“A marriage between personal creative urge and fulfi lling unspoken dreams of clients is called architecture” — BV Doshi

Iwas going through an article recently which listed the different industries that took a popularity upswing last year. And hospitality was the forerunner. In architecture too, design for hospitality has been exciting and responsive to the times. Human urges have no ends. So is the case in design for this segment. There has been a constant surge amongst the designers to purposefully play with material, form and functionality such that the end product satiates the visual and physical desires. A major portion of this Issue dwells on the diversity in design approach and the contextualized planning solutions witnessed in architecture for hospitality. The select projects that we publish fortify the thought that newer design synergies are emerging with the evolving creativity. Relating to nature, catering to luxury and leisure, exploring sustainability in design- are but some highlights that emerge in their design. Going through the pages in this section, we hope you’d have a refreshing experience.

Not everyday do we have a practicing architect backed by some in- depth research, addressing behavioral and living pattern ailments in Indian society and also suggest solutions which are not complex but linked to common- sense, and an innovative and practical approach. Yes, architect Goonmeet Singh in his very interesting book ‘ inverto nomics’ does just this. In the words of the author, “Invertonomics is a new way of looking at problem- solving. Quite literally, this is breakthrough methodology that inverts problems into economic opportunities. It brings all stakeholders together and binds them into physical and fi nancial ecosystems wherein individuals’ actions begin to align with collective good.” The book review we publish gives a few insights to the book.

A positive from this Covid- 19 phase for the profession is that one comes across a lot of introspection done by designers and architects as to the impact of the pandemic on the future design approach of the architects. Some very realistic and bright ideas have come from unknown names who have may be, for the fi rst time, voiced their genuine thoughts on related topics. The onslaught of this epidemic is still ongoing, and we all are moving forward creating our new normal. I am sure that in the days to come we would once again be back full spirited to innovatively and intelligently pave the design path forward to correct basic manmade lacunas in our urban environs.