The Architect or the Client?

As an architect, sometimes a part of our job includes convincing clients about changing decisions for designs we think works better for their home. While we go by our client's opinions most of the time, there are times when we feel strongly about a few decisions.
"Trust me when I tell you this", I have heard Sai suggest a few clients. When listening to this, I totally understand why Sai might be saying it. Sometimes as architects, we understand the usability of the spaces probably better than the client.

But what happens when you are in a scenario when you are both the architect and the client?

Recently, my parents decided to give Sandarbh the project of renovating my ancestral house. I was super excited about this .'How awesome would that be', I thought. I would get a chance to be a part of every design process. From each tile to every partition, my input would be included for every part of the house. How often would I get the chance to redesign the house my ancestors built and lived in? It was a great privilege. I was sure I was more the architect than the client for this one. We were going to do a great job on this. 

A few weeks into the design process and I wasn't sure about this anymore. As Meghna began to design the first cut of the house, I began to feel myself being uncomfortable. 'How can she shift that space? That's the space where my grandma spent her mornings. That along with a hundred other similar questions in my head wouldn't let myself willingly accept any changes bought to the house.

 'So what if the spaces are smaller?', I would think.  It's worked well all this while.

It was a constant war between the architect and the client inside me.

As this project moves forward, the experience of being the client working in the architect's office is probably going to change the way I look at clients who come to our office asking us to redesign their home. I realize that architecture is way more than a couple of walls enclosing a space. It's about feelings, about emotions and about the way people remember their fondest memories. 

Almost Goodbye

The determination to update

Here I am sitting in the bus stop on my way to Pondicherry, and suddenly the thought struck.

I did not update my blog.

Now I understand this might very well be my last blog. It was my last day at the internship and sadly enough I almost forgot to put up my probably good bye blog.

Almost being the key word here.

Goodbyes have always been a major part of my life. Saying good bye as regularly as breathing. But that doesn't makes it any easier.

So here is a goodbye to each and every person at Sandarbh.

Starting from the cutest. Atom and Coco. The overly affectionate and absolutely gentle dogs. Thank you for keeping up the overall mood of the office.

The Interns

Now I realise most of our batch of interns have left. That doesn't mean I can't say a delayed goodbye.

Thank you for keeping up with my seriously poor jokes. Thank you for being such great friends and never giving me a chance to be home sick.

The Junior Architects. (a.k.a, Harshita, Sulu and Ananya)

Thanks for not losing your temper with me whenever I refused to do work, (which in my defense was really boring).

Harshita, you are actually not that bad. I still remember how comfortable you made me feel in the office the first day.

Sulu, I know I am your favourite 😂.

And Ananya, don't be lazy and just write your damn blog! (Thanks for keeping up with mine).

Mallika, though we haven't been acquainted for a long time. Thanks for all the smiles you bring everyday to the office.

The Senior Architect.

I am sorry for sleeping off and missing your treat. But thanks for being the most entertaining person in the office.

Allie,

You are a complete superstar. And one of the most creative person I have met. Always be this confident, creative person you are.

Leena,

Thanks for being absolutely straight with me. I think that is one of your best (and the scariest) quality. And thanks for not going bezerk on my blogs.

And Sai,

Okay so there are loads of things I need to be thankfull here, even if I don't cover all of them there is one I definitely would like to put out.

Thank you for being a mentor.

Thanks for not giving up on me. Even though I am pretty sure I have some pretty good reasons to.

Thanks for making me realise my vision and that it is achievable. Even for a lazy person such as me.

Thank you Sandarbh. For being a real extended family to me.

Love,

Shreya

Writing Partnership

When Shreya Singh first joined the firm, she was assigned to be working under me. While we started off on a good note, it turned sour in a few days. It continued the same way until she began her Project 365 here.

As a part of her Project 365 , she was assigned to write a blog every day on the Sandarbh Blog.
"What do I write today Ananya!!", she would come and whine every evening. And every single of these evenings, I would respond with a "Why do you think I am not taking up a project 365? Stop asking me" , and her whining would continue.
But at the end of the day-  she would definitely put up a post and I would think, damn - how did she do it?

This continued for a long time until I got tricked into the Project 365 as well. And with the "Start Blogging" post that she had written for me, started a new partnership. Then instead of the one sided whining, we began to whine to each other. And in the hope that we get blog ideas out of it, we began to have random conversations about things that really didn't matter. Every other day, we would have "Dude, I think the blog I wrote doesn't make any sense!" from one of us to the other.  "It's okay, even mine doesn't ", the other would say.

So, now that Shreya is done with her internship period and going out to do new things, I just realized that the Project 365 is solely on me until another intern takes over Shreya's role!
Oh no! Who will I whine to every night?

I think I'll miss my writing buddy in office. Best of luck for your future adventures Shreya!

Happy Birthday Rambo!

Finally there is another birthday in the office.

The extremely artistic, slightly awkward but definitely one of the best senior architect one can have around.

I still remember the first hi to Rambo, where every intern gathered in the office, finally to see who is this Rambo everyone keeps on talking about, and singing in sync, ~Hi Rambo~

Now, I am pretty sure it is his birthday today. Though he is being extremely sneaky about it. When Drashti asked him point blank “Is it really your birthday today?”

He answered, “My birthday is in July.”

Birthday or not.

Here is a shout out to Rambo.

Senior Architect of Sandarbh.

Happy Birthday Rambo!

P.S.- I cant believe I missed your birthday treat! Do you think we can get another one? 

