Design Factory India
In the fast lane...
Jeroen van Erp
When I fi rst visited the studio in 2014, it was clear that as a member of the Archohm ecosystem, the ambitions for Design Factory India were sky- high. Archohm was already on its way to becoming a household name in the architecture business and DFI simply had to follow. That was, of course, easier said than done, but DFI founders Siddarth Bathla and Sourabh Gupta showed not only a strong belief in the studio’s mission but also perseverance. Being a member of the Archohm family, gave them assets beyond the ordinary. They were backed by the philosophy that design is not meant to be there for itself but should be meaningful, taking the context in mind. It is not so much about the design itself but what it can do. That means that if you make the goal of the assignment a top priority, the manifestation will follow. The only way to do this is to present yourself as a multi- disciplinary design platform as you can read on the agency’s website. This may sound very simple but in the Indian context this appeared to be a totally
new approach. It took time before DFI took- off. Bathla, cofounder and partner knew he could only achieve the goals by making great work. And that is exactly what the studio in Noida has done in recent years.
AGRA
The Archohm network is mainly focusing on the built environment and it doesn’t come as a surprise that the fi rst breakthroughs came from commissioners in this and adjacent fi elds. In 2015, Archohm was working on the environment of the Taj Mahal in Agra. The project included the redevelopment of the old city, the Mughal Museum, the Taj Orientation Centre and the Agra Food Pavilion. The ambition was to create an environment that would express the attentive nature of the renowned monument but also pay attention to other monuments in Agra. In fact, it was part of a bigger upgrade of the city with the renowned monument. The idea emerged to develop a communication concept to support this intervention. Together with Fabrique from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, DFI developed an iconic symbol for the city. The A is the starting point, and the space between the legs represents the iconic shape of the Taj Mahal. The use of the symbol is very open and therefore accessible and usable for all stakeholders. This manifestation of city branding was extensively applied in the street furniture, signage as well as the edifi ces that Archohm designed. It is also a perfect example of
DFI’s capabilities to translate strategic challenges into mesmerising designs.
LUCKNOW
The assignment for the Museum of Socialism –
Jayaprakash Narayan Interpretation Center offered Archohm a total new challenge. Buildings are always highly infl uential in the environment, especially when it is a 100 feet tall triangular- wedge monolith. The development of the museum was part of a holistic vision chartered by the government of Uttar Pradesh. Sourabh Gupta, the principal architect nevertheless realised that the real impact to create such a public space was not just to work on the outside but on the inside – the experience. DFI won the
tender of designing the total exhibition and experience of the museum. They divided the museum into thematic zones – absorption, realisation, reflection and finally congregation as, the overwhelming amount of information to engage the audience, had to be filtered.
In the Absorption zone, Jayaprakash Narayan is introduced to the visitor. The realisation zone, explains the most relatable period of his life tracing his timeline. The reflection zone focused on specific and notable life events that altered the course of history. The congregation zone at the end exemplifies gathering of thoughts, both on a personal level and as a collective. It is quite an effort that the museum succeeds in bringing across to the audience – such an abstract construct as that of an ideology. It says something about the design thinking skills of DFI.
NEW DELHI
The exhibition – Pathfinders of the two former Prime Ministers of India, in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library ( NMML) is another showcase of DFI’s abilities to unlock the potential of stories from the past and bring them to the present in a meaningful and mesmerising way. They’re doing this in combining very simple ideas – like the little seats, made from newspaper as well as applying state- of- the- art technology. The virtual world of holograms, projection mapping and other forms of augmented reality cohabit easily with real world artefacts. The tribute to ‘ Pathfinders’ is in itself a path- finding initiative.
The two museums at the monumental site at Red Fort, New Delhi, one on the first freedom struggle of India in 1857 and the other on the freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose, inaugurated on 23rd January by India’s prime minister Narendra Modi, speak volumes of the ability, ambition and responsibility taken by Design Factory India. From research to delivery, working on exhaustive timelines and budgets, everyday challenges have been addressed relentlessly.
THE FUTURE
It doesn’t come as a surprise that the first big successes for DFI came from spatial design – a logical extension of architecture. At this moment, DFI is spreading its wings into other domains like product and service design. But the goal
always stays the same: creating exciting and meaningful experiences. It is an active member of the Archohm ecosystem. They not only work closely with the renowned architects and governments but also play an active role in the Design Village – the highly ambitious design school that emerged from the eco- system. It all resonates with each other, which make you wonder what’s the secret ingredient in this fertile creative soil in Noida. Bathla and Gupta can be proud, they have reached their goals, the design company has gained its own position in the Indian design landscape and is a grown up member of this amazing creative family. Design Factory India is even in the fast lane now with new clients knocking at their door. This brings new opportunities but also new challenges like how to deal with growth. But I can’t wait to see with what enchanting work they come up with next!
Factfile
Design Team: JPN Museum — Sourabh Gupta, Siddharth Bathla,
Prashasti Chandra, Shubham Agrahari, Masood Khan, Anshika Bhandari, Rishabh Kaushik, Vimal Rautela, Ritika Meena, Harsh Chauhan,
Aakash Shrivastava, Sourabh Khurana, Prateek Upreti, Harnehmat kaur, Paras Bhattrai, Dheeraj Kumar Pandey, Nehru Memorial — Siddharth Bathla, Shubham Agrahari, Prashasti Chandra, Ritika Meena, Vidhur Madhav, Masood Khan, Imran, Smruti Potdukhe, Vimal rautela, Palak, Rishab Tyagi. Bose and 1857 Museum — Siddharth Bathla, Prashasti Chandra, Shubham Agrahari, Ritika Meena, Vidhur Madhav, Masood Khan, Mohammad Ali,
Imran Rizvi, Smruti Potdukhe, Vimal Rautela, Nikita Aggarwal, Sunny Surayanath Singh, Ankita Singh, Ankita Dhuhan, Sajid Ali Khan, Brijesh Kumar