Good Endings and Better Beginnings

I wanted to start this blog without having to say what a year 2018 has been and how quickly it has come to an end. But the kind of year its been for Sandarbh, I will have to start with those exact same words!

What a year 2018 has been!! 

So much excitement! Everything from interesting new projects and innovative design solutions to solving glitches and running against timelines. 

Our 3 Musketeers held the fortress strong. Making sure that work culture and processes ran seamlessly, rallying Sai and I when we needed it and making sure that all of us had enough fun and laughter as we went along. 

Rambo decided to take his sabbatical finally and threw us all a fantastic farewell party! So glad though that you have decided to be a part of Sandarbh albeit remotely!

We've had a pretty large iteration this year. Lots having to leave and lots of new faces. A total of more than 800 applications for internship and at least 300 from architects looking to join us! We are overwhelmed! We've had to streamline our intake process just to accommodate the sheer numbers. Keep them coming though, we always have place for awesome, talented professionals! 

Our clients have been fantastic this year. Working with us to give them the best and being amazingly understanding and patient through the process. Will miss working with so many of you and looking forward to continuing into the new year with some of you. Thank you all for being there and trusting us as you do! 

The projects! What fun we have had in the studio debating about and coming up with solutions for projects as varied as homes in hill stations and multi dwelling units to designing kennels for 20 doggies in a farm and units to be used as hostels! We're doing projects in Pune, Trivandrum, Hyderabad and Thallasery apart from the ones in Bangalore. Its been a year of interesting detailing and brain storming sessions on structure and form. Residences, schools, store interiors, farm houses, hostels and renovations - We're as eager and enthusiastic as ever to get more diverse and unique projects! 

This year also saw us take in more interns than we usually do. Its been a fantastic decisions! Super charged, super-multi talented and super enthusiastic a bunch, they have all helped recharge and bring in a fabulous vibe and renewed energy in the studio. Miss all of you who have  gone back and looking forward to this atmosphere continuing .... 

Finally to all our people behind the scenes. Our team who makes all these designs come alive on site. They've been with us for years not and are possibly mini architects themselves! Seen us through thick and thin and stuck by. Thank you all! 

A loooong post. But I was sitting and reminiscing about how 2018 has flown by and could not help but be overwhelmed with gratitude! 

Here's to a whole new year of designing and executing, new friendships and stories, lots of ideas, innovations and most importantly, here's to more laughter, happiness and strength to the bond we all share .... 

I know it will be a super 2019!

Here's to you.

If I started to give you anecdotes about the way technology has handicapped us every single day, I probably would have enough content for the rest of the year.

But alas! That is not how this project works.

I am pretty sure that over the course of over 300 blogs, it would have come up quite a few times that generating a blog every single day is not easy. What ends up happening, more often than not, is that the writer of the blogs goes around asking everyone in office if they have any ideas or suggestions and will most definitely receive variations of the same threat:
"I swear, if you ask me this question one more time..!"

Alas, desperate times call for desperate measures and those are exactly what these incessant questions count as. But some times, these encounters can give rise to some pretty interesting, amusing or even perfectly mundane blogs.

I would've never thought that I'd ever write about Bougainvillea or Cab rides or even, more recently, scrubbing the floors. So here's a shout out to the crazy stories each member of this office comes up with.

And here's to you looking forward to the answers that come because we keep bugging others with the same question,
Always.

Namitha.

Immobile.

The initial plan today was to write about how I found it really amusing that the capacity of a home safe is measured in litres. But then I realised that it was merely because cubic metres are often expressed as litres and it ruined the whole fancy and imaginative explanation I was concocting in my mind.

So then, I was sitting here, out of ideas when it struck me that I should write about the link between mobile technology and the site life merely because of how weird it felt when my phone was dead the entire day.

First things first, nothing happens without a whatsapp group. So, obviously, the multiple office groups need to be checked various times during the day for everything from communication between the site and the office to material procurement or even deliberation on drawings. If your whatsapp is off, chances are that you have no idea what the others are up to.

Next, the probability of you carrying camera equipment when you’re out of office, either on site or in the workshop, are particularly low so, obviously, collection of photographic evidence pertaining to work, site conditions and even selected fittings and fixtures (when you’re shopping with the clients) is out of question.

Thirdly, god forbid you do not get an auto or a bus, there is no way you or anyone else can get you back to office by booking a vehicle.

All these, of course, are apart from the fact that you cannot call or message or even research something if the client or workers ask you for input on something you don’t have a great grip on.

I was thanking my stars that I was with Leena and didn’t really need to use the phone but that isn’t the point. The point is that we are all so dependent on our mobiles that even 8 hours of work without them seems like a long shot.

But, here’s to my phone finally having enough charge for me to use the hotspot to upload this blog.

Adios,
Namitha.

Some Wednesdays, We Scrub the Floors.

