“The new architect must be an environmental thinker, a social listener, a technological innovator, and an ethical actor.” – Ravindra Punde on reimagining architecture education in India
Ravindra Punde, architect and academician, calls for a fundamental reimagining of architecture education in India, arguing it must shift from colonial pedagogies to address climate change, social inequality, and ethical responsibility through ecology-centred, community-engaged, and culturally diverse learning.
The Conundrum of Context and Contemporaneity—Lilavati Lalbhai Library, Ahmedabad, by RMA Architects
Architects R. Ramalakshmi and Surabhi Shingarey, in their review of the Lilavati Lalbhai Library at CEPT University by RMA Architects, dwell on its dual challenge of addressing contemporaneity and context responsiveness—standing as a definitive, self-contained, contemporary object in Doshi’s accretive campus.
A Polemical Essay on Climate Crisis: How and Why We Got There
Snehanshu Mukherjee, in his polemical essay on climate crisis, writes about how the crisis has and continues to stem from a system built on exploitation and profit, driven by the need for comfort.
“People of Scotland talk with great pride when it comes to their architectural preferences…”— Suneet Paul
Architect/Writer Suneet Paul writes about Scotland’s architectural heritage blending medieval Old Town with Georgian New Town in Edinburgh. He elaborates on the historic castles, scenic lochs like Loch Ness and Loch Lomond, vibrant festivals, and preserved cultural traditions that showcase centuries of Scottish history and natural beauty.
“A farcical approach to an institutional building of such importance” — Ramu Katakam, on the Proposed Bombay High Court Complex Design
Ramu Katakam strongly reacts to the proposed Bombay High Court Complex design, calling it “farcical” and regressive. He advocates opening such important projects to international competition, believing younger architects worldwide could create contemporary designs that honour heritage while establishing a modern architectural identity for India’s institutions.
Self Organisation & Self Organised City — The Case of Indonesia | Academic Research by Riya Patel
Self Organisation and Self-Organised City is an academic research by Riya Patel that examines Indonesia’s kampungs as examples of successful self-organised urban settlements. These informal communities demonstrate resilience through incremental housing development, community-driven infrastructure, and adaptive spatial organisation that effectively serves low-income populations despite operating outside formal planning frameworks.
Who Really Wins? — A Critical Look into Architectural Competitions in India
Through an analysis of current competitions and conversations, Anusha Sridhar analyses the architectural competitions in India, which embody democratic potential yet suffer systemic collapse—fragile institutions undermining professional equity while paradoxically remaining essential platforms for emerging practitioners seeking recognition beyond privilege.
Who really wins? — About Architectural Competitions in India, with Madhusudhan Chalasani
In our efforts to engage a cohort of architects who had previously contributed to design competitions—both as participants and/or as jurors—for their perspectives on the contemporary competition paradigm, we invite Madhusudhan Chalasani, Founder and Principal Architect at Studio MADe.
Court Fort, Nandoli, Gujarat, by Compartment S4
Court Fort in Nandoli is imagined foremost as a home, an everyday retreat on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where slow living meets meaningful solitude.
Rice Museum, Mandya, Karnataka, by RC Architects
Nestled amidst the verdant landscapes of Mandya, the Rice Museum emerges as a profound tribute to one of humanity’s most vital resources — rice. Thoughtfully
Sangam, Pune, Maharashtra, by Alkesh Gangwal & Associates
Sangam is a 3,300 sq. ft. canteen near Pune, Maharashtra, designed by Alkesh Gangwal & Associates, blending recycled materials and innovative design to create a flexible, light-filled respite within an industrial landscape.
Elevated Dining Deck at RMV Club, Bengaluru, Karnataka, by Funktion Design
Amid the spatial constraints of a recreational campus, Funktion Design was tasked with an unusual challenge: to extend the dining capacity of the Rajamahal Vilas
House of Material and Character, Lonavala, Maharashtra, by SHROFFLEóN
House of Material and Character, Maharashtra, designed by SHROFFLEóN, is an adaptive reuse structure merging brutalist and modern design.
Drishti, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, by Hiren Patel Architects
Drishti, a residence in Ahmedabad, by Hiren Patel Architects, is a manifestation of that balances luxury, personalisation, and multigenerational living.
