SONAL SANCHETI & “Most of our buildings SHIMUL JAVERI KADRI RAHUL GORE reflect an attempt to SANGEETA MERCHANT & combine the familiar with himul Javeri Kadri’s & SANJEEV PANJABI Sfirm, SJK Architects the new, the traditional builds gently, naturally with today, by working and lightly in its context. angeeta Merchant and with age-old solutions in The 24-year-old firm is SSanjeev Panjabi run their driven by a respect for firm, SPASM Design Architects a technologically-savvy nature and a fundamental in a personal, controlled manner, structure.” belief in people and their just as they run their projects. connectedness. Kadri’s Quick Fact They practice in India and East – Seema Puri & Zarir Mullan, SEZA designs draw inspiration Sancheti pursues Africa, focusing on aspects like from historical India, but several allied interests honesty, sensibility, humility, still remain relevant in like filmmaking, longevity and relevance. The he founders and principal the modern scenario. Her set designing, firm was set up in 1995, and Tarchitects of SEZA, Seema Puri innovative projects include photography and is largely recognised by its and Zarir Mullan believe the Hotel on the Ganges in scuba diving. affinity for open and interactive that design has a dual Rishikesh, The Handloom Quick Fact spaces tied to nature. The firm responsibility — one to guarantee School in Maheshwar and On the side, Kadri “We usually covers everything from high-end the end users a meaningful the Jiji House restoration also acts as a writer, stay away from a residences to resorts and space, and the other to in Mumbai. jurist, speaker and commercial spaces. create architecture that teacher. signature style; the is relevant and adds most complex and sculptural charm to the fabric of its beautiful solutions are surroundings. The often the simplest.” duo set up their – Sonal Sancheti & Rahul Gore, practice in the SIDHARTHA TALWAR _OPOLIS Architects ’90s, with an aim to meld architecture, n a career spanning over 20 years, Sidhartha has interior design and worked on diverse projects ranging from retail SANJAY PURI landscape, and blur I and corporate interiors, to exhibitions and thematic the lines between events. He founded Studio Lotus along with Ambrish & the inside and outside. SEEMA PURI Arora and Ankur Choksi in 2002. The studio ith an innate Villas, bungalows, residential ZARIR MULLAN has done some fascinating work including ability to make developments, hotels, W the RAAS hotel in Jodhpur that set every space look showrooms and shopping a benchmark in hospitality projects, different, and a malls form only a part of their Quick Fact Sidhartha is a visiting and KHOJ, which was an experimental conscious effort to project portfolio. stray from repetitive faculty member at art laboratory and residence for design, Sanjay Puri the TVB School of upcoming artists. The Grand Jury Prize established his firm in Habitat Studies. at the Design for Asia Award is one 1992. Over time, the of the many accolades the studio has firm put together an SHEILA SRI PRAKASH bagged to date. impressive portfolio, comprising one-of- esides being referred a-kind projects like Bto as an acclaimed the Bombay Arts architect, Sheila Sri Prakash Society, the Piazza is also considered an expert SONALI & MANIT RASTOGI in Montenegro, Hyatt in sustainability and green n 2001, Sonal Sancheti and Srinagar and the architecture. Her design orphogenesis, headed by Sonali and Rahul Gore, both graduates Global City in Mumbai. firm, Shilpa Architects I Manit Rastogi, thrives on challenges. of the Centre for Environmental With his latest initiative Planners Designers was set M The 20-year-old firm is responsible for Planning and Technology entitled Dialogues, Puri up in Chennai in 1979. As a The British Council in New Delhi, Delhi (CEPT) in Ahmedabad, merged added another feather member of the Indian Green Art Gallery in Mumbai, Pearl Academy their design sensibilities to set to his cap, bringing Building Council (IGBC), Sri in Jaipur and the Infosys campus in up _OPOLIS Architects. The designers from across Prakash has also played a Nagpur, among others. As a philosophy, multidisciplinary design practice the country onto one pivotal role in streamlining the firm looks to the processes of has undertaken large-scale platform to encourage the LEED Certification nature — being responsive to context, projects such as The Bihar design discourse. process in the country. Her “We feel most strongly about maximum efficiency with minimum waste, Museum in Patna along with prominent projects include sustainability — not purely as closed loop — to define their work and Maki and Associates, and the State Bank of India organisational structure. Holistically, the more recently, the North Wing head office in Chennai, energy, but environmental, social, “India is poised for a lot of firm puts the Indian perspective into the extension to the Bhau Daji Bamiyan Cultural Centre cultural and financial sustainability.” global context to create contemporary, Lad Museum in Mumbai along development in design, and in the Quick Fact in Afghanistan, Taj – Sonali Rastogi & Manit Rastogi, Morphogenesis practical structures. with Steven Holl Architects. Sri Prakash is Vivanta Resorts & Spa future, we can hope for people to be The firm’s innovative design also a in Puducherry and the solutions are grounded by a more aware of the power of design.” Bharatanatyam Mahindra World City NOTE: This listing is in alphabetical order. At the time of going to press, due to time constraint more than a sensitivity to the project, its site – Sanjay Puri, Sanjay Puri Architects dancer and in Chennai. a musician. few pertinent names were unable to send updated profiles. The magazine will carry the same in due course. and surroundings. .