P.P.S.- I know Leena had already posted a happy birthday post. But you know whats better than one Birthday shout-out? Two Birthday Shout-outs! 

Our Birthday Boy

It was a sight to see Rambo's face in the morning today! Birthday boy came in to all of us breaking out singing 'Happy Birthday to you' and Rambo, in his usual style, blushed the deepest shade of pink and could'nt look at any of us for the a while! 

In Sandarbh we take birthdays very seriously! We love to celebrate and birthdays are big events! We all go out and the treat is on the birthday girl or boy. Interns are warned of this tradition in the introductory mails itself and architects are told of the treat as well when they join. Most of us hope that we share our birthday months at least with a few others so that the treat can be a combined one! 

Today is a biggie - Rambo's birthday! We have not yet planned specifics but we are all in and he is all set for his treat and we'll have a blast! 

Much needed this after the crazy busy few weeks we have all been having ..... 

To good times and great work .... always ....

Happy birthday Rambo!! 

Thank you in advance from all of Sandarbh! :-) 

Wax on Wax off

16 weeks over in a blink of an eye.

As I came to the office the first day, I knew my 16 weeks would be fun from the atmosphere in the office. And I was mostly right.

Though the first few weeks I struggled to find my place in the office. I got to do Layout which was literally punishment made for hell by Satan himself. But once I did find my place, I was happy. And so was Sai.

He told me that I am finally producing work he can use.

To which I looked at him in bewilderment. “I did Layout for a whole week! What about that?”

Both Rambo and he laughed. “That was practice.”

WHAT FOR?

And then as we remised over the past few weeks and my extreme hardships, over good food, Rambo asked me “Have you seen Karate Kid?”

And then it struck me, “wax on wax off!”

Made total sense.

“Hard work doesn’t necessarily bear you fruit. You can be working in the opposite direction of productivity.”

That is one lesson I will take with myself.

Oh no! Bathrooms?

While the others at office were busy pushing magical bikes (read Shreya's blog here), I had a very different kind of day. Almost the whole day went in selecting things related to bathrooms - fittings, fixtures and tiles.

Ask any intern applying for an architectural internship in any firm and they would tell you that the word they dread hearing  the most would be 'bathrooms'. Bathrooms seem boring - take a commode, a sink and a shower area, place it - and there, the bathroom is done . I thought the same too. Surprisingly enough, the day was exhausting - but not as intellectually draining as I thought it would be. Bathrooms could be made into interesting spaces too.

Accompanying a client who needed some advice picking fixtures and tiles for their bathrooms, we set off to a jaguar showroom and spent our day looking at shower heads, commodes and flush tanks. Later, we looked at glossy vs Matt tiles, marble lookalike ceramic tiles and many other versions of tiles. We have seen it all, fixtures that cost about Rs.1000 to ones that cost lakhs and lakhs. People have spend hours designing these units - considering the white deposits on the shower head, the aesthetics of the pipes that run and factors of cleanliness, comfort etc. Suddenly, designing bathrooms didn't seem as pointless as it did earlier.

Later, as I got back home and looked into my bathroom, I could see details which would have made the design better and my home a much more comfortable space. I wondered if there was an disillusioned intern who could have possibly made the drawings for this space which is one of the spaces I use the first thing in the morning.

It's probably time to design a couple of beautiful bathrooms.

P.S We have set our eyes on an expensive jacuzzi which I think would be a perfect addition to the office. Just have to convince Sai to get it for us.

Sandarbh Ki Basanti.

Dragging a scooter from office to the nearest petrol pump is no easy feat. And that is something Drashti will confirm.

As we headed out from office today, Harshita and Sulu had some work on site, so they decided to take our resident scooter. Which till now, was extensively been used by various people.

Fun Fact: it doesn’t need a key to start. It works on magic (as most of us agreed, though Sai still suggested it was hot-wired).

It didn’t start though.

We tried self-start… dead.

We tried kick starting it- nope.

And then we realized, there was no fuel. The fuel tank was dry. All this time it had been running on fumes.

And so we (Ahem! Drashti) dragged the thing all the way to the petrol pump. As we waited for our turn we couldn’t help but wonder, how the hell was this thing working till now!?

The answer came in the form of a cheap car sticker which was stuck in the back of the bike in front of us.

“Jesus loves you”

And then suddenly everything made sense.

The scooter still didn’t work though. So we left it in the nearby garage and took a cab instead.

The office had a good laugh about it later in the evening. Sulu being Sulu suggested that we should probably take a scooter what works on fuel and not magic.

But seriously Sulu, where’s the fun in that?

Internships

Like I said yesterday, every year, there are times when the interns are leaving - creating a void in the office when they do.  Suddenly, the spaces in the office feel empty. But linked to this is another activity that repeats .

And that is selection of our new interns.

Just as the interns we pick join the firm starting their 6 months training, the next bunch of interns begin sending in their applications. It starts with a couple of applications and as the months pass, it ends up flooding our inboxes with mails and portfolios from all parts of the country.
The internship process is quite interesting. As soon as interns apply, we start our process with an introduction mail which talks about the way we work, asking them for a small introduction of themselves.  The answers, almost always are diverse and shows us different characters with different contexts and stories.

Based on the answers and the portfolio,  we pick a few who are then called for a telephonic interview.The call and the conversation along with it is quite fun to be a part of. A lot of the team members, sit around while the call is made - listening and figuring out if this person can be a part of the team.

After a lot of these calls and further mails and communication, is when the interns are finally picked- which gives us a gap of a month when the present batch finishes, and the next set of interns join. And then the cycle continues....

