Featured Architectural Projects and Design Philosophy
Explore our signature projects, where heritage meets modern architecture. We design spaces that breathe, rooted in Indian culture and climate-conscious innovation.
The Lotus Cafe at the Dasavatara Hotel in Tirupati, where the modern, angular roof reflects on the water at dusk, creating a dialogue between the structure and its environment.
The serene poolside of our hotel project in Bodhgaya, designed as a tranquil sanctuary that encourages reflection. The architecture harmonizes with the water, creating a seamless experience of peace.
A corridor in the Bodhgaya hotel, where the architecture plays with light and shadow. The carefully placed openings create a rhythmic pattern, turning a simple passage into a meditative journey.
The Ayushakti Health Resort in Mumbai, an urban oasis where we used traditional elements and biophilic design to create a healing atmosphere amidst the city's density.
A glimpse into the making of the custom Dhokra door handles for the Dasavatara Hotel. This showcases our commitment to integrating traditional Indian crafts and collaborating with artisans to create unique details.
A concept for a climate-responsive facade, featuring staggered balconies and vertical louvers. This design provides passive cooling by shading the interiors from harsh sun, an example of our sustainable approach.
The expansive banquet hall at the Bodhgaya hotel, featuring a vaulted terracotta ceiling and custom chandeliers. The design creates a space that is both grand for events and warm for intimate gatherings.
About this collection
We treat our architecture as a living organism, not just a static structure. When we approach a project, we start at the source, visiting quarries to hand-select the stone's color and tone, and then working side-by-side with local masons to ensure the texture feels intentional rather than manufactured.
Our practice is built on the belief that a building should act like an orchestra, where every element—from the structural shell to the custom brass lighting—plays its part in the larger story. We do not apply decoration as an afterthought. Instead, we integrate traditional Indian crafts like Dhokra metalwork, terracotta, and stone carving directly into the building fabric to solve practical problems like acoustics, privacy, and thermal comfort.
Climate-Responsive Design
Sustainability is not an add-on for us. In our work on hospitality projects like the resort in Bodhgaya or the urban health resort in Mumbai, we use passive cooling strategies. This includes techniques like sun-path analysis, courtyard planning to encourage airflow, and the use of vertical louvers to filter harsh light. By designing for the specific climate and topography of a site, we reduce the building's dependency on artificial climate control.
A Collaborative Process
We are heavily involved in the technical execution. We produce comprehensive GFC drawings for civil work, electrical grids, and reflected ceiling plans, ensuring that our conceptual designs are fully realized on site. We also manage the integration of heavy services, such as HVAC ducts and commercial kitchen exhausts, concealing them within the aesthetic envelope so they do not interrupt the visual narrative. Whether we are adapting a heritage structure or building a greenfield resort, our goal remains the same: to create spaces that encourage reflection and bring people together.
SJK Architects
We are a collective of storytellers and architects who believe buildings should be living, breathing entities. We have spent three decades working alongside local artisans and masons to turn deep cultural narratives into physical spaces that people truly inhabit.
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