CEPT Archives has announced a major addition to its collection with the receipt of archival materials from Asha Baste of A. & P. Baste Architects, preserving the four-decade legacy of architects Asha and Prabhakar Baste, whose innovative approach to vernacular architecture and the ‘Design and Build’ model transformed residential design in India’s Konkan region and beyond. CEPT Archives has been actively acquiring works from leading architects and practitioners whose contributions have shaped the built environment across the country.
The contribution process was finalised in Pune in March 2025 by Kartikeya Shodhan, Head of CEPT Archives, and Saman Quraishi, Assistant Professor at CEPT Archives, CEPT University.
Founded in 1976 in Mumbai, A. & P. Baste Architects distinguished itself through a unique practice philosophy that connects with craftsmen and local building traditions. Asha and Prabhakar Baste developed what architectural scholar H. Masud Taj described as a style with “simplicity, rigour and deductive logic that paves the way for a new vernacular”.
Asha Baste, who graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute, New York, in 1969, brought international experience from working with Armand Bartos Associates and SOM in New York, followed by Chapman Taylor and Partners in London. Prabhakar Baste, who worked for a decade on hospital projects with Llewelyn Davis Weeks and Partners in London, brought both technical expertise and a profound emotional connection to the Konkan region, where he spent much of his childhood.
The architects met while working at CIDCO in Mumbai in 1971 during the planning phases of Navi Mumbai. Their partnership would go on to redefine how architecture could engage with local context, climate, and construction traditions. After undertaking the reconstruction of a village near Morvi, Gujarat, that was destroyed by floods in 1979, the Bastes adopted their signature ‘Design and Build’ model, which allowed them to spend extended time on-site developing rapport with craftsmen and refining design details during construction.
The firm’s work spanned diverse scales and typologies, from international commissions for large-span housing and prefabrication in the Middle East to hotels in Varanasi and Jamnagar, residential buildings in Mumbai and Lonavla, and numerous houses across Pune, Ratnagiri, Goa, and Kannur. However, their most significant contribution emerged through their residential work in Ratnagiri, where they developed a flexible system for house planning that respected regional building traditions while addressing contemporary needs.
Their architectural philosophy centred on sloping, angled roofs that provided both practical shelter from tropical rains and emotional comfort through association with traditional red-tiled homes. This approach was documented in their influential 2022 book “Sheltering Angle“, which presents a grammar for house planning using hand-drawn architectural drawings and a tartan pattern ideogram. The book, written by Asha Baste between 2018 and 2020, serves as both a professional treatise and a tribute to Prabhakar, who passed away in 2014.
Both architects contributed significantly to architectural education in India. Prabhakar served as visiting faculty at Sir J.J. College of Architecture in Mumbai, while Asha taught at various architectural colleges in Mumbai and Pune, covering subjects from the History of Human Settlements to Architectural Design. Asha, also an accomplished potter and ceramic artist, continues to influence contemporary architectural discourse through her writing and teaching.
Their commitment to documenting and sharing their practice philosophy was evident early in their career. They wrote numerous articles and book reviews for Inside Outside Magazine, India’s only design magazine at the time, addressing topics from sub-ground level pedestrian crossings to Janata furniture and paper lamp shades. Their projects were later published in prominent journals including IAB and A+D.
Among the firm’s notable projects was the Meeting Hall for the Zilla Parishad in Ratnagiri, featuring an intimate fan-shaped auditorium for 200 people roofed with an amphitheatre open to the sky for another 200. The project exemplified their ability to design for irregular sites while maintaining architectural integrity.
The archival donation to CEPT includes drawings, sketches, photographs, project documentation, and personal records spanning nearly four decades of practice. These materials will be catalogued according to international archival metadata standards and made accessible to researchers, students, and professionals worldwide.
The collection will be particularly valuable for those researching sustainable rural communities, vernacular architecture, tropical design, and alternative models of architectural practice that prioritise craftsmanship and contextual sensitivity over standardised approaches.
Source: CEPT