Miles to go

I was asked today, 

Sandarbh or some other firm. 

Which one would you rather work with once you leave? 

I had no answer for that. In my four months in this amazing office, I have grown to love working with each and every person around. Contributing my way. 

As my internship (and my college) is coming to an end, there are several questions going on in my head. 

What will I do now? 

Will I be one of those people who go on a “soul searching” journey to some mountainous trek? 

I hope I am not bored. 

At the same time, there are several things I want to do. 

And if someone asks me Sandarbh or something else. I will probably just melt like chilled ice-cream on a hot sizzling pot, and say Sandarbh. I don’t even know how that was even a question. And as I keep preaching in most of my blogs. I love learning new things here, do what makes me extremely happy. And for once I know I can use my strengths and develop on them to achieve my dreams in life. 

But I think I am becoming comfortable. And I don’t want to be comfortable so early in my carrier. 

Sai, I wish I could work in Sandarbh as an architect. But as Robert Frost so beautifully put it, 

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, 

But I have promises to keep, 

And miles to go before I sleep, 

And miles to go before I sleep. 

And I personally think you would want me to do the same.

Who is this Rambo?

It's sometimes very nice to go back to the early times. Last night, we ( myself, Harshitha and Sulu) sat together talking about the times when we had just joined the office. 

Harshitha and me joined the firm around the same time. So after our job was confirmed at the firm, both of us began to speak to other employees working at Sandarbh trying to understand the work culture and our living options. Sai had connected me to a couple of girls from the team so that I could figure out about moving to Bangalore. He introduced me to Priya, Madhura and a couple of interns. I immediately set upon asking them details of stays etc. 

So one evening, Harshitha texted me introducing herself. I had heard of Harshitha only once before and was surprised to  see her texting me. 

"I heard that you are looking for a place to stay near Sandarbh. Rambo told me about it", she texted. "I am looking for a place to stay as well, so do you want to find a place together?". 

She spoke about other things regarding apartments, rents and other factors to consider. After reading the text, I had a couple of  concerns in my head. For eg. the fact that she was a stranger I had never met before, or that I didn't know how her lifestyle was like.

 But beyond all of this, I had another major concern running through my head - 

"Who is this Rambo", I texted back. 

'And why is he talking about me?', I thought in my head. 

*

Rambo, today - is a close friend. Harshitha and me, are very content roommates. We have a hearty laugh everytime this conversation is repeated. 

Today, the people at office feels like such a large part of my life that this phase seems like it happened centuries ago. Even the people who joined later, like the interns who would stick around only for 6 months or a year maximum, feels like family. It takes a toll on your emotions everytime a batch leaves. 

What a difference time can make!

What goes around comes around

Something Sai said today that has been ringing in the back of my head since the morning. There is no pure style of architecture. 

There is no style of architecture that exists in its own bubble of pure idea and form. It is always inspired by something. It is always connected to some other. 

As we think about it and reminisce about the styles in architecture, sure, in the field of invention that may have affected the techniques we use to build but forms and elements. 

I am sure Sai could explain it better than I can, however, the simple thought of it just made me realize how my life had been a lie. 

I have always been so interested in learning about style in architecture. How Greeks started with the Fibonacci series, the Romans perfected it. How Gothics gained such heights by just innovative building techniques, Renaissance looked back to the masters. How modern architecture was like a rebel child who wanted nothing to do with its superficial predecessor, Neo-Classical. And that is me only taking about European architecture. There is a whole different series of evolution for Persian, Chinese and Indian. 

But instead of these parallel rivers that I saw them to be, it turns out they may be the tributary of the same. There is a heavy influence of Indian style in Chinese architecture. Which could be traced back to the Buddhist influence, and vice versa. 

There is also a heavy influence of Persian architecture in Indian architecture, which we call the Mughal architecture. But the mosaics in Persian architecture started only when Indian artisans brought their art to the great Persian Empire. 

When you read through history and start to read between the lines there are many such examples that you come across which may seem surprising. Ideas that further prove the fact that architecture is like one big Banyan tree.

Create or Destroy?

Beauty is a term that is commonly used in an architect's vocabulary. Almost all of our conversations and debates are about or would lead to beauty. Our careers are made out of these debates and conversations.

But today, a conversation in the car led to another discussion about beauty. What do architects do to beauty?

Once upon a time, not so long ago - Bangalore was referred to as a very beautiful city. "The city of parks", it was called. The landscape, the weather, everything about Bangalore was beautiful. People spoke about the green avenues, great canopies and amazing trees. After reading about this pretty Bangalore, when I got here, I frankly didn't see the beauty everyone was taking about. All I saw was the dust, the traffic and rapid construction in all parts of the city. Even the heat and the climate wasnt what I heard about.

Have we ruined the Bangalore that nature gifted us? Probably yes.

This probably sounds like a very negative viewpoint towards Bangalore. But as Architects, I think we have a lot of the changes the city is undergoing in our hands. We can take the responsibility - to understand and perserve the beauty around us.

As an architect my self, I think it's time I ask myself this question every time I get a new project. Am I creating beauty? Or destroying it?

What do you guys think? Have Architects added to nature it taken away from her?

2B or not 2B

It has come to my attention that the past few days I have become a glaringly boring person. The blogs I have been writing are a snooze fest. Now, in my defense, when you write a blog every day, there comes a day when you just start to repeat yourself. But today I had made up my mind that I would rectify this dullness. And so like any sane person, the first thing I did was googled something fun. To be more specific, I googled Architecture Jokes.