I was doing my regular mind mapping, idea hunting exercise to find quality content for the blog and as fate would have it, it came in the form of Rithik and Arjun walking into the garage and telling me about the start of their day. It turns out that they began their lazy morning with an activity that shouldn’t really be surprising, considering that today is the day after Christmas. But of course, it needs to be noted that what led to this said activity had nothing to do with Christmas.

It turns out that some of the previous work that had happened on site had left the beautiful ceramic floor tiles used in the house pretty dirty. On noticing that, along with a lack of workers on site early in the morning, someone decided to take things into their own hands and this is exactly why, when our boys turned up on site, they were met with the image of a man, who on close inspection, turned out to be the owner, scrubbing the bathroom floors with all his might. 

Now, imagine this situation:

You turn up on site because you’re building someone’s house and you see the said someone going full force and cleaning. What do you do?

Let’s be honest, you don’t really have a choice. You discuss what other work needs to be done and start scrubbing the floors with him. And if you’re lucky, as these guys seem to have been, there will soon be pumped up music and a constant banter filling the air as other people slowly join you and start, well, scrubbing the rest of the areas.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the image of all of these guys calling dibs on different spots and cleaning till the tiles shined.

I guess if any of us at office ever need to do some floor cleaning, we now know who the experts are!

See you tomorrow!
Namitha

Monday Blues.

Today didn’t feel like a Monday.

There was no lazing around in the morning; no relaxed tea break to start the week off on the right foot and certainly no positive pep talk that makes you feel like the sun is shining on your entire life.

Instead, today began with the kind of personalized bashing that only comes when you work in an environment as familial as ours. But the good side to a hand stitched pointing out of errors is that it often comes with a side of motivation; and as we all know, motivation is linked with productivity.

However, productivity has been an elusive friend to me because it seems like a lot of effort goes into office everyday but it amounts to nothing much, or even worse, the opposite of what was supposed to be done. And yet, as I mentioned in my very first blog, your day can flip from bad to good in a second and while it certainly took more time than that, it did get better.

Word processors are my friends and so are excel sheets. Combine those two with visits to showrooms and I’m like a kid with candy.

The rest of the day went in jotting down which of the shiny fittings would go into which bathroom and drawing up lists of work that need to be done these coming few days. So in a way, today was a perfect blend of indoor and outdoor time and that in itself is enough to balance everything else out.

Add to all this, the fact that tomorrow is Christmas, and quite frankly, you can’t be in a dismal mood. Even if you don’t celebrate it, no one can stay sad about a mid-week holiday.

Don’t you worry though,
I’ll write to you tomorrow, in the midst of an assumingly scrumptious cake.

So long,
Namitha.

Elitism and Eclecticism

The two words written in the title mean things that are far from each other. The former talks about exclusivity bordering on snobbery and the latter talks about diversity and heterogeneity. But the funny thing about architecture is that it can be expressed through either of the extremes- sometimes even both.

As designers, it isn’t uncommon for people to become a little haughty and believe that their aesthetic is the best and it is equally common to experiment so much that the building looks like a mash up of too many things that you, as an individual, wouldn’t probably put together. But that is the beauty of a creative field, isn’t it? Each person seems to have a different perception of what works and what doesn’t; this idea can vary by a few degrees or by miles and this also makes it the most frustrating part of this creative field: There is no pleasing everyone. And sometimes, there is no pleasing anyone (including yourself).

This is one thing I’ve realised we all struggle with. The discussions in office regarding everything starting from the placement on one tiny half wall to the grey lines on a white marble can get incredibly interesting and sometimes, even exhausting. But that is what makes brainstorming among a group of ‘creative’ people so interesting, especially if you’re someone like me who is inclined towards conversations, especially ones that have some heat to it.

This, for me, is one of the reasons the 3 weeks in office seem to have gone so fast.

Hope to see you tomorrow,
Namitha.

Getting organised

From the moment I mentioned Architecture's interdisciplinary nature in my previous blog "Are we there yet?" , I've been trying to broaden my sense of understanding of this statement. Hoping to be bedazzled by what more I can find out.
In the past couple of days, I found out how principles of project management itself is an integral part of running the office processes in a very systematic method.

I was amazed how most things could get organised by making this kind of a planning as a second nature thought process. Be it in effectively living lives to our most efficient self or be it carrying out processes in the office. Things fall into place once we channel our efforts into getting organized.

I've always heard -  start from the bigger task and then break the problems down into smaller fragments.
Today's activity took it to a whole new level. Understanding yesterday's principles in a practical affair was what would really shackle our understanding and habits to think in a level that's more calculative - channeled towards better efficiency.
Discussion with Sai painted a broader picture about these concepts in my head.
I'm glad to have been in the right place at the right time to be  witness to this discussion. I hope that the implications of these processes help me shape a mindset that provides an edge while managing site in the immediate time span and achieve an overall sense of efficiency and management in a more larger time frame.
Exciting times ahead!

Manage!

When the clock struck 3 on a very hot and  dry afternoon, tectonic news came in that Jose Mourinho has been sacked as Manchester united's manager. A shocker! 

