Hundredhands, Bengaluru
Bijoy Ramachandan
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Project in focus: A family home in Trichy built around a linear courtyard. It is a reference to the family’s ancestral home. Its design evokes the same sense of community and gathering as traditional courtyard houses. Recycled timber, filler slabs and jack arches have been used in this project while an open lower floor allows the courtyard to induce air circulation within the house.
Upcoming projects: Houses in Nandi Hills and Devanahalli (Karnataka) and Goa; an Ayurvedic resort in Kerala; a forest conservation project in Coorg; schools in Bengaluru.
Material you’re obsessed with: Cross-laminated timber (CLT)
Philosophy: “To produce work that is frugal, pragmatic, collaborative and crafted, refined, graceful. The studio’s approach is grounded in the search for contextually appropriate solutions.”
LAB, Mumbai
Shonan Purie Trehan
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Project in focus: “House of 7 Courtyards” is a true garden house where each space connects directly to a unique courtyard that has a distinct character. The sprawling multigenerational home in Vadodara is made using exposed concrete, rammed earth and mud plaster. Designed as a luxurious “ashram”, the home is a single-level structure deeply rooted to the ground.
Upcoming projects: An iconic women’s skilling centre in the desert; hospitals in Uttar Pradesh and Kathmandu; medical college in Delhi; houses in Alibag, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Goa.
Materials you’re obsessed with: Poured earth and 3D printing with earth
Philosophy: “Our name reflects our design philosophy. We named the practice ‘Language. Architecture. Body.’ as we believe in working between the narrative, the built intervention and habitation.”
Malik Architecture, Mumbai
Kamal Malik, Arjun Malik
Project in focus: A building in Khar, Mumbai, that re-establishes a substantive relationship with the street by eliminating the presence of a massive building at street eye-level. Designed for a joint family, it features individual residences planned around central north-facing courtyards with the public and private spaces located in the east and west zones. The courtyards bind the internal spaces and allow for natural light and breeze to flow throughout the house.
Upcoming projects: Hotel projects in interesting locations like Kalimpong, West Bengal, and Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka; master planning project in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Materials you’re obsessed with: Brick, stone, and wood
Philosophy: “To develop a relevant contemporary syntax of architecture for the Indian subcontinent articulated through architecture as a synthesis of ecology and spirit.”
Sanjay Puri Architects, Mumbai
Sanjay Puri
Project in focus: Zen Spaces is a 27,000-square-foot home in Jaipur that consists of cuboid volumes punctuated with an open courtyard, built in four levels to provide space for three generations to live together. The circulation spine within the house skirts the courtyard, allowing a visual connection to the landscape outside.
Upcoming projects: The Prestige University in Indore; Hitkarni University in Jabalpur; resorts in Udaipur and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and Mulshi, Maharashtra.
Materials you’re obsessed with: Adobe and bamboo
Philosophy: “Creating spaces that evolve in an explorative manner and transcend the way spaces have been perceived earlier. Creating architecture that is rooted in contextual terms and yet evolutionary in its experiences.”
MuseLab, Mumbai
Jasem Pirani, Huzefa Rangwala
Project in focus: A hacienda-style home adapted to Coimbatore’s climate. Spread over an area of 14,000 square feet in the heart of the city, the home’s layout also pays homage to Chettinad homes, with a central courtyard connecting the pool, lounge, dining and family areas. The windows and openings were recessed to protect the interiors from the harsh summer sun. The courtyard features a restrained pixelated tile pattern, while the pool vault showcases a floral design. In contrast, larger marble pieces define the living and library areas.
Upcoming projects: A large family abode in Kandla; a rural school in Kathiwada; an experience centre in Hyderabad
Material you’re obsessed with: Tadelakt plaster
Philosophy: “We meet inspiration on the ever-fleeting terrain of whimsy, wonder, and stories yearning to be told. Over the years, our design journey has been led by discovery, metamorphosis, and the interplay of senses. Between lines on paper and walls on earth, we find the dreamers in us relentlessly on a quest to make spaces sensorial and emotionally tactile.”
Also read: Architect Sanjay Puri crafts a sculptural, energy-efficient desert home in Rajasthan
Also read: This 6,500-square-foot childproof home in Ahmedabad features playful design interventions
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