Team spirit and resilient work processes are a necessity – Funktion Design

Funktion Design

The team at Funktion Design experienced the challenges of keeping up the morale of their personnel during fears of the pandemic. The studio had identified ways of enlivening their workspace to maintain the team’s vibrancy and increased the spirit between members. The studio’s relatively fresh experience with cloud working systems has helped them realize the importance of resilient in-studio work processes to pre-empt any future challenges like this pandemic.

Additional fundraising challenges and refreshed social goals – Nivasa NGO

NIvasa NGO

Nivasa NGO, possessing a network of advisors, fellow NGOs and funders, collectively witnessed additional strain on their monetary channels to aid their initiatives. The lockdowns, however, helped principal architect Akhila Ramesh to reinvent her journey with the Nivasa NGO team. With a rejuvenated studio structure and efforts to implement dignified living for the urban and rural poor, the team hopes to expand their friend network and funding avenues to aid their cause.

Agility at practice and responsiveness toward our environment – Morphemy Architects

Morphemy

The team at Morphemy architects experienced a complete halt of projects and monetary flow. The team, however, learnt that maintaining agility at work through challenging times is crucial. Additionally, the team was oriented toward responding to the environment’s processes through their design, during the pandemic.

Equipping a virtual workflow and a new magazine – Compartment S4

Compartment S4

As a young and large bunch of designers, Compartment S4 experienced a distancing of the studio members alongside the halting of projects and monetary flow. The team, however, found the hiatus as an opportunity to equip virtual methods of collaboration with their work, such as co-drawing digitally. Compartment S4 also came up with their exciting new initiative in the form of a Magazine, that is in cohesion with their talk series called “Friday Night Conversations”.

Persisting with tech for an ever-changing world – Sushant Verma, rat[LAB]

rat[LAB] STUDIO

rat[LAB] was founded on the technological strength it possessed. The studio has already been functioning as a team of remotely working associates from different time zones, with cloud computing as one of their practice tools. The pandemic experience has shown the team that technology supports their practice to adapt to the surprises that the world can throw at us. Additionally, savings from previous projects has helped the team stay afloat, in any case of fears that they may have encountered.

Banduksmith studio shares their experiences and learnings from the pandemic

banduksmithstudio

Banduksmith studio, a closely-knit team, experienced the hindrances in their internal and on-site coordination as the significant challenges. Moving swiftly into the virtual space to coordinate and continue work as the lockdowns were enforced, aided in levelling up the studio’s flexibility. The studio believes they adapt to any forthcoming challenges too to flexibly stay in collaboration with fellow practitioners.

"Glimpse into architecture's skilled workforce and allied industries in India during the pandemic" - AvDC

A glimpse into architecture and its allied industries in India during the pandemic – Suhasini Ayer – Guigan, AvDC

Suhasini Ayer

Architect Suhasini Ayer – Guigan , principal of Auroville Design Consultants, Auroville, shared insights on how the industries associated with Architecture practice were already facing a recessive market. The pandemic, hence, was not a fresh disaster to our practice, and perhaps possessed opportunities for youngsters to improve their interpersonal skills. Architect Suhasini also shares insights on how Indian manufacturing is deeply connected with global production cycles, thereby causing a chain of shutdowns to Indian work. Additionally, she also shares the significance of the shifting thought and behaviour patterns of the general Indian working population toward more efficient practices, from being disorganized and spontaneous.

After the Snake Moves: Essay on re-urbanisation in Kutch district, by Nipun Prabhakar

Nipun Prabhakar

In Bhuj, a municipality in the Kutch district of western India’s Gujarat, a network of community members, government officials and non-profit development organisations worked together to devise an emergency re-urbanisation plan following the disastrous 2001 earthquake. One particular case study takes us to Sardar Nagar, a rehousing settlement that threatened to become a slum of thousands.

Creating an institutional set up to collaborate with individuals – Arya Architects

Arya Architects

Arya Architects have been actively involved in projects in the public realm. Besides the delay of projects and monetary flow, the studio felt that the absence of site work and shift to digital methods dialled down the usual joy of working together. However, the studio could foresee the lockdown’s impacts, particularly with challenges of high attrition and out of town staff. It helped them realise the importance of creating an institutional set up beyond the physical presence of individuals.

"Evolving through past crises and pre-empting the pandemic impacts." - Nandini Sampat, Somaya and Kalappa Consultants

Evolving through past crises and pre-empting the pandemic impacts. – Nandini Somaya Sampat, SNK Somaya and Kalappa Consultants

Nandini Somaya Sampat

SNK Somaya and Kalappa Consultants, Mumbai, has been practicing over the last 45 years and is witness to the influences that multiple national and global crises can impose to architectural practice. The office, with its conservative discipline and expertise in multiple areas of architecture, has been able to actively work around the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. With an unhampered salary flow to their team and cost cutting measures as highlights, Director-Architect Nandini Somaya Sampat shares some strategies by SNK to face the 2020 crisis.

Toward a diversified post-pandemic resumption – APLUSR Architects

APLUSR Architects

APLUSR Architects had moulded into a more diversified practice across the Pandemic by including new departments of work and with international candidates being added to the team. The studio expands into different revenue streams for a rejuvenated resumption post the pandemic lulls.

Spirited with the basics – Art and Architecture

Art and Architecture

The team at Art and Architecture is focused on the core skills of architecture to keep the design process enlivened and simplified. The team kept themselves inspired and refreshed with enjoyable activities through the lockdown such as photo documentation of their favourite city parts, artwork, documenting personal and studio work and more. The lockdown was an opportunity to explore opportunities for other creative activities.

Learning from the digitized work efficiency during the pandemic – Aanai Studio

Aanai Studio

Aanai Studio’s services are focused on furniture, interior design and architecture, inspired by indigenous craftsmanship, sustainable materials, and design ingenuity for built interiors. The pandemic has provided an opportunity to rethink the studio’s research and development, separate personal and work life, both adding to their work fluency. This gives them time to pursue other personal interests too, much needed in today’s work-from-home scenario.

Shifting toward effectively minimal practices – SQUARE

SQUARE

A fluid team structure that invokes design ideas from all, with a hierarchy only to guide it, was scattered. The team experienced a shift towards minimal ways of life, which now inspires their practice too.

Rebooting Work Routines and Stalled Public Contributions – PK Das and Associates

PK Das and Associates

Within the studio at PK Das and Associates, digitized work methods and remote meetings have revealed a better organization of work items thanks to the methodical online framework that the studio developed. Subsequently, fresher routines have evolved from these changes. Contributions to the public realm in Mumbai has been an important facet of the practice for over 25 years, but the curtailing of MPLAD expenditure during the lockdown has stalled this progress too.

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