“Our time is so specialised that we have people who know more and more or less and less” — Alvar Aalto
In post- independent India, the large scale institutional and public projects were all in the domain of the government – who was the client for the architects. Often, architects complained about the stifl ing bureaucracy involved which was an extreme deterrent to creativity and thus many prominent architects were hesitant taking up government projects. Gradually, the private sector came in then in a big and eased the process. And in the twenty- fi rst century today, we have a rare young and enthusiastic practice in India which has made strong and powerful statements in Indian architecture and built its foundations working on institutional, cultural, academic and public projects— all on a mega- scale for different State governments of India. Yes, I talk about the versatile multifaceted architectural studio- Archohm, based in the NCR region of Delhi. With a passionate and dynamic architect in Sourabh Gupta at the helm, this practice in a short range of time of about eighteen years, has pierced and broken design boundaries with innovation and out- of- the- box idealogy.
In this entire Issue, we explore this practice’s wide range of architectural dimensions and interpretations. An observation that would come through is their successful effort in retaining their original design perceptions rooted to context and culture, thus generating a contemporary idiom which evokes spontaneous emotional responses. Global/ international trends have not diluted their focus to evolve architecture that projects character and a cheerful vocabulary through structured yet playful utility of modern material and technology. Some of the national/ international projects of theirs that we publish, display their concerted efforts to constructively address issues of sustainability and energy conscious design. Sourabh aptly explains their design approach when he says “To us, context is critical at every level- that of client, culture and climate with its relation and relevance in our times. Our morphology must manifest materials and celebrate its crafting for the character of our spatiality to stay in context. Architecture to me is an unending journey- an ongoing expedition. It has the obligation and the opportunity of producing something that outlives oneself and thereby leaves a legacy.”
I’m sure that this Issue should be an inspiring exposure for many young and established practices as well to dream big and work harder to become pivots for rejuvenating design solutions that are responsive and refl ective of the times we live in. A fast- developing country like India needs more such intense gushes of design and architectural expeditions.