Not a good idea.

Believe me, when I say, do not do that to yourself. What you come across is not going to make anyone’s life better. Let me give you of an example I had to suffer through.

Q: "What do you say when your Ortho breaks...?"

A: "OSNAP!"

OSNAP. That’s the sound you will be hearing when I meet you and break your neck internet person!

As I moved forward, (hoping that the internet might have a few good (wo)men) I am sad to inform you, I was disappointed.

Soon I came across a BuzzFeed article about architects who really messed. After scrolling through a few pictures of failed stairs, ramps and doors, I realized I wasn’t even smiling anymore. Sure the first few pictures surprised me and so maybe gained a laugh. But soon even that turned mundane. And so I realized, making people laugh was not the reason I started blogging in the first place. Sure I love it when someone gets a laugh or two reading something I wrote. But that was not the whole point. And so I gave up on my struggle of finding something funny before I make a few

And spent my Saturday evening responsibly by playing with Pepper.
So ending on a high note, here is another picture of Pepper the cat. (she is as big as my hand!)

Divine Comedy

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them”. It is a profound thought by Greek philosopher that got me thinking.

It’s like a paradox when you think about it. And it is a paradox of being an expert, we can’t do without learning, and we can’t learn without doing.

What?

I am sure most of the students graduating out there can relate to the sentiment. It is our greatest dilemma.

I want a job to gain experience, but I need the experience to apply for the job…

Divine Comedy is what I would call it. However, it often slips through our minds. Though we might not have enough experience in the professional field, we do have enough of it in the personal one.

We are the younger generation. We just graduated from college, and each one of us has a vision for our lives, a vision for the world. Where the old fall short in time and a drive. We have both. If we put our heads in it and finally stop doubting ourselves. It might turn out this divine comedy might actually be funny.

It’s something Sai says a lot, you are your own enemy, the only thing limiting you is your perception of yourself.

And so I would like to end with another paradox, introduced to us by Sai.

I sing because I am happy, I am happy because I sing. 

Meet Pepper!

Hey Guys! Sandarbh has a new team member now!
Everybody, meet Pepper - the latest and youngest member of the family.

After being rescued from a bunch of stray dogs attacking her, Pepper was bought to us by this kind man who put up her picture on an adoption website. Leena, as soon as she saw the post - gave a call asking for Pepper and by the end of the day, here she was! Pepper's gender is still under debate in office. Shreya is pretty sure Pepper is a female, Ally is sure Pepper is a guy. Until this is clarified, I am just going to address Pepper as a female. 

Ever since she got here, Pepper has been super friendly to everyone and spent her first day at office moving around the office in Ally's arms and occasionally sleeping on laptops, laps and the bed in the garage. The little one even scared away Atom, when he came sniffing her in curiosity. 

All the Instagram stories posted tagging Sandarbh were of her today and probably would be for the next few days.

Looking forward to more fun days with Pepper!

We still miss you Spice and Bella! Come back soon. 

Conversations

From the outside, Architecture might look like a profession which only includes drawing, sketching, 3D views etc. Most of the student architects might have the same point of view too till  they graduate

Infact, the reality is quite different. Being a service oriented industry, a major bulk of an Architect's day is spent doing activities far away from sketches or plans.

A majority of the work Architects do is communicate. We start the project speaking and understanding the client. As the days and project moves forward, conversations through mails, phone calls and meetings continue. The conversation spreads to the carpenter, the contractor and the client.

At the end of the project, it is the same communication and conversation that gives you a new project to work on.

So after a long day of back to back meetings and conversations, I realize - a majority of the Architectural education should have been about communication.

For without it, the plans, sketches etc. have no scope to develop.

The art of Building Homes

Designing a person’s home is the most challenging thing as an architect.

Yes, I said it. And you heard me right.

Recently enough Ananya had written about her experience with her old friend, where the two talked about the two vastly different paths they have taken in architecture. One designing with numbers and another with the heart.

A home is a basic necessity that is needed by a person, it is meant to be this extremely expressive project. A place that one can call their own in this big world.

When a client comes to us, they come with certain hopes and expectations, as they do in case of every project. However, their hopes and expectations, in this case, are highly emotional. An average human being builds a house once in their lifetime or at least they think it might be the last time. And it is very important their abode be perfect.

Architecture often sways between the subjective and objective aspects of design. When we start designing a house it leans more towards the subjective side, and suddenly everything is possible. The possibilities are only limited to our client’s vision of their home. And everyone has a different vision.

Their scales vary. A house can be as small as 200 sqft, and another could be as gigantic as the Antilla, which by the way is more or less 48,000 sqft (just to keep things in perspective).

Homes can be really personalized or completely anonymous.

Homes that we as architects design are probably the most personalized part of our jobs. 

Do dreams come true?

Do you remember what I wrote about dreams? You can find it here.

Frankly, I didn't believe it much. I was just being highly optimistic. But I wanted it - so wanted it.

And here I am, 11 days after I wrote that particular blog, wondering if all the events that happened last week was just coincidence.

All of it started a few days back when I was busy debating with Shreya about her obsession with New York. Sai gets a call from a person in New york regarding his project in Trivandrum. I was happy - after all this was a reason to travel to Trivandrum. But obviously how much of a difference would the client being in New York or in Bangalore or anywhere else in the world for that matter make a difference?

So we set out to Trivandrum to take a look at the site where we met the client's brother and discussed his requirements.

