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

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

Ideally Ideal

 Recently in the office we have been discussing about the idea of an ideal office space.

Being architects, obsessed with space planning naturally the discussion was a little over the top and frankly insane. Some want to paint the walls full of murals. Some even suggested to put up a workshop and have an art cafe. For some it is conditional, having the fridge stacked with beer, for others it was locational, with a corner office in a New York skyscraper overlooking the central park.

The bug really got into our ear when Meghna and Drashti sat on the tree house and overcame their creative block, coming up with an efficient strategy.

Anyone in a creative field understands the importance of an absorbing working space. The condition of your work space has a huge impact on the quality and productivity of your work.

But what is productivity? Is it sitting in a corner and completing your work for the day? It’s certainly no longer sitting on the desk and work with your head down all day long.

It might be about creating ideas, solving problems, and help team—mates get their next big idea.

In the past people used to have to sit on their desks and answer to calls and mails, but today one can do that— and any other work— from anywhere.

So does that mean, from a creative and logical point of view, having a desk is not important anymore?

Isn’t it more crucial to make sure people are connecting and brainstorming, like Meghna and Drashti on the tree house?

Aren't the walls with incomplete stories waiting to be filled more exciting than a coffee machine?

Isn’t a design for human potential, or for the intellectual and emotional intelligence more important than any corner office?

So let me ask again, what is this ideal office anyway?

Project 356

As I got pretty good reviews on the last blog I wrote (for those of you living under a rock, Introducing the interns) luckily I got to kick working drawings out of my life and drag the blog in.

Sai is a great believer that if you love something, do it obsessively. And though my obsession never gets to see the light of the other day it has become my goal to take up a Project 356 (or at least a project 90?). The point being I will be updating every day, at least one post talking about (if not architecture) the life of an intern.

It could be about anything, from design to basic Sandarbh gossip. It would be a picture from the eyes of Shreya “The intern”.

Starting off I believe my first project 365 should be about my one true love. This being Valentine's day it would be almost poetic.

Architecture.

The mother of all arts, architecture has been the most talked about field than its other sisters, sculpting and art. One may not understand art but one definitely understands architecture. It is a language of the senses. And in today’s world people are realizing the real importance of it.

And one might pontificate there are several things great about architecture. It is beauty (but what is beauty?). It is luxury (but what is luxury?) and it is necessity. But nothing listed above tells us what lies within. The true soul. The real question. What makes it so darn relevant?

If words are used for documenting the past events. Architecture would be used for documenting the past experiences. And so in that experience we find the connection to the people who were.

And that makes it relevant.

That makes it beautiful, luxurious and a necessity.