.
• Vir.Mueller Architects: Indian architecture firm similarly focused on heritage-sensitive contemporary design, conservation, and contextual building craft. Operates at a comparable boutique scale and shares RMA's positioning at the intersection of contemporary design and traditional Indian building knowledge.
• SJK Architects (Shimul Javeri Kadri): Mumbai-based architecture firm with a similar typology mix including residential, institutional, and conservation work. Comparable boutique size and Indian-context focus, with comparable emphasis on contextual and craft-led design.

Emerging players

• Sameep Padora and Associates: Mumbai-based practice with comparable focus on craft, materiality, and contextual architecture at smaller scale. Overlaps with RMA in residential and small institutional typologies, particularly in low-cost and material-innovation work like the Loblolly House.
• Architecture BRIO: Mumbai and Zurich-based practice focused on climate-responsive, contextually rooted architecture across India and internationally. Shares RMA's emphasis on passive environmental design and craft-led building, though at smaller scale and earlier stage.
• AANGAN Architects: Indian architecture firm with comparable mix of residential, institutional, and contextual work, particularly in heritage and low-income housing contexts. Overlaps with RMA in social-sector and climate-responsive residential projects but at earlier growth stage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RMAarchitects.mumbai.boston
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rmaarchitects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RMA Architects