Just after we complete our site visit, we were pinged by someone else from New York. But this time, it was an architect who was the principal of a firm based in New York. He wanted to explore the possibility of our collaboration with his firm.

It didn't stop here.

Yesterday, after I draft a mail to this New York firm with further details of collaboration, Sai sends me a questionnaire sent by a firm in Azerbaijan who wanted to possibly work with us for one of their project.

As I sat in office reviewing this firm and the Architecture of Azerbaijan, all that ran through my head was -

"Can all of these events actually be accidental?"

Building Blocks

Story Time!

When I was 8 years old I decided to become an architect. Not really knowing what an architect was, but my parents said it was nice, so it must be fine. And so I played with Lego blocks, given by my mother, and made zany objects.

Skip five years, after an intense reading and repeated enactment of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s infamous Sherlock Holmes, I decided it was time India got its first consultant detective.

Skip five more years. Quantum Physicist it was.

Five years later. I will be passing out as an Architect. So it does come full circle.

I am not saying that architecture is something I fell upon. But I believe it is something I was fated upon. My point being. Sometimes life just happens. And it may be exactly what you needed. However, it may turn sour really fast if you don’t try to do anything about it.

I know, confusing. Imagine Newton. Life happened and an apple fell on his head. But instead of cursing his luck of sitting below the one apple that was going to fall he did something about the whole scenario of the apple falling on his head. And asked instead. Why did it fell down?

I studied architecture because it reminded me of my childhood aspirations. It made me feel like I was meant to be, and showed me real beauty in life.

This is my story of falling into architecture and then soon falling in love with it.

What’s yours?

Fun fact: One great architect whose mother also gave him wooden blocks to play with as a child: Frank Lloyd Wright. I think I had a good start ;)

Diversity

A couple of days back, I happened to bump into a friend who I had studied architecture with. It was very interesting to listen to his journey as an Architect while comparing it to mine.. Starting from the same place after graduation,  we travelled through our own different paths discovering different methodologies and techniques.

He began his journey at an urban design firm around the same time I started at Sandarbh. But today, when we meet - our experiences and stories of and about architecture differ a lot.

Talking about his design process, he spoke about generality. The structures within an urban park that he designed needs to be able to accommodate all functions. It should be able to transform into a marriage hall, a sports ground, an auditorium, a food court or  market place if necessary. It would be serving a large mass of people with different expectations. So the Architecture would be as vague as possible giving it the ability to adapt to all situations.

On the other hand, I have realized the importance of detailing through my journey at Sandarbh. Every personality is different and so is their living style. The personality of the owner is reflected to the house through detailing. The skirting at the bottom of a piece of furniture to prevent a stubbed toe or a mirror placed at the right position to bring out the sense of space - wouldn't these details improve the quality of life of the people using these spaces. Detail not only brings the personality in the space, it brings out beauty too. Every line on the facade brings a difference, so does the edge banding of the furniture pieces. Like Sai says, "Even a rectangular room can be made beautiful through detailing."

After this whole conversation, we both looked at each other and asked, "How diverse can the same profession turn out to be?"

Tale of a few Ceilings: Then and Now

Now I understand how there are millions of architectural blogs talking about architecture: then and now. So many that now it’s almost pretentious. And you know how all of them would sound.

“Oh my God, architecture is so trashy now, remember when…”

Yeah. Pretentious. However, hear me out on this one.

Ceilings.

Yes those, often overlooked, part of the building which is overlooking the entire space.

In the older days, people used to look up and be awed by the magnificence of the ceilings. A beauty other than the sky that hung above us.

The Romans made it right.

In the Gothic period, we reached great heights.

It was developed further in the Baroque.

One of the most well-known example being the St. Peter’s Basilica

Wait we did it as well

(Dilwara temple Mount Abu)

And the Hajia Sophia

My point being, it is one of the sexy that we should definitely bring back.

Never Compromise

"Nobody told me Architecture was a tough course", said Nayana - one of the interns who applied for internship at Sandarbh for the next semester at college.

"Why would it be tough?" Sai asked in return." It's tough because you are told it is".

As I thought about it, I realized that it is mostly true. Most of us young architects who graduate out of Architecture school give this advice to new Architecture students. You won't have a social life, you will have a lot of sleepless nights and the professors will be terrible to deal with. And just like all of us who got the same advice from our seniors and other professors who just passed out of Architecture school, these new architecture students will wait for the day when Architecture turns hostile.

Later, as you start designing and developing your own opinions about the field, these ideas turn into positive ones.

But through the hosility, the student architects feel they learn a lot. Step out of Architecture and into the professional career, the same concept is carried to the other side. So even if they have hectic lives, even if they struggle through the days, they move on - looking forward to one day when the days are stress free.

But should it really be that?

Why can't the outlook towards Architecture remain the same  as you enter Architecture school and exit it? Why should it be perceived as a profession filled with hardship?

"Never compromise", is what Sai said in reply to Nayana (coincidentally the same words displayed on the table mat at the restaurant I had lunch from today)

Let Architecture be a space for you to showcase your passion. You can do it the way you want - you can write, you can sketch, you can render - Architecture accepts it all. In that case, why would it be a field filled with hardship when all you are doing is what you love?

Do it because you love to do it.

Architecture a 24/7 job

Writing a blog post is a little like driving. You could study for months, read a billion articles on the driving, regulation and how to change the gear. But nothing could prepare you for the real thing. That is sitting behind a wheel and driving through the city traffic, i.e. the Indian city traffic.