The timing of this was quite coincidental. I rushed back to the office to be witness to a discussion where Sai was talking about managing the office, setting in place processes that will shape the way we go about implementing our tasks on a daily basis. 

The main reason for the football club's ailing this year is due to  mismanaging the players, on field tactics, processes and the loss of confidence in the dressing room. 

The effects of such conversation has already grown on us. I was intrigued  with how we were going to conduct ourselves on site again. We were already thinking about the timelines, getting agitated about a worker delaying the polishing process. I don't think I would have thought of this if Sai hadn't brought this point to our attention. 

This controlled introduction towards Project management is helping us paint a broader picture in going about managing the sites, an office and ourselves as humans. 

Guess-Break-Validate.

It has been a heavy few days at Sandarbh. There have been lengthy discussions about everything from human resource management to project management systems that can make your head go for a toss. 

Dead in the middle of this chaos of information is each of us is trying to wrap our heads around the volume of content that has been handed to us on a platter formed by years of experience.

Like everything else in life, this too has two sides: One being the cliché that you can learn from other peoples’ mistakes and the other being the fact that there is no way to guarantee that you won’t make the same mistake, unless you’ve made it once. But the funny part isn’t the possibility of making a mistake while knowing that it is one; it is that you won’t even realize that it is the same error someone else made, just in a different context.

But that isn’t what this blog is about.

This is about the things that struck me most in the entire (almost) 2 day long conversation: My favourite one being concept of breaking things down. The idea of taking something and deconstructing it is so simple in theory that we often forget how detailed everything in life can be.

Next in line is guessing and validating. Much like academic research where you start with a hypothesis and do various experiments to either affirm or negate your theory; research and small, harmless experiments on humans can be quite eye opening, especially if you are your own test subject.

And the third most interesting thing to me, was what was happening in front of my eyes- a scene where 10-15 people were huddled around one desk, listening with rapt attention for hours. The reason this is so interesting to me is because it perfectly combines the aforementioned 2 ideas in two very different ways:

1.      The first perspective is one where Sai guessed that we would benefit from such an all-encompassing talk, broke things down to make it easier for us to digest, watched us gobble up all this information and that, in turn, validated his assumption.

2.      The second perspective is one where we guessed that what Sai had to say would help us, broke the information down in our head to digest it, and today, when we tried to work using the principles discussed, found that our initial guess was validated.

Of course, realizing that there is probably a more efficient way to work might look like a win-win situation; but it rarely is. What it means, then, is that there is a lot of unlearning to do, before you reach your optimal efficiency. But that is a conversation for another day.

So long,
Namitha.

Are we there yet?

We talked too long to ourselves amongst ourselves while the majority stopped listening and progressed further. 

Architecture, Buildings - to me, seem tired. We've talked about them so much that we have nothing to emphasise on anymore. Why don't we talk about a painting, direction styles in various movies, graphics or literally anything else. 

Have we glorified Architecture to a point where we are driven by Intellectual, academic and conceptual theories? 

Maybe the task of making Architecture more accessible can be achieved not only by opening itself to other disciplines but also to itself and its end users. The more the people around you start to think about the place they inhabit, the better they'll care about Architecture. 

With the current crop, There's a fresh outlook for innate collaboration with various disciplinaries. Our sustenance is formed by having an extroverted approach to experts in various fields; learning and integrating their processes and workflow to express the best aspects of the collaboration.  

Since Architecture has sprung beyond its disciplinary boundaries, it opens up the possibility of practicing or processing in a way that does not depend on the articulate architectural way. 

Addressing reality and fighting for issues like Global warming, waste, urbanisation, overpopulation to name a few, would call for the Architects of the future to the fore. This is essentially the need of the century. Architecture and Architects are going to be driven by social issues which might shape the world for a better place than what it is today. 

They may be hypotheticals, but they pose a question on how to expand and think Architecture.

-Utsav Shah

It's all About the Joy

On the way back home from office, myself,Sulu and Harshita were waiting for an autorickshaw( that seemed non existent then),  when I looked around and spotted a whole string of beautiful "Hot and sweet chilli Lays", in it's amazing orange packet. The three of ran in excitement - got to the shop and bought the whole string of lays. 

After this, it didn't matter how much longer finding the auto took, how cold temperature was, or how late it had become. We found joy in those packets of lays we now devoured in seconds.

*

"At least we are learning" - is a sentence I used when I had just started working, and is a conversation that I see popping up once in a while in my friends circle as well. Every since I started working at Sandarbh, this was a conversation that has repeated itself multiple times over multiple office discussions. Sai just repeated the sentence today - "if you have to put 'at least' before a sentence, there is a problem in the way you are working". 

It took a little time to understand and absorb this, and  to step over the line - the line of working because I'm learning and working because I'm enjoying myself, the shift in mindset where I'm working for Sandarbh not because I need to,  because I want to. And the difference in these mindsets - I couldn't explain even if I wanted to. 

