Varun is an architect, designer, environmentalist and advisor focused on a sustainable and equitable future. In the past, he has worked on integrating environmental design processes with global design firms including HOK and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, as well as his own practice, Merge Studio, all based out of New York. He currently leads the strategic design, planning, and sustainability efforts for Battery Park City Authority in lower Manhattan, with a focus on urban resiliency and de-carbonization. Varun has also taught courses at Harvard GSD and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is a frequent guest critic at Princeton School of Architecture and U-Penn Design.
As a Board member of the Pokhrama Foundation, his primary focus is on helping design and build a carbon-neutral campus that meets the needs of its students and teachers, where buildings also become part of the pedagogical toolkit for the academic community. He is also actively involved in raising funds for the organization in the US.