On a cold December night, sitting in the small hut of ‘Cuckoo Forest School,’ seeds of Akarmaa were sown. One of the interpretations of ‘Akarmaa’ is ‘Selfless Action’ where both the doer and done cease to exist.Akarmaa approaches design as a tool of intervention in a system through various functional and contextual parameters, that will aid in the sustenance and continuity of the system. Interventions in terms of design vary between graphic, architecture, heritage conservation, landscape and so on. But all of this have a thread in common – ‘thannaram’. ( in tamil roughly translates into ‘ morale for oneself ‘) Architecture to us is constantly reflecting and making efforts to design and build context sensitive and cost effective spaces for people from different socio-economic backgrounds. Developing intuitive design amidst multiple ideologies provides interesting opportunities with every design. Akarmaa follows an architectural practice which focuses on ‘transparency’, especially in terms of construction costs. Clients are kept aware of actual construction cost of the construction (material + labour) and profit of the builder is indicated seperately. This also helps the clients to make informed decisions. Cost effective design solutions are proposed wherever possible, reducing the overall construction cost. Akarmaa than a studio is more of a platform for self-evolution for the ones who seek. Co-founded by Arunima Shankar and Kaushik kumar, both specializing in Heritage Conservation from CEPT. Akarmaa does not have any hierarchy and belongs to anyone willing to learn.Â
Key works by Akarmaa Architects