It's like that wait for the auto - the wait that felt torturous earlier, just feels like joy. Just working together, getting everybody's inputs in and making a presentation feels joyous. Just pressing that sent button feels incredible. Writing that one blog everyday feels like a victory. Suddenly, there are multiple victories through the day to celebrate about - not just because I'm learning, because I'm truly, enjoying myself. 

And that, changed everything - the way I looked at clients, the way I wrote narratives, the way I wrote blogs and everything that I did.

Rendezvous with the Bougainvillea

Lunch is a relatively grand affair at Sandarbh. Most of us usually go together to eat at one of the two places that are at a walking distance from office. But was it the workload, the boredom of eating from the same old places or just plain laziness that prompted us to order food a couple of times consecutively last week, I don’t know. Whatever it was, it is safe to say that when a couple of us walked to our old hangout today, we couldn’t help but feel sluggishly full and contemplative about the choice of walking on the way back.

But alas! Something good did come out of it. We realized that we all shared an almost comedic connection to the words ‘Bougainvillea’ and ‘Rendezvous’. Now that you’ve  heard the  words, I’m pretty sure you’ve guessed what I’m talking about. But in case you were a prodigy who dealt with complicated spellings right from a young age and have no idea; I’m talking about this middle school phenomenon called ‘Spelling Bee’ where everyone received, memorized and then showcased their ability to spell out a never ending list of words that you honestly couldn’t expect a 10 year old to have even heard- let alone phoneticize.

Be it stuttering on stage, stumbling with the pronunciation or even acing the contest, the possibility of finding two words that people from different parts of the country share a connection to; among the million that make up our vocabulary seems pretty astounding to me.

Here’s to finding more and more nostalgic things in common with people I barely even knew 2 weeks ago,
Namitha.

What Does Writing Do?

A year back, around the same time of the month, I published my first blog for Sandarbh. It was majorly about the word Sandarbh, about it's meaning and how it relates to us. It was one among three blogs that we had on our blogger. Might have been a personal constraint, but I found it hard to get topics to write back then, didn't actually see the point of investing time on writing the blog - when there were million other things to think about, and hence did not give much of a thought about it. 

But here I am, a year later - writing about the blog, with no remembrance about the million other things I thought were way more important than it. But today, - with the input of Shreya, Leena, Mannat, Namitha, Utsav and obviously Sai, we are touching 300 blogs and it's not hard to see the point of it at all. 

Sai has always spoken about writing as a powerful tool - and now, I see why. It helps us visualize, create narratives that drives the process, it fuels the excitement in anything and everything we do - whether it be about the artisans and Craftsmen who work with us, or simple construction processes or just a space that we experience. I look around more, notice everything around me more carefully. Today, inspiring topics are everywhere - it's there in the process of welding that Utsav spoke about, or the changes in the functioning of the office, in the people who make our team. There is an interesting topic to discuss about everyday in office - about architecture, about arts, about scupltures, about business, about people - the list is endless. These inspiring topics bring inspired people, who add to the joy of working. 

Today, if I write the same blog about Sandarbh - the one I did a year back, it would have so much more to it, it wouldn't just be about 'context' ( Sandarbh is a Sanskrit word that vaguely translates to context in English), it would be about so much more - it would be about those little emotions, about processes, about small experiences that make Sandarbh what it is now. It is amazing to go back and about read about the journey have taken through the blogs - someday, when you have the time - do go back and take a look!

- Ananya

Sapped-out Saturdays

Let's talk about exhaustion.
There's the mental kind, the physical kind and ofcourse, the I'm-sapped-and-I-can't-move kind.
The first two come and go during the week but the last one hits you like a bombshell.
For some one who doesn't get exhausted very easily, Bangalore has been the bane to my consistently high energy levels and Saturdays evenings are often my lowest points.
This realization didn't surprise me at all- the hour long daily commute in unforgiving traffic combined with office work is bound to take a toll on anyone; but what did strike me as really interesting was the fact that today was especially sluggish. And the reason to that lay in plain sight:
The office.
Saturdays in general are lazy because well..it's almost Sunday. But when you add to that, the fact that, for a generally roaring office that thrives on the exuberance of each of its vastly different personalities, today was quiet as there were less than a handful of people in office, you'll see why today was especially tiring.
And not having that extra energy to bring you up on the last working day of the week is just the trigger one's brain needs to push the meter that counts down to ultimate exhaustion, into overdrive.
So as I lie in the cab because I cannot stand up anymore, I hope you have a great weekend.
See you on Monday,
Namitha.

Learning to fly

Problem solving is one aspect of professional life no one can move forward without.
Be it in Business development, the world of science and more so Architecture.

Our education system does not prepare us to think and prepare ourselves that way. Our native thinking gets pushed away due to this system. Exposing ourselves to problem solving during our professional career puts us deep into the unknown. Every move we make, the result of it is taken with a pinch of salt.

There is one faction of kids that are being taught the essence and dependability on problem solving at a nascent stage. Programmes set in Schools for the blind are curated to overcome disabilities for basic functioning and progress.

Sitting across a blind kid this morning made me rather observant about his actions and movement. This was my very first encounter with My intrigued self urged to have a conversation with the kid. I just had to know how they go about creating solutions.

