INTERVIEW ‘International exposure is changing the dimension of Architecture’ With a work experience in ell us about your journey in in all sense and our clients like it better Tarchitecture. that way. So barring construction, we do vivid typologies, Shashi We were founded 50 years ago, my father, entire turnkey design. From landscape to Prabhu & Associates (SPA) Shashi Prabhu, started the company in services, to lighting design, to acoustics, 1967. He is the director of the company. to various engineering, we do it. We also is constantly trying to explore He is our mentor. My younger brother, have a separate vertical for healthcare. We and concurrently balances Atul Prabhu, joined company almost 15 predominantly do complete healthcare years ago. He graduated from J.J. College planning. We have in-house people from their portfolio. Amol Prabhu of Architecture. He leads the design for healthcare field like equipment, making takes us on an interesting ride many projects. I was away and spent most standing operating procedures. We have of my time in America. My background various people doing healthcare planning through the journey of SPA is Project Management. I came to India from the beginning to the end. We and shares his opinions about in 2005 and joined the company as a work all over India. We have offices in partner. Since then, we have changed the Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Nagpur, Goa. So the current architecture guild face of the company. We don’t do only this has been the journey of the company in an interaction with Ambarin architecture anymore. We do architecture, by far. interior design, engineering, services. We Chougle do everything because it is important for What type of projects do you work on? an architect to be able to complete the The first noteworthy project we did was project rather than just do the planning. Wankhede stadium and then the journey Because the project has to be complete started. Once you do a stadium, you PB Architecture Update July 2018 Architecture Update July 2018 41 are referred as sports architect. We did are trusted. For example, we are doing contained so people didn’t have much of multiple cricket stadiums which include a residential township in Hyderabad, an exposure and people were content with Wankhede stadium, Mumbai; Indira the police township is a private venture. an idea of architecture. So with the people Gandhi stadium, Delhi; Thane stadium; We try to get projects which are going travelling, the exposure has widened a lot. Rajiv Gandhi stadium, Hyderabad; etc. to not necessarily make money for the People are seeing different things and they We also did sports cities for national company but make a mark. We try to want better things. A lot of requirements games like Pune sports city, Hyderabad secure projects that are iconic where we is coming from the clients themselves. Sports city, Goa sports city, etc. Then in can make a difference. Like Wankhede Something that they have seen 1970, my father thought to do something stadium which is known to everyone. somewhere. So I think, the international other than sports so he ceased his first exposure is changing the dimension of opportunity to do a hospital. He did Most of our projects are time bound. our architecture. The needs are changing, multiple public hospitals like PCMC, Like when Wankhede was being people’s demands are changing which is Thane municipal hospital, both of constructed, it had to be completed for changing the direction of architecture as 750 beds followed by various private the world cup. There was not one day we go through. hospitals like Leelavati, Harkisandas, where we could afford. On a similar which is being done currently. So far note was Balewadi Sports city. We take How is digital technology helping we have done almost 40 hospitals and up projects which make a difference to architecture to progress? 100 stadiums. Then we tried to broaden the city. We understand the importance Very well. First of all, massive amounts our horizon. So after stadiums, we did of management of large crowd projects, of software have come in the market clubhouses like Garware Club House, time-bound projects. There are no which is enabling the architecture. Wellington, CCI, NSCI dome, etc. We are strategies as such. We, ourselves, 13 years ago, everyone doing Bombay Gymkhana. Since people had a drawing board, then came the contact you for a similar type of project What are the challenges that you face? era of Autocad where all of us had once you successfully complete one, we Finding skilled people is a challenge. to switch to Autocad and now even were approached for most sports club in Trying to balance the ever-changing Autocad has ruled out and BIM has Mumbai. norms of the government is a challenge. taken over. Where software like Revit is Projects delay has been a big issue. helping architects conceive a building What are the strategies and philosophies Projects get delayed a lot. Of what I in 3-dimension and even coordinate the you generally follow while designing a see abroad and then India, projects are building in 3-dimension. Technology project? delayed because of external factors which is going at a fast pace and is enabling We try to balance our portfolio. There are not in anybody’s control. Those are architects to imagine and also construct is no strategy as such which works some of the challenges we face. in 3-dimension. In a certain way, the because it changes over time, changes translation of ideas has become easier with the circumstances. So we have a Where do you think is the architecture because earlier clients never understood balance of public and private projects. industry leading? 2-dimensional plans but it is easier to We have a balance of fields like sports, People are travelling a lot. Builders are understand a 3-dimensional plan, which healthcare, hospitality, housing. We travelling, architects are travelling, clients is also given out to the contractors; typically are less focused on private are travelling, young people are travelling, which means there is no difference of builder segment. That’s out of choice. elderly people are travelling. Everyone opinion or any confusion in the minds of Sometimes we do get large builders who is travelling around, all over the world. anybody. we work with, who are known to us, who Many years ago, our land was very Another thing that is trending is 42 Architecture Update July 2018 Architecture Update July 2018 43 we focus on convincing the clients to incorporate green elements in the design because it will benefit them in the long term and I believe one should be looking after our environment. What is your ultimate goal when designing a structure? What do you want to be remembered for? Architecture is an interesting field which touches human beings on an intrinsic level. Our goal is to be able to make human life better, make it convenient for them to survive and make a living and do whatever they are supposed to do, facilitate ease of doing so. That is what we aspire to do. We want to create better structures for human beings. That is our ultimate goal. Which are your upcoming projects? We are doing a lot of work with the municipal corporation. We are doing 3 major hospitals, each one almost 600 beds. Bhagvati hospital, Borivali, one in Govandi called Shatabdi, and one in Bhandup. These are large tertiary care hospitals. We are doing the memorial for parametric technology which is present but not all clients are keen to get those Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in Shivaji Park. but not prominently taking a huge leap certifications. It is not mandatory and That’s going to be a mammoth project in our country at least. Parametric there is no law and also some these with almost 350ft tall bronze statue of technology allows us to have a free certifications are very pro-international Dr Ambedkar. It will be completed in 2 thinking mind where the bounded obviously because they were designed in years. The contractor is already on board, shapes like a square and a rectangle are those countries. So it is very difficult for construction has already started. We are broken into curved spaces. Software them and very expensive to bring them also doing various mass housing projects. programming enables you to have here and incorporate them at face value; We are going to build ten thousand a limitless freedom of architecture, unless you’re an MNC’ which is required houses for police constables and their movement or surfaces but we realise to comply with those norms. GRIHA widows in Panvel over 115 acres of that until the construction tools change did come into the picture but it did not land. This is probably one of the largest in India, it is not possible. It is great for emanate as it was hoped to. At one point, townships for police anywhere ever somebody to draw a building which has the government had made it mandatory done. We are doing a Cricket Stadium no form but how do you translate that to make all government buildings to be in Guwahati which is almost at the stage effectively into reality is an issue because GRIHA but that was not achieved in of completion. So this is what keeps us unfortunately, the engineering and the Maharashtra especially, I am not aware busy. construction has not kept pace with that of anywhere else. Nevertheless, whether [email protected] kind of technology. So its a matter of our client decides to go green or not, time, and very soon we might see the infusion of that into our lives but not yet.