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Is architecture really a social responsibility?

 'as architects our goodness is more important than our greatness and our compassion more eventful than our passion.'  Like most people, I am guilty to attend seminars and conferences and accept invitations lured by the hotel where it is organised and the cocktails and dinner that follows. More often than not the conferences are only ways to meet new vendors, materials and are rather boring to be honest. But sometimes… just sometimes... it gives you back much more than what you expect. It forces you to ponder the untouched philosophies of life that have always existed around you without it being realized.Think about something that is so simple, so basic but neglected. I happened to be in one such conferences last night where it somewhere intensely touched my soul. I only hope that the chords it hit so deep within me should rather not fade away any sooner and that is why I thought of writing about it. After all this was my purpose when I started writing blogs. Though I am...
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Boss Homes-Part-1

A house is made of walls and beams. A house is made of love and dreams. If I ask, what would you rather design- a private residence or an apartment for a developer, what would be your answer? Do leave a comment at the end of this post.  I remember my conversation with Mr. Gupta one afternoon, for whom we are designing a commercial cum residential building at one of the most prestigious spots in the city. I have sat with him for hours, session after session, discussing each of the floors, commercial and residential, decoding his requirements. The most detailed discussion which lasted for a couple of hours was his floor, which he decided to convert into his own home. In the middle of the conversation he said to me, ’I know I am elaborating each and every aspect of this plan, only because it’s going to be my home and I have given a lot of thought to it, so please bear with me’. I instantly realised that I have not enjoyed discussing any of the other floors as much as this fl...

Luxury Washroom Design Challenge Entry

Few months back my boss forwarded an email to me which was a usual competition email with instructions to guide the interns to execute it. I never had an idea that I'll be more than delighted to see that it was rather an individual competition and only an architect with the license to practice can participate in it. I never thought that I would actually participate and submit it and it won't be just another 'to do' on my list until the last day of submission. This was a breath of fresh air, where I had no boundaries- no client to tell what exactly to do, no developer to impose all the monetary limitations and no government by-laws to follow. This was not something where I was supposed to give shape to the ideas of my boss, but rather put all the wisdom and knowledge gained under him and this firm and design something entirely on my own. It was also different from the college competitions, where I can't just paint unicorns in the sky, but look for a tool to crea...

Namma Bengaluru!

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." This article is not really about architecture but it is about an architect's love for travel. It's been two years and seven months and Bengaluru has more than changed my life. Living life independently on your own terms and your's alone has it's own perks. Broadly, there are supposed to be three phases in our lives and so we have been told. Phase 1: When you are a kid-you have all the energy and time but no money. Phase 2: When you are an earner- you have money and energy but no time, and Phase 3: When you are retired- you have time, you have money but no energy. So what do we do? We manage the little time, save and use the little money we have and all of our energy, in an age when we have almost no responsibilities, no worries, i.e. only if we allow ourselves to. Life is a celebration. That is what Bengaluru has taught me. It is full of enthusiastic people who earn, eat and travel, experi...