As conversations progressed, he pointed to his watch, opened the top glass panel. Started to feel the Braille inscriptions, indicating time. That brought a wide grin to my face. I was impressed.
No matter what the adversity, we always try to find a way to make great use of whats around us. I'm hoping that I find answers in a similar fashion and set the tone for my professional career ahead.

Sites, Stories and Posts

For the first time in ages, I have been active on the Sandarbh Instagram page. I’ve never done that before and today, having had no time to post all morning and trying to find time in between cheering my daughter at her Sports Day, I was wondering what prompted me to start posting and adding to our stories everyday.  

The immediate answer was the absolutely interesting set of images coming into our work watsapp group from all the sites and office all through the day. Everytime one of us visits a site, we sent in images to give everyone else an idea of what is happening on site that day and the progress made. Everything from excavation and demolitions to interior works and landscape work being done are captured everyday. The whole process of a building coming up is such a complex process and oh so interesting and photogenic!

Sharing this whole process on a daily basis, something  that all of us enjoy so much, with our followers on Instagram and Facebook seemed like the natural thing to do.

Not just us architects, I’m assuming and hoping that a lot of people would be interested in seeing the way a building shapes up - the details, the finishes and the processes that we follow in design and at site. And of course, none of that is complete without some bit of our life at office also captured!


So if you are not doing so already, follow us! Here are the links :

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/sandarbhdesignstudio/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/SandarbhDesignStudio/

Thank you!!

Transformations!

I have always looked at the word "demolition" as a negative term. The image that pops up in my mind when I see 'demolition' as an activity in a task list - is a lot of debris, the process when a building is stripped of its original structure, memories pulled down by tractors and hammers.

But closely watching the way my home has been modifying itself the last few days through the same process of demolition - has been incredibly eye-opening. As each wall and other additions were removed - the space opens up - to an extent where the whole dynamics of it changes. Suddenly, it's not just about the wall that once existed there, the focus comes to everything around it - the connections it forms, the changes in the scale, and the change in perception of space when the debris is taken away and suddenly, a new view that was once blocked by the wall being there is unveiled in front of you. 

So last week, when I went to Thalassery, after about 2 weeks of demolition and transformation of my home - I knew what exactly were the changes that were made in the house and had been constantly getting images as the changes were being made. 

But as I physically walked into the house, it looked unrecognizable. 

There was light streaming through the area where a Madras terrace roofing existed earlier. The once small and dingy space,  now looked large and spacious - the door in the first floor that I could see through this gap looked massive, so did the roof trusses - which were a floor above me. With this light streaming in, all the spaces around - untouched, now changed just with the presence of light there. 

Even more imposing - were the openings made towards the exterior. As new connections were made towards the green exteriors - the same old features looked different against the background of the plants and trees.  As we made a passage connecting two parts of the house, two different kinds of exterior spaces got connected - the transition between them making a very interesting passageway. Green spaces that were never visible earlier, brought in new views and new experiences with them. 

Today, when I think about it, demolition has become one of the most interesting processes of the transformation - how removal, rather than addition changes the entire energy of the space. 

Can't wait to see how this process of transformation changes the house!

Love what you do, do what you love!

On my way to work this morning, I was reminded of my schooling in quite an unexpected but a rather amusing fashion - A blaring school bus whizzed past me with all the kids screaming their lungs out to the tunes pronounced by the bus speakers.

My first impression was that they were going on a school trip. Them waving their lunch boxes Made me realise that it was just a regular school day, but such positivity early in the morning must set the tone for the rest of the day..or something like that is what i thought.  This activity will surely reflect on their outlook of life in the long run.

This made me think of a similar drill exercised at Sandarbh, where being in a positive frame of mind directly increases the productivity and the willingness to work. We are aiming to be a workplace where being good at your work and gaining happiness from the workplace becomes a part of the daily agenda. A place where the work life balance is valued.

And this is done by picking up roles that interest each individual the most- be it writing, estimating, rendering or even supervising; each person seems to love what they do, purely because they do what they love!!

Stringing Words

Writing on a daily basis is quite the challenge.

On a regular day, I’d have excitedly chirped about the exhaustive discussion that we had today about various socio-political scenarios that seem to be unfurling around us; or about the good ol’ throwback songs that were being played in the garage that instantly took me back to impromptu jam sessions at home; or about the slightly chaotic organisation of our files that can make it quite difficult for a new person to even begin to figure out where what goes; but I can’t seem to.

It would be unfair of me to turn this into a personal blog or even to post something I’m discontented with (as I did yesterday). So here I am, signing off hoping that tomorrow comes with a fresh perspective, either mine or someone else’, and  a string of words perfect for framing the predictably unpredictable every day.

Namitha.

Pleasant Learnings at Site

Since the time I've been working at Sandarbh, I have noticed how we are so dependent on technology. This, has been even more apparent during my time at the site.

Tradesmen make up a large part of transforming what we envision as architects to become a reality.