I would say Architecture would be the same in this matter. You can spend five years learning about this profession but nothing really prepares you for the 24/7 commitment the job requires. This has come to my notice as I continue my internship at Sandarbh. Recently Sai went out of town with his family to celebrate Vishu. And though he was away he still was always in contact, messaging on our group and giving instruction. Same went for anyone in our office. Even though we would take an off we would volunteer to work on our assigned duties.

Yes, people "volunteer" to be the key word here. We opted to work from home. And I realized it was because not only was each one of us is dedicated to our duties but it is because we cared.

Architecture is a 24/7 job. It is something you hear everyone say. But what they don’t tell you is that it isn’t a 24/7 job that you have to do, it is a 24/7 job that you would want to do.

Interactions and coincidences

We were meeting these clients at a project for the first time, far away from our office - almost a 1000 km in fact. During the introductions we met the clients childhood friend who also happened to be there.

The meeting led to a conversation touching a wide range of topics - starting from architecture to colleges in Trivandrum to politics etc., with the client's friend being a major contributor.
"Even my little cousin is training to become an Architect",he said. "She's studying here, but right now in Bangalore doing her internship".

"Oh! Even we have a girl from Trivandrum with us doing her internship", Leena said - talking about Meghna.

After describing her cousin, and us talking about Meghna - the client's friend , picked up his phone and gave a ring to this cousin he was talking about.

"Give the phone to Meghna", he told his very confused cousin.

Sai played along - a
fter a short while, of shocking Meghna out of her mind with Sai's voice - coming through her friend's cousin's phone, we got out of the meeting with the client and us still laughing about the extremely confused Meghna and her friend .

What were the odds that we left Bangalore with Meghna there just to talk to her again through our client’ friends cousin from Kerala!
this is exactly why being an architect is fun - you get to meet new people and link them with your own.

What a small world!!

Beauty

As architects, we often think and get into heated arguments over a singular phenomenon, Beauty.

Beauty, a quality in a person or a thing that gives some deep satisfaction to our minds. It could be sensory, like vision, sound or touch. Or it could be basic understanding like spiritual. It is found in many forms, but at the same time, it may be formless. 

There is something about it that makes us crave more. 

To own it. 

Possess it. 

Something that makes us go to deranged lengths only to experience it.  

It might be true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but none of us can deny the existence of it. 

Are there posters on your wall?

Do you savour the first bite of that delicious meal?

Do you feel emotionally invested in your favorite fictional character?

We experience beauty differently. And we get latched on to it differently.

It is one of the most controversial and enduring topics. Perhaps the most controversial and basic issue in the theory of beauty is whether beauty is subjective or objective?

Vitruvius believed that beauty in architecture, just like the human body is a matter of “truth of nature”. He believed nature to be this ideal designer perfecting beauty to a fault. 

I, on the other hand, would like to put a counter-argument for this two thousand old philosopher and architect.

I strongly believe that beauty is not entirely objective and it interacts with an individual to an emotional level which makes each to react to it differently.

If beauty was something so objective then everyone would have a similar opinion about it. We would like the same things. No one would be making mistakes when it came to aesthetics. If beauty was universally objective then why would each have a different perception on the matter? Why would there be this argument in the first place?

But Vitruvius established that beauty lies in the truth of nature, and if you follow rules you can make something beautiful. But if beauty was so objective then why would art or architecture need to appeal to emotion in the first place?

If beauty lies in the truth of nature then nature must be perfect. But we all know it isn’t. That that is why it evolves. 

Here is an idea. Maybe beauty is not as simple to fathom in a blog or ten books, maybe beauty is endless. It may lie in a realm beyond the understanding of human minds. Maybe it hangs in the balance of objectivity and emotional response. 

Maybe we might never know. And so the debate on the nature of beauty continues. 

There might be countless arguments and counter-arguments made on the topic. We might continue pondering over the same questions over and over again. But there is one thing that one us can deny.

Beauty is addicting. 

Architecture for the People

Consider the part of world you are in right now, at this moment. Look around, observe the people using the spaces that encloses them. How are they navigating through? What are they doing? Where are they sitting?

Now imagine being in a completely different part all together. Something very different to yours. A place with people living a different lifestyle, speak a different language, eat different food. Do you imagine them sitting in the same surrounding as yours?

I bet not.

Architecture has always been about the people. Even when we were building for the gods or kings, it was about the people. A place for the people to worship, find solace. The great Pyramids were for the people. And though it might have influenced the lifestyle of the Egyptians, it is a different conversation all together.

Bottom line being, architecture defines the people who live in that era. It defines their lifestyle and the things they cared about the most.

And so architecture is not necessarily about buildings it is also about the people.

Where can we reach?

The ideas from yesterday's blog, and Sai's comments on it, led me to thinking further about the impact of technology on Architecture. The differences in the functioning of Architecture is definitely there. I  agree with Sai on a point he commented as well, architects of my generation ( including me) probably are used to the technology aiding us in everything we do. But, is that all? Is there a difference in the way the profession of architecture is viewed? Is there a difference in practice?

There used to be a time when Architects were hired through friends and family - based on their experience, their trust on the architect and reviews by the others in the vicinity. The architects, on the other hand - found their next client when they attended the house warming of their previous client. In this case, the trust between both the sides was extremely high.

Today, matters have changed a lot. A large percentage of the clients we have today, have found us through the internet. Our social media presence matters more than our physical presence. The reviews are through the virtual people who have interacted with the architect earlier. As a result, most of our design is for strangers, or people we become friends with through their project. We have clients we have never met in person,  but completed designs for. The level of intimacy has reduced. But so has the diversity. The clients have the whole internet to choose their architect from - they get to pick architects who practice exactly the same kind of Architecture as they visualized.
So do the Architects - we get to design for people from various backgrounds, various social situations and various geographic locations.

