Manas Bhatia

I’m a multidisciplinary designer working at the intersection of spatial design, emerging technologies, and critical storytelling. Trained as an architect and recently completing my M.S. in Computational Design Practices at Columbia GSAPP, my journey began sketching organic forms in Dehradun’s forests, drawn to nature’s patterns and early ideas of decoding them through computation. At Columbia, I reframed computation as a tool for systems thinking, advocacy, and inquiry — revealing how spatial interventions entwine with political, social, and ecological systems. My capstone explored generative AI for community-driven spatial interventions, rethinking how public memory and urban aspirations translate into built form while foregrounding data ethics and algorithmic literacy. Previously, I advanced from intern to Associate Architect at Ant Studio, India, contributing to climate-responsive and culturally grounded projects — from the CoolAnt cooling system to a martyrdom memorial plaza, NGO healthcare center, and a kindergarten. My speculative AI work has exhibited internationally at Château de Lourmarin (France) and been featured by CNN, BBC, Dezeen, Designboom, and PBS. I appeared in A Brief History of the Future (PBS), was nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30 (2024, Arts), and guest lectured on generative AI at University of Toronto, OP Jindal University, and Oxford School of Business. I also contributed as speaker and artist to Unfold: New Worlds of Fashion 2023, a Google event exploring AI-driven storytelling. Core Skills: Computational Urbanism (Rhino, Grasshopper) | BIM (Revit, Rhino.Inside) | AI/ML Workflows (ComfyUI, APIs) | Urban Data & GIS (QGIS, Python) | Digital Fabrication | Visualization (Unreal, Blender) | Web Design & Interactive Media (HTML, JS, ThreeJS, Web AR/VR) Let’s connect: mb5327@columbia.edu