They are harnessing technology by completing the information loop by reporting to the organisation about every task carried out on a daily basis. Efficient Communication through phones and internet mediums between staff have enhanced the quality and skill set on a whole new level. In the same aspect, faster decisions and updates communicated through these methods have made the process as transparent and fast as possible. This kind of communication is what runs the organisation in a smooth and responsible manner.

Yesterday, one of the workers approached me with a beaming look on his face. He sprung out his brand new phone, asking me to create an account to set up his phone.
I was quite happy to see that the technological shift has been taken up by everyone.
It was a very interesting lunch break for me, which made me put my lunch aside and help him set up his phone gladly.


This made me think how the whole dynamics have changed. A few years back internet and seamless connectivity was a wishful luxury. Today the idea of being connected has become a very integral part of everyone's lives. People are ready to work  harder to get that little bit more on  luxury. Makes me think though, in a broader scheme of things, the return on investment through these processes have proved to be far more beneficial.

Tucked into the Warmth of this World.

If you saw a building being torn down on your way to office, you probably wouldn’t turn around for a second glance; but even the thought of your home being damaged a little would definitely wrench your gut.

Deny it as we might, the architecture around us seems to have 

the power to evoke emotions we often don’t even know exist within us. One could say the same thing about travel and the proof of this lies in the fact that we tend to bring back pieces of memorabilia from each holiday we take.

The feeling of your eye randomly being held captive by something that reminds you of a distant memory is quite indescribable. But the joy of moulding your home around everything that you have seen, loved and collected over the years would feel like snuggling into the warmth of a comfortable blanket.

One tiny part of this nostalgia is what I experienced when I walked into one of our sites.

The house that has been designed capitalising on the beauty of patterned tiles and upscaled wooden frames that have been strategically placed on walls and floors to offset grey and white backdrops. These plain colours come with the opportunity to add a trace of brighter shades that heighten the brilliance of the tessellations used. And let me not forget the strikingly blue doors with a hint of stained glass that frame the greenery around the house beautifully.

While I was there for barely an hour, I couldn’t help but smile at the coloured glass lights that reminded me of Turkey, the blue tiles that seem to take you to Morocco, the light switches that I vaguely remember from a time my grandmother described in her stories and the grey, textured walls that speak of a time so contemporary yet timeless that it acts as a perfect adhesive to hold all these elements of striking individual beauty together.

I may be biased towards things that help me travel without moving but why would anyone count that as a bad thing.
Right?

Looking forward to write about many such brilliant projects,
Namitha.

Iron Trails

Space planning in an ordered sense is core to the world of architecture.

As much as architecture attempts to orchestrate our perceptions of scale and proportion and expose our senses to tangible experiences, a film of safety from various external agencies that resides within the realm connecting functionality and necessity cannot be ignored.

One would think that elements such as grills would be easy to design but even the most seemingly mundane components can be a result of complex processes. In function, grills form the layer that screens the outdoor clutter from getting inside. So isn’t it obvious that our grill designs will vary as their locations do. Safe to say, these small but essential parts of the building are formed at the confluence of a rational sense of design and visual quality.

Our journey of piecing the puzzle together starts at the workshop with the assembly of various iron sections to birth frames that then host a series of thinner rods placed into holes that are punched or drilled in accordance to the design.

Once the frame is welded, punctures of the required diameter are created to allow thinner rods to easily slide in and be welded. This forms the inner core of the grill which is then transported to the site. Here, a recreation of the process of punching holes into the external frame and welding rods to hold the core is done to hold the design in place.

At the end of it all, these oft-times ignored lines of ferrous find their quiet home perched upon the mantle sill; and if one spares the time to look closely, each of these will sing of the intricate and precise skill that has gone into their creation.

Here’s to our first site story,
Utsav and Namitha.

Altering Our Course.

In these memoirs of daily life that we put up on our blog, we often forget to mention half of our story: the half of the story that depicts the realization of the work that is done within the four walls of our office. What I’m talking about, is the substantial chunk of behind the scenes action that unfurls on our various sites- slowly, but steadily.

As students, we are often told that architects are ‘the creative folk’; the people who design but don’t necessarily need to get into the nitty-gritty details of the actual construction. But that is so untrue! I don’t pretend to know how other places work, but that is definitely not how we work. There are an equal number of people on site, as they are in office- scheduling, helping, directing and facilitating the work that needs to be done. When I tell you that I hadn’t seen one or two people from our office till yesterday but knew about them and the projects they were working on, I’m not joking. This can be attributed to the constant stream of messages that pour in on our office chat, day in and day out, from 8am to even 9pm, detailing the progress, and addressing the issues that inadvertently arise on site.

The reason I am writing about this today is because, as an office, we strive towards learning and growing to the best of our abilities and that can only happen, when we learn from our each other and the people around us. And so, starting from now, we will try to split the focus of these blogs between both our office lives- the indoor and outdoor ones.

Hope you’re as excited about this as I am,
So long,
Namitha.

Static Without Static.

