Sneha Patel’s research and pedagogical initiatives are broadly defined under two areas: firstly, the intersection between materiality and representation and secondly, the study of modernism within a post-colonial context. Believing that architecture is a discipline that is fully connected to representation, visualization and communication, Sneha Patel is interested in the potential that material and fabrication advancements offer in enhancing process-based desires in design. To support these goals and in collaboration with colleague, Rashida Ng, Professor Patel is currently engaged in a sponsored research project to develop a prototype daylighting panel embedded with phase change material. Additionally, Sneha Patel has developed an on-going research project initiated by a Robert Eidlitz Travel Fellowship awarded in 2004 to study and document the work of modernist Moroccan architect, Jean Francois Zevaco. This work is rooted in her interest to continually recast the definition and expand the scope of modernism in light of its roots in colonial enterprises and its unique character when examined through local cultural contexts. The research into Zevaco’s work has included a comparative photographic study of his buildings and spaces as originally designed and as they currently exist. Initiating a variety of responses, from programmatic reappropriation to exterior renovations, this examination raises broader questions of interest regarding the preservation of modernist works both within and beyond the metropole.