Future Trajectories | Dialogues
The Practice of Timeless Architecture, Earthling Ladakh, Future Trajectories | Dialogues
Future Trajectories | Dialogues is a series dedicated to the people behind Promising Young Architectural Practices identified in Future Trajectories and Future Trajectories 2.0. In this interview, Ladakh based Earthling Ladakh reminisces its ethos, approach and journey.
Blurring the lines between built and unbuilt- The Purple Ink Studio | Future Trajectories | Dialogues
Future Trajectories | Dialogues is a series dedicated to the people behind Promising Young Architectural Practices identified in Future Trajectories and Future Trajectories 2.0. In this interview, Bangalore-based The Purple Ink Studio reminisces its ideology, approach and journey.
From Delhi to Ladakh: Contextual Sensitivity and Traditional Wisdom- Emara | Dialogues | Future Trajectories
Future Trajectories | Dialogues is a series dedicated to the people behind Promising Young Architectural Practices identified in Future Trajectories and Future Trajectories 2.0. In this interview, Delhi-based Emara reminisces its ethos, approach and journey.
A Confluence of Varying Experiences- flYingseeds |Dialogues | Future Trajectories
Future Trajectories | Dialogues is a series dedicated to the people behind Promising Young Architectural Practices identified in Future Trajectories and Future Trajectories 2.0. In this interview, Delhi-based flYingseeds reminisces its ethos, approach and journey.
Ode to First Contact with Architecture: Studio Mohenjodaro | Future Trajectories | Dialogue
In extension to the Future Trajectories series, Studio Mohenjodaro reminisces about their journey in a conversation with Megha Pande.
Architecture, a Motley of Diverse Groups- Studio Motley | Dialogues | Future Trajectories
In extension to the Future Trajectories series, Studio Motley reminisces about their journey in a conversation with Megha Pande.
Architecture
Shankar Kanade, the quiet titan of humanist architecture, passes away at 88.
Shankar Kanade, the visionary architect and Guru, who pioneered the “Chhapadi” stone construction technique, passed away yesterday at 88. Renowned for his humane, low-cost housing projects like Bengaluru’s Jal Vayu Vihar, Kanade leaves behind a quiet legacy of integrity, craftsmanship, and a deep commitment to “unconditioning” architectural education.
The Dharavi Transformation: End of the Road or A New Beginning?
As Dharavi, Mumbai’s dense economic powerhouse with a $1 billion annual turnover, undergoes a major Adani-led redevelopment, Kavas Kapadia elucidates the key challenge of modernising resident life and infrastructure without destroying its unique, highly productive ecosystem and livelihoods.
Earth Pavilion House, Hosur, Tamil Nadu, by Samvad Design Studio
Sited in a farming collective, the design is conceptualised around 23 mature, fruit-bearing trees, set to the far end of an 11,000 sq.ft. plot. The
Design
The Souk – Installation at the Dubai Design week, by Collaborative Architecture
The geometry of the pavilion is derived from the most common element, seen widely, in some of the most popular Islamic murals / patterns that adore some of the iconic architecture in the Islamic world- The Decagon. – Collaborative Architecture
डिझाईनच्या दुनियेत: The World of Design
The World of Design: डिझाईन म्हणजे काय ? हा प्रश्न समोर आला म्हणजे आपल्या मनात अनेक समज-गैरसमज निर्माण होतात. कपड्यांवरचे डिझाईन, रांगोळीचे डिझाईन, बाटलीचे डिझाईन, घराचे डिझाईन, मोबाईलचे डिझाईन अशा एक ना अनेक मानवनिर्मित गोष्टींचे उल्लेख करताना आपण डिझाईन हा शब्द सहज वापरतो.
A short history of the selfie stick – Story by Peeyush Sekhsaria
A short history of the selfie stick – Story by Design Dalda
Interior Design
Rangeen, restaurant at Ahmadabad, by Prashant Pradhan Architects
Prashant Pradhan Architects, a firm based in Gangtok, Sikkim, has designed Rangeen, a restaurant in Ahmedabad that seamlessly blends the traditional experiences with the contemporary in its interiors.
the soul {talks}, Puducherry, by seeders | biophilic architecture studio
the soul {talks}, Puducherry, by seeders | biophilic architecture studio is an open, spacious, biophilic residence designed with intent.