What do you do when the electricity fails and you watch your old laptop that has been overworked ever since you laid your architectural hands on it, die a losing battle to its rapidly dying battery?

What do you do, when after a panicked attempt at switching from laptop to phone as your medium of work, you realise that there is no way you can efficiently detail out and finish all the mails you were supposed to send out while typing on the tiny screen in your hand?

What do you do when the electricity hasn’t returned in 2 hours and you are now knee deep in work that hasn’t been done- starting from documentations to presentations; all of which that, of course, need to go out that very day?

I’ll tell you what you’ll do.
You’ll head out for an early lunch.

And while there, you will mentally prepare yourself to beat flash with the pace at which you cover ground the moment the dim light on your laptop flickers; simultaneously bringing your device and you, back to life.

You will prioritize and make a mental note of the order in which you will handle files and, unquestionably, have to multi task.

And finally, you will wrap everything up, look at the clock with surprise and file this in your head as a relaxed day at work; quietly happy that you weren’t the one on site when the electricity went out.

Hoping to see you tomorrow,
Namitha.

Fitting into the Venn Diagram of Shopping.

In a venn diagram of shopping enthusiasts and non-fans, there is a small intersection of people who don’t mind shopping for others. As a designer, it is almost necessary to fall into that category (even if you do so begrudgingly); because there are days where you spend all your time hauling yourself and your client across the town on various, undecided modes of transportation from one shop to the next- picking, sorting, rejecting and finalizing all the different elements that come together to form a cohesive, tangible space.

If the thought of that drains you, just imagine the lethargy you will be faced with when you factor in the notorious Bangalore traffic, the subsequent pollution, dust and a constant cacophony of noises. But let me take a step back to tell you that it wasn’t bad at all. Bangalore decided to be nice to us by maintaining a pleasant temperament in terms of both weather and traffic; and our client helped us a great deal by being precise, practical and to be very honest, tirelessly sprightly. Within 7 hours, we had built a comprehensive itinerary of everything from granite to geysers, along with a fair idea of the menu we spent quite some time perusing during lunch.

It would be quite deceptive to say that there were no snags at all and that we were left as energetic at the end as we were at the beginning of this day-long quest for home-building materials; but it would be equally false to declare that it was as tiring and arduous as we anticipated it to be. In the end, I guess, it should suffice to say that my first shopping trip as a part of this office was quite the success, especially since it ended with some crunchy, cheesy fries!

Until tomorrow,
Namitha.

The Home Office.

Oxymora are my thing. I’ve always been amused by the clear contradictions that govern our lives. So, when Sai sat us down and explained the implicitly explicit house rules, I couldn’t help but spend some time thinking about the stark contrast between the offices I’ve seen and heard of and the one I’m in right now.

Yes, most of it probably stems from the attitude with which Sai and Leena deal with everyone around them; but it also has to do with the biggest oxymoron of them all- ‘the home office’.

The home office takes one look at the cliché that asks you never to take your work home, and chucks it right out the window. Irrespective of whether or not you have worked in another office, this idea of doubling your house as a home and an office can either make you slip right into the thick of things or completely unnerve you; not just because of the difference in the way things work but also because you’re slammed with a realization that you are accountable for what happens within someone else’ home, let alone the fact that it is your boss’ home.

But then again, maintaining a ‘professional’ demeanour when you’re literally at home is difficult.  You do end up being more ‘yourself’ and that is where quirks start to show. And quirks are important; they not only help you understand the people you work with faster but also teach you to adapt and learn how to align yourself with the varied personalities that are now entangled in your web of day-to-day life.

The point I’m trying to make is that this home office of ours seems to be well on its way to prove that work doesn’t always have to be a dreadful affair. It can sometimes, maybe even occasionally, be a cackling mess of productivity. How? That is something I hope to figure out over the course of my time here.

So long,
Namitha.   

Every Six Months

Its that time of the year for us .... the time when Harshita refuses to go to the studio because it is too empty and not buzzing with voices and activity as always. All our interns from the last batch have left and only 3 of the new ones have started thus far. With most of us busy at sites and the workshop the whole day and the studio feels super empty.

But it is a new beginning for the new interns and we are hoping they keep up the seasons cheer. A new beginning for our blog as well. Mannat hands over the Project 365 to Namita.

Namita has taken over very enthusiastically from day 1! And I am not just talking about the blog! She fits in quite well with the rest of the team and that realisation I think is helping her unleash all her prowess with words.

If the blogs she has started with are anything to go by, this season promises to be a really good one! So follow us and stay tuned folks!

All the best Namita!

Square One

Real life first days don’t start with melodious background scores in a magical land surrounded by luscious greenery and friends you’ve known for ages. Instead, they often begin with bedheads, infuriating alarm clocks, ridiculously long car rides and a numbing pain in your head telling you that picking up a call from your best friend in the middle of the night might not have been the best idea when you already haven’t slept the previous couple of days.

