Heritage Restoration & Adaptive Reuse

Listening to Spaces, Not Just Designing Them

I don’t walk into heritage projects with a big plan ready. For me, restoration starts by sitting quietly in the space, letting its history speak. My job is to find what’s already there, what’s hidden under layers, and then figure out how to let the old and new coexist. Sometimes, the best restoration feels more like archaeology than architecture.

How I Work with Heritage

• First, I spend real time on-site. Not rushing. I peel away the old, sometimes months scraping plaster off to uncover original brick or Burma teak. It’s slow, but that’s how you find the building’s true bones.
• If the structure’s weak, I reinforce. Maybe sandwich old wood between steel plates, or prop up sagging roofs with new trusses. It’s basically surgery for buildings.
• I don’t do generic spaces. When I adapt an old factory or mansion, the aim is a place with character — light, shadow, texture, and the spirit of its history. Could be a gallery, office, or something new, but it’s always true to the original.

The Ballard Estate Ice Factory Story

In Mumbai, I helped revive a 147-year-old ice factory, now IF.BE. Clearing the clutter let a banyan tree breathe again, and the new steel roof talks to the old brick — not just covering it up. The light shifts all day, giving the place its own mood.

From Start to Finish, I’m Hands-On

I like to stay with the project all the way — design, build, every detail. That’s how the vision survives the entire process and the place doesn’t lose its story. If you want adaptive reuse done right, this is the way I work.