She started learning Bharatanatyam when she was four years old and gave her first on-stage Arangetram performance in 1961,[10] when Padma Bhushan Dhanvanthi Rama Rau called her a child prodigy.

[16] Her family moved to Chennai to give her greater opportunities in the classical arts and to be trained in Bharatanatyam by Sri Dandayudha Pani Pillai.

[28] Her work ranges from the low-cost Reciprocal House for the socio-economically underprivileged that she designed on invitation from the World Bank in 1987,[29][30][31] to the first of its kind energy efficient commercial buildings, custom bungalows, residential communities, integrated townships, industrial facilities, art museums, sports stadiums, centers of education, public infrastructure and luxury hotels.

[32][33] Her research findings are particularly relevant in high-density rapidly developing economies[34] Her work in spaciology,[35][36] particularly as it applies to healthcare[37] and the leisure, wellness, and hospitality industry,[38] examines the impact of the built environment upon human behaviour, through urban design, architecture and sociology.

She has combined the principles of Bharatanatyam, classical Indian music, sculpture and architecture in award-winning projects[42][43] In 1993, she designed a home in Chennai with recycled materials and pioneered a system for rainwater harvesting.

This was the first significant modern day attempt to restore this UNESCO World Heritage Monument, following a rigorous process of technical and design proposal evaluation.

[49] Sheila Sri Prakash's firm Shilpa Architects, was commissioned by the panel from the Archaeological Survey of India, out of more than a 100 short listed global and local architectural preservation considered for the project by the authorities.

[49] This restoration effort involved research and study of the original archives, dating back to 950 CE, to unravel the techniques of ancient Indian engineering.

Another large scale housing project is within Mahindra World City, the upcoming Taj 5-star beach resort near Pondicherry,[66] the state of Tamil Nadu's first platinum rated office complex for Cethar Vessels, an office building for HDFC Bank, as well as the regional headquarters for the State Bank of India.