But that’s okay. I’ve learnt today that even the most initially unsettling first days can often take a sharp turn for the better; especially when greeted by two beautiful dogs and a little girl who kindly informed me that she  prefers to be called strong over cute and says that she’d rather eat chocolates than ‘actual breakfast’. They get even better when you are told, to your face, that you’re not expected to know a whole lot. In fact, you’re expected to know nothing so that you can skip the part when you try to play it cool and impress the people around you and instead, get to put all that energy into working and learning things the right way rather than going through the whole tedious process of unlearning. And the icing on the cake is, sometimes, the fact that people around you don’t always comply with the socially accepted laws of normalcy, hierarchy or even, for that matter, personal boundaries.

The sarcasm, the eye rolls and even the nit-picking and the leg-pulling that I’ve seen around me today seems to be the basis of a camaraderie that forms the fabric of this office- a place that could be well on its way to creating a new word that combines casual and professionalism ( like athleisure, but unrelated to clothing).

I had an inkling on the day I got my first mail that I would like this place, today confirmed those feelings and hopefully, the next few months here will only add to it.

Signing off for the first time,
Namitha

End of an Era

Time as it stands today is warped in my view. The day I joined Sandarbh feels like a lifetime ago and yet it also feels like it was just yesterday. Time has moved both too slow and too fast. The roller coaster ride that was my internship has come to an end and like all good roller coaster rides, I wish it didn't have to. If you ask me personally, I can define my adult life in 2 phases - Pre Sandarbh and Post Sandarbh. For someone who doesn't know me, it may seem like a gross exaggeration. I mean how much can a 6 month internship change, right? But this experience has been life-changing. The work, the opportunities, the challenges, the responsibility have helped me mature so much. I could never have imagined that I could have done all this, after all I was just an 'intern'. The people, the conversations, the experiences have helped me become my own person - to find my truth in a manner of speaking.
For days I've been wondering what my farewell blog would be like, not knowing how to compress these past 6 months into a singular blog - I could if I tried but compressing all of my emotions into these words is the harder part. All I can say is at this point I'm a bag of mixed emotions with lots to say but not enough words to say it. I'm melancholic to be heading back, excited for the opportunities that await me, relieved to be done with certain aspects of the job, content to be heading back home, but most of all I'm glad and grateful that Sandarbh happened to me. I'm leaving a part of myself behind but I'm also taking a part of Sandarbh with me. And as I've said before, goodbyes are not forever - you never know, I might just be back sooner than you know it. Until then...

-Mannat 

Happy Birthday Sai

Today is a day of major consequence for all of us. It's the last day of internship for most of us. It also happens to be  Sai's birthday. In the past couple of months he has played several roles in all our lives - boss, mentor, friend...just to name a few. He has been a constant source of encouragement, a voice of rebuke when required and a sounding board for all the times in between. So, today as we all head out (some literally, others metaphorically) we have many things to say about him, but only two things to say to him - Thanks for everything Sai and we wish you a very very Happy Birthday!

-Mannat 

House in the Hills : The Concept

With all of the constraints and challenges, with everything that we wanted the design to be, the following is a small prose that puts together how we envision this House in the Hills...

' We think of the home like a gazebo placed within the garden that surrounds it. Conversely, the garden also becomes part of the built space. The ground floor acts like an open space public space - an entrance foyer for your home, a space where you could spend time with friends and family or just a space where you could enjoy the rains with a cup of coffee in your hand.

 It could have some hard paved areas where one could have seats, some areas covered with grass and fragrant flowers - adjoining this a staircase which leads you to the rest of your house. Occasionally, when you are entertaining a lot of guests, the staircase would also act as a small seating area.

As you come up these stairs, it leads up you up to your kitchen and dining area. With this being the only space that occupies this floor, you can have an open kitchen with a breakfast counter which would be attached to a cozy dining space for you and your family. Large windows could open up the space, making it seem more spacious.

As you move higher in the house, the spaces transition from public to private. The floor above the kitchen and dining would have your bedroom and above that, your studio space. - The bedroom could be oriented such that every morning would begin with the picture of the scenic beauty around.

Your studio space with large windows and an attached terrace would be a space where you could witness your surroundings as well as be a part of them. It would be a space, cut off from the activities of the rest of the house, while still being a part of it. The terrace this studio opens into would the perfect space for you to meditate or practice yoga. '

House in the Hills : The Consequence

While we were super intrigued by the challenge presented to us by the site, we had also realised that we couldn't just design a single built form along the length of the site. The next logical step was to break up the built form and extend it vertically instead of horizontally. The blocks were split on the basis of interaction - the public and the private. These were connected with the help of verandahs on the ground floor and bridges on higher levels. The ground floor itself would be raised above the gardens. The two blocks too were angled towards each other in a manner that would give rise to a cozy space in the rear of the house - one where one could have a fire place and enjoy cozy evenings, taking in the views of the hills. The whole idea with orienting the building in this manner was to maximize the interaction with the serenity of the surroundings - the idea is for the surroundings themselves to become a part of the built form. How would be possibly do this. Come back tomorrow to see how we envision this...

-Mannat