Also, we get the chance to pick from these too.

But with that said,  I think as a part of profession with the opportunity to have a lot of public influence, it is our responsibility to take a stand to understand the client as much as the project before we pick our projects.

The Point of Ingress.

It is often believed the only way to success is through hard work and dedication. That if you work with your heart and soul you will someday achieve success. 

 If hard work was the sole definition of success then wouldn’t a donkey be better than a horse? 

An odd analogy I agree, but hear me out. 

A donkey does all the hard work, it is used mainly for carrying goods from one place to another. And a Horse, on the other hand, is used for running free.

There is another point of ingress when it comes to success. It’s easy, and it is something I have been preaching for quite long now. Focus on your strengths and not only on the weakness.

The best improvement strategy is to work on a few of your strengths. Sure some people believe that working on a vast amount of things will eventually make their weaknesses their strong points, and though it might work on a long run you will still not be the best. Imagine if you focus on your strengths from the beginning, seeing improvement on your already strong points will eventually take you to the top. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying working hard is not a key to success. But working hard only makes sense if you work hard on the right things.

So stop your donkey work and get up that high horse (pun intended) and don’t forget, if you have a choice between working smart and working hard, choose…

Transformations

The morning meetings is when Sandarbh puts together it's plan of action for the rest of the day. Usually held at Sai's table, we gather around the table with our laptops and sketchbooks  to update and push for further progress. Sometimes they are short and crisp, sometimes they stretch till half day.

The topics covered would be diverse, sometimes just covering the essential topics, other days, it would move to strategy, business planning etc. , It would depend on the projects in hand and how we plan to move forward with them.

But today's meeting was quite different from the once we usually have. Unlike regular meetings which were aimed at the present and future, this was looking into the past. As a part of design development for a couple of new projects, we spoke about older projects designed about 17 years back, the design approach taken, the sketches drawn and the context was explained. Models which were made to explain the forms were shown

As this discussion continued, I tried imagining a day at office 17 years back when the design was being developed. How different would it have been?  The first change I felt was the difference in technology. Models like those are seldom made, as SketchUp does a very good job showing the spaces.

As I sit in a bus going to a city away from Bangalore while still being a part of work, design without Google, Pinterest or communication without WhatsApp and mobile phones is unimaginable to me.

It feels like Architecture has changed dramatically. But has it really? Are we just using an upgraded kind of pencil today?

Then and Now

As you join architecture school to train to become an architect, there are a lot of concepts that the professors teaching Design would teach you. They tell you that perfection is key, that one section you are doing needs to be the perfect section. The plan you draw needs to be the best plan you ever draw. 

So we would learn to skip the submissions, find our ways around deadlines and beg professors to extend dates. 

"If you were an architect and your client sees this drawing, what would they think?", they would ask.

And therefore, we picture the client, strict and serious, with a basic need for perfection.

Cut to today's scenario, when a meeting was scheduled at 5 pm, for us to showcase our best designing skills to a client with a great project we were really interested in. As the clocked ticked moving towards 5pm, I found myself freaking out - where were the perfect plans and sections? What are we supposed to show him? At college, I would have began to think of excuses, of headaches that don't exist, of stomach upsets that appeared out of nowhere, of bad food could have had the previous night.

An hour into the meeting, after we discuss about ideas, concepts and images that match the client's and our Vision, we say, "so that gives us an idea about how to proceed" and pack our bags and leave a client, who definitely didn't get mind blowing plans, but extremely happy about the meeting.

And that, led to another learning - perfection doesn't matter as much as commitment does. It didn't matter if we had an amazing plan or not, it didn't matter if the work was complete or not - it mattered that we care.

Like Sai keeps telling me, half the job is done, when you just show up!!

So the unlearning continues at Sandarbh.

To the Boss

Dear Sai,

So I have often been accused that I don’t give you enough credit. To which I always reply, ‘if I start giving him credit, every post will be Sai said…’ I still stand by that. Being said that, instead of giving a nod in each post, I would dedicate this one to you.

Now that my internship is almost to an end I have to say it seems bittersweet. I have grown accustomed to your office. Working side by side with such remarkable people. No, this is not a goodbye post, it is just me stating the facts.

Facts like our office is not only fun, but I got to learn more here than I did in one year of college. I got to work on my strengths and my weaknesses. I learnt, being an architect doesn’t only mean being a designer and an engineer. It is also being a kickass manager.

And you were right (as you often are) I am able to do four times more work now than I could when I joined. I will always remember the lessons you taught me, and the great opportunities you pushed towards me! I will forever be grateful.

To an amazing mentor, and the coolest Boss!

Sincerely,

Shreya.

Stories - continued

Each person is unique, so are their stories. The definition for luxury for me isn't the same as the definition of luxury for you. 

So, in continuation to yesterday's post, (you can find it here) - you can ask me, how do we bring your story to your design?

The definition of luxury changes from person to person - the 5 year old and her mother, the husband and the wife, the architects and their clients . While we know that the minimum requirement for every line we draw, every design we make, every house we design is beauty, how do we know if your sense of beauty is the same as the one we try to achieve?