HSJ, a Jewellery Showroom at Lucknow by Ravish Mehra Deepak Kalra
Built as an introverted vault, the solid sandstone façade makes a bold statement with an elegant surface detailing in gold steel. The entrance is marked by a delicately detailed 30 feet high glass door, allowing a glimpse inside generating curiosity. It opens into a reception area with a customised elliptical red glass elevator wrapped by the spiral staircase as an iconic centrepiece.
News
Opinions / Views / Thoughts
Gender. Hysteria. Architecture. | “When Did Care Become Confinement?”
Was architecture used by society to spatially “manage” women and their autonomy? Aditi A., through her research study as a part of the CEPT Writing Architecture course, examines the period before psychiatry, when fear had already become architectural, tracing how women’s autonomy was spatially managed through domestic regulation, witch hunts, informal confinement, and early institutional planning.
A Modernist’s Doubt: Symbolism and the Late Career Turn
Why did acclaimed modernist architects suddenly introduce historical symbolism like arches, decorative elements, and other cultural references into their work after decades of disciplined restraint? Sudipto Ghosh interrogates this 1980s-90s symbolic turn as a rupture in architecture, questioning whether this represents an authentic reconnection with content and memory, or is it a mere superficial gesture towards absent meanings. Drawing from Heidegger’s analysis of the Greek temple, he distinguishes two modes of architectural representation, ultimately judging that this turn was a nascent rebellion against modernism that may have failed to achieve genuine integration of context, material, and memory.
The City That Could Be: An Ode to Pune
Narendra Dengle, through his poem written in January 2006, presents a deep utopic vision for Pune—what the city could be as an ecologically sustainable, equitable city that balances nature with development. He sets ambitious benchmarks for prioritizing public transport over cars, preserving heritage, addressing slum rehabilitation humanely, and empowering local communities
Photoshopped Architecture
Popular Stories
B.Arch Thesis: Public Library at Jambhulwadi, Pune by Ganesh Sutar, Aayojan School of Architecture and Design, Pune
My initial discussions were about actual outer spaces that people are going to use and experience compare to inner working space. Yes!! Inner space is also most important things but I think designing space overlooking city, lake and mountain range, you will not consider designing interior first and then go for left over outer spaces. Its just that you carved out initial details like outer spaces and just accommodate interior spaces according to their function.
Termeh Office Commercial Building, Hamedan, Iran, by Farshad Mehdizadeh Architects and Ahmad Bathaei
Termeh Office Commercial Building, Hamedan, Iran, by Farshad Mehdizadeh Architects and Ahmad Bathaei, has an innovative design integrating local brick patterns and a multifunctional slab serving as stairs and ceiling.
Café Delhi Heights, Delhi, by M:OFA Studios
Café Delhi Heights, by M:FOA Studios, is a unique dining experience inspired by the whimsical world of Wes Anderson films. The café’s design features multiple, Instagram-worthy backdrops, including a train-wagon booth seating area, a colorful Indian Dispatch Wall, and a vibrant pink bar.
Art
Institutional Buildings
“Blurring the lines between the concepts of outdoor and indoor.” – Studio E.R.A on designing of Delhi Public School, Kollam
ArchitectureLive!’s initiative, ‘Decoding: Architecture of the Academic Environment’ discusses the design of Delhi Public School, Kollam with Evolving Radical Aesthetics.
Nalanda University, Rajgir, by Rajeev Kathpalia, Partner at Vastu Shilpa Consultants
Designed by Rajeev Kathpalia, Partner at Vastu Shilpa Consultants, the proposed design echoes the vision of Nalanda University as the campus of the future, at the forefront of global education and the hub of intellectual excellence. The master plan adopts sustainable practices at every phase of the project and to achieve social and economic integration with the local community.
School of Law, Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal, by 42 MM Architecture
The School of Law, Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal, by 42 MM Architecture is nestled in the midst of a forest and it was only logical to respond to the unparalleled views and open vistas offered by the site itself while considering the spatial planning.
Public Buildings
Small Residential Projects
Kawad Residence, at Jodhpur, by Ravi & Nupur Architects
Kawad Residence, at Jodhpur, by Ravi & Nupur Architects
The Brick Box, Kolhapur, by Dhanesh Gandhi Architects
Dhanesh Gandhi Architects designed the Brick House in Kolhapur as a linear rectangular homogenous mass into which voids have been intentionally carved out to cater to the functions of the home.
Morning House, Pune, by Karan Darda Architects
The Morning House by Karan Darda Architects is a three-bedroom house designed as a contemporary Indian space.
Landscape Design
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