My Architectural Design Process: From Sketch to Space
Design is a conversation, not just a calculation. I explore forms, materiality, and light through hand-drawn sketches and physical models to find the right narrative for your space before we ever break ground.
These early concept sketches are the first steps in any architectural journey. They are quick, intuitive explorations of form and structure, a way of thinking with my hands before the constraints of construction begin.
The process of zinc plate etching, a form of printmaking, is very similar to my architectural process. It involves drawing, carving, and revealing an image, a slow and deliberate act of creation.
Physical models, like these from a student workshop, are essential tools for understanding three-dimensional space. They make the architectural idea tangible, showing how different forms come together to create a whole.
The beginning of the printmaking process. Every project, whether a building or a print, starts with a mark, an initial idea that is then developed and refined through a careful, step-by-step process.
A detail sketch focusing on the profile and roof section of a building. This is where the broader concept begins to meet the practical realities of construction and materiality.
Another sketch from the Chandigarh series, exploring the building's facade and its relationship to the ground. Drawing is a form of analysis, a way to deconstruct and understand the work of others.
This sketch isolates the columns and forms of a foyer space. I am fascinated by the 'in-between' spaces, the areas of transition that are so crucial to the experience of a building.
An elevation sketch exploring texture and form. The act of drawing helps me to think about how a building will feel, not just how it will look.
An exhibition of student models exploring tensile and lightweight structures. This kind of material exploration is vital for innovation in architecture.
At my drawing board, where architectural ideas are born. The focused light and the simple tools of paper and pen are where the complex work of designing a building begins.
About The Design Process: From Enquiry to Form
Before I lay a single brick, I build. I use physical scale models to test how light hits a room or how a stairwell might feel in reality. This is not merely an aesthetic exercise; it is how I uncover hidden structural constraints and spatial potential before we start on-site, which ensures we aren't just building for today, but creating something that endures.
The Inquiry Begins
For me, the architectural journey starts long before the construction drawings. It begins with the sketchbook. When I draw, I am deconstructing a site, analyzing the sun path, and considering the neighborhood fabric. It is a slow, deliberate act of thinking through the hand. Whether I am sketching a new home in a quiet Bengaluru neighborhood or conceptualizing a memorial, these lines are the first tentative steps in understanding what a space wants to become.
Why Models Matter
Digital tools are useful, but they often lack the visceral truth of physical mass. My studio practice relies heavily on cardboard and wood models. By constructing these, I force myself to see volume and scale. You can see how a roof section meets a wall or how a foyer transitions into a living area. This stage is crucial because it allows us to test the 'breathing' of a building—how air moves through the windows, where the shadows fall in the afternoon, and how the materials interact. This is where we solve the complex problems of light and circulation.
Bridging Concept to Construction
This process is how I manage the unpredictability of building. By the time we move to GFC (Good for Construction) drawings and site supervision, the big questions have already been asked and answered. We have already explored the texture of the concrete, the specific shade of the stone, and the structural integrity of the beams. When you walk into a building designed this way, you can feel the coherence. It is not a series of disconnected rooms; it is a single, continuous story that starts from a sketch and ends in the life you live within those walls.
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