For some, luxury may mean largeness, huge scale, for others, it maybe the beauty of the material that brings luxury. You can love the imperfections of the hand made tiles, or find beauty in the rhythm of straight lines. Your garden may be a space you want to spend your weekends with your family around or a space where you watch the rain fall while sipping coffee from the porch. Luxury could be in the functionality or it could be in the aesthetics. You may get excited by the wall covered by books or the elaborate AV room that you possess. 

How do you define your sense of luxury? 

So, we start from day one. We develop a process that makes sure that your ideas have a space to develop.We ask you questions, we exchange ideas, we have conversations which might digress far away from Architecture.  We take help from other inspirations around the world. We develop mood boards, we exchange sketches, we ask you to criticize. From the first hand sketch to the final working drawings and the modifications through them, together we understand and define your sense of luxury.

And ,in this journey of discovering stories, your home is created.

Best Wishes

So today I was assigned with the task of writing a regret letter for the next batch of interns who were not selected through the process. And though I kept on telling Ananya that it should be short and sweet, for some reason or another she kept of telling me it shouldn’t be that. It shouldn’t be two lines telling the students who are starting with their architectural dreams that they are not good enough for an office.

I kind of agree. Rejections can be hard. And often painful. Infact according to a psychology study, rejection and physical pain seem very similar to our brains.

If words can be used to make people feel, why not have them feel a little better about themselves? Along with a minor setback why don’t we tell these amazing people that life still goes on, and so should your dreams!

This is to all the people who couldn’t make past the first level of selection. Our selection process is quite unconventional than other offices. We like to work with people who help us improve our practice and bring in fresh new ideas and enthusiasm.It is because we have a limitation in terms of number that we were not able to select you and not for the lack of your abilities.  I wish you the best of luck in life. And may we cross paths in a higher note once again. 

Best Wishes

Imagine This

Sitting in the office today I was asked to create a story for one of our client’s future homes. I always struggle to write unless I have a clear image in my mind. Or a clear thought. That’s why most of my time goes in thinking up a topic to write upon, instead of actually writing it. Something perfect for me might not really be perfect for our clients. 

The solution to this, of course, was right in front of me. To just start writing. (Funny how most of my problems are just solved by writing). 

Now the great thing about words is, the picture I might weave may be different for each one of us. But the meaning remains the same. 

Ever heard of the phrase, beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Well, apparently it is also in the mind of the beholder. No matter how different our minds work or how polar our tastes might be one can paint a picture with words that most of us will definitely love. 

Let me set an example. 

Imagine this 

A villa complex seeking to be an oasis of serenity in the heart of your busiest city. 

When you enter the property imagine driving through the graveled path, the crackling of the stones under the tire as you reach the driveway from where you either go down to the basement for parking or get down and enter the house. Having the garden on the street side will not only give the required privacy but also define the promenade leading towards the house and create a sense of mystery. 

The house visualized as a series of vistas with multiple open courtyards and every room to have the luxury of a different view of itself. So every morning tea will be personalized to every individual. 

The grandeur of double height in the common spaces, with French windows opening up to the courtyards. It establishes a strong connection with the garden, which would incorporate small water bodies, cooling the whole house. In case there is no water the same could be used as a simple stone bed. The concept of open and closed hence to be blurred in a project where one can mingle with the nature of outside as well as have the privacy of the inside. 

Now wouldn’t that be just great? 

Stories

When you come to our office for the first time with a set of requirements for the design of your home, it is quite possible that you get surprised with the questions we ask you.

We would want to know about your lifestyle, the little habits of yours, the nature of relationship between the members who are to stay in the house. We would ask you about your profession, how you spend your spare time, how you would be using your kitchen. Do you entertain a lot or prefer having quiet evenings with a cup of coffee? How was your childhood like? What are your hobbies? Do you have habits that you wish to change? Do you read? Are you a sunrise person or a midnight person?

The nature of the questions would probably remind you of the first time you visited your doctor.

But it is precisely this information that will eventually turn the house we design, into your home.

The bookshelf in the bathroom for the avid reader who spends a lot of time there in the morning hours. Or the pilot who needs his bedroom as private as possible for an undisturbed sleep after long flights. The positioning of the AV room for the movie buff who uses the space for unwinding after a long day at work. The travelers who would need space to display their travel souvenirs. The bay window meant for dogs rather than humans. The open jacuzzi, the room for the ham radio, the house with minimal number of doors - the story behind each architectural feature is unique.

This unique story of yours would be the driving factor behind the design of your home.

From the Kids' Section

So I understand my previous rambling has been of no use. Here I once again, sit alone at 10:30 pm trying to write something down. It seems my affliction might be more serious than previously anticipated.

In my defense, today was Saturday. And it did not turn out to be the way I thought it would.
It was filled with stories and great surprises. And it all started with a story.

In the afternoon as we headed for our lunch, instead of a radio we had Ananya read the esoteric story of The Little Prince in the cab. A story, every time I listen to leaves me thinking for days about the simple truths in it. And one phrase repeats clearly, it is only with the heart that one can see rightly.

Though one might find it in the kid's section, there is something so profound about the whole experience.

After lunch, the adults had to go for a client meeting, and the kids were left to play. So we did what most of the children do when their parents are out. 

We went to the park! 

Albeit we took a metro to the said park. Ally, Meghna and I, fled to what could only be called the “Central Park” of Bengaluru, The Cubbon Park. Where we trekked the jungle and weaved our way through bamboo forest to finally reach the rocky mountain in the middle of the park. And as we went along making stories about non existent rivers and hidden Minotaurs I understood exactly why the book is found in the kid's section. 

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential, is invisible to the eye.

- Antoine de Saint-Exuerpy