Our Architectural Design Process
Every project begins with a simple question and a sketch. This is how we move from conceptual ideas to built environments that respond to their context.
Early concept sketches for the School of Architecture at VIT, exploring how to create dynamic studios and a central spine to encourage peer learning and collaboration.
A diagram illustrating the five modes of learning in an architecture school: lectures, studios, doing, observing, and informal interaction. Our design for VIT aimed to create inspiring spaces for each of these.
A sectional drawing of the IIM Bangalore hostel, illustrating how we punctuated double-loaded corridors with double-height breakout spaces and discussion rooms to create a feeling of openness.
Floor plans for the IIM hostel, showing the variation in levels, the strategic removal of rooms to create light wells, and the addition of breakout spaces to enhance student life.
A hand-drawn section of the Vellore International School. This sketch explores the relationship between the classrooms, the sloping site, and the traditional pitched roof form, a key element of the design.
A concept sketch of the amphitheater and academic blocks at Vellore International School. This drawing captures the vision of a campus that resembles a hillside settlement, with buildings nestled into the landscape.
The master plan for the DRL Leadership Academy, showing the north-south orientation of buildings around large green spaces and a water retention pond to achieve a LEED platinum rating.
A detailed section through the communal node of the KIPCER building, showing the integration of the amphitheater, atrium, and auditorium to create a multi-functional public space.
An early facade concept for the VIT School of Architecture, exploring a composition of projecting boxes and angled planes to create a dynamic and expressive exterior.
Another facade exploration for the VIT School of Architecture, this time using a series of overlapping, angled planes to create a sense of movement and energy.
About Our Design Process: From Sketch to Structure
Our design process is rarely linear. We rely heavily on hand-drawn sketches and sectional diagrams to test ideas before they ever reach a computer screen. Take our hostel projects as an example. We did not just map out rooms. We sketched out the potential for interaction, deciding exactly where to place double-height breakout spaces to ensure students feel connected rather than confined, a decision made on paper long before ground was broken.
Architecture is not just about the final building. It is about the rigorous exploration that leads there. When we begin a project, such as the School of Architecture at VIT, we start with a central question. For that campus, we asked how creativity is learned. We mapped out five modes of learning—studios, lectures, doing, observing, and informal interaction—and then built the architecture around them. This diagrammatic approach is consistent across our work.
We prioritize sketching as our primary tool for discovery. Whether it is a charcoal sketch of the IIM Bangalore classroom complex or a faceted 3D model for the JNC Auditorium, these tools allow us to test massing and volume quickly. This helps us solve complex problems like integrating new structures into historic campuses without overshadowing the original design.
For larger institutional projects, this process extends into technical planning. We analyze wind tunnels, topographical levels, and natural light patterns to inform the final form. By the time we produce construction drawings, we have already understood the site through hundreds of drawings and models. This ensures that when the building finally stands, it feels as though it belongs to the landscape, rather than being imposed upon it. Our goal is to create spaces that serve their community, whether that means a LEED platinum-rated academy or a student residence that feels like a home.
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