Nikhil Kamat, AIA

Founding Principal & Lead Architect

Nikhil Kamat is the founding Principal of nKLOSURES. Nikhil studied architecture from the renowned Sir J.J. College of Architecture in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. Soon after receiving his architecture degree, Nikhil was accepted in the master’s degree program in landscape architecture at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles (U.S.A). His decision to pursue a higher degree in landscape architecture was made to broaden his expertise and was also based on his philosophy that outdoor space is an integral part of good architectural design. As part of his master’s thesis project, Nikhil was invited to work on a project that involved California State Parks under the guidance of distinguished Professor Achva Stein, a recipient of multiple international design awards. The main objective of his thesis was to manage the conflict over public and private land use between the State of California and the residents of El Morro mobile home community through design solutions. Nikhil’s proposed solutions were instrumental in bringing the two sides to a peaceful resolution, which concluded in an extension of the community’s lease on the property.

After receiving his master’s degree, Nikhil joined the prestigious architecture and planning firm, Gruen Associates, based in Los Angeles, California. During his tenure with them, Nikhil’s prior experience of working on various projects in India helped him to develop the master plan for a new community consisting of more than 10,000 acres for the Sahara India Pariwar. The community was planned to include seven distinct neighborhoods developed around recreational facilities, themed entertainment centers, and educational and high-tech employment centers. In addition, Nikhil also managed various projects for high-end retail stores located throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, such as Louis Vuitton, Lladro and Neiman Marcus.

After working with EE&K Architects on a waterfront development project in San Pedro, California, in 2004 Nikhil joined Arquitectonica, a multinational firm with projects in over 40 countries around the world. In addition to managing a variety of projects, Nikhil went on to become the Project Manager and assumed role of Project Manager of one of the single largest residential development projects in San Francisco for Trinity Properties. The project named “Trinity Place,” includes a total of 1,900 residential units and more than 60,000 square feet of retail space in multiple phases of completion: phase-one construction was completed in February 2010, and phase-two construction is scheduled to begin in January 2012 completed in 2013.

Since its inception in 2011, nKLOSURES work has been published and getting recognition.
Over his 15-year professional career, Nikhil has worked on a variety of projects involving architecture, interior, landscape and planning, not only diversifying his portfolio but also showcasing his design talents and expertise.