Prakash Nair is a globally acclaimed architect and educator who specializes in the design of innovative schools. He is the recipient of many international awards, including the A4LE MacConnell Award — the highest honor worldwide for school design.
Today, he serves as the Founding President & CEO of Education Design International (EDI) — a company with multiple studios around the world. Before EDI, Prakash Nair served as the founding President & CEO of Fielding Nair International.
His international experience is vast, having worked with schools in 59 countries on six continents over the past 26 years, bringing a rich diversity of global insights to his work. This extensive international exposure has greatly influenced his student-centered approach to educational architecture and design. His expertise in architecture, education, neuroscience, psychology, and child development has driven EDI to the forefront of integrating research-driven innovations in school architecture. Prakash champions enhancing children’s health and wellbeing in school environments, embodying the principle of “Wellbeing for Learning.”
Prakash’s career began with a significant role as Director of Operations for New York City’s multibillion-dollar school construction program, where he honed his skills for a decade before moving into private practice.
As a renowned author, Prakash has penned many influential works. His most recent publications, including Building Minds and A New Language of School Design, represent the evolved, modern design philosophies proprietary to EDI. His historical bibliography includes Learning by Design: Live | Play | Engage | Create, Blueprint for Tomorrow: Redesigning Schools for Student-Centered Learning (published by Harvard Education Press), and The Language of School Design (completed during his former tenure at FNI). His scholarly contributions also include several published articles in reputable journals and white papers on neuroscience, biophilic design, and outdoor learning.
An esteemed educator, Prakash has contributed to the Harvard edX “Leaders of Learning” course, impacting over 420,000 global participants. His frequent keynote presentations at international education conferences and his TEDx talk further establish him as a preeminent figure in Innovative School Design.
Under Prakash’s stewardship, EDI has developed a unique suite of apps to enhance learning environments — an innovation that earned him the prestigious Kelly Tanner Award from A4LE.