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From Sketch to Structure: The Design Process

byKapil Krishan AggarwalStudio at South Extension II, New DelhiView full gallery

We believe architecture begins long before any software opens. Every project starts with a conversation and a hand-drawn sketch to map your vision onto the site.

At my studio, we believe that sketching by hand allows us to think through ideas comprehensively. This video shows my team and I at work, creating the multiple rough sketches that are a crucial step before any design development begins.

This video is a presentation I gave at the World Architecture Festival for the Slender House. It explains the journey from the client's brief and the site's constraints to the final design, which is an inward-looking home built around a central courtyard.

This video shows the shuttering work in progress for a curved concrete arch at our upcoming project in Agra. This pivotal stage is where the design intent begins to take tangible form, requiring custom-crafted formwork to ensure structural and visual accuracy.

A site visit to our Kochi mansion project, which is nearing completion. This 50,000-square-foot, four-story home with multiple internal courtyards is one of our most ambitious projects to date.

An introduction to our residential project under construction in Kochi, Kerala. The design features vast open spaces, internal courtyards, and an atmosphere immersed in natural light and flora.

A look at our ongoing residential project on Pankha Road, New Delhi. This video shows the building's structure taking shape, steadily progressing toward its final form.

In this upcoming Gurgaon home, vertical fluidity defines the spatial experience. A striking skylight will cast an ever-changing interplay of light and shadow through the central atrium.

About this collection

We believe the most honest ideas originate on paper, not screens. Before we move to digital modeling, my team and I spend hours sketching by hand, deconstructing site constraints and mapping your daily needs onto the plot. This phase forces us to solve spatial riddles early, ensuring the final structure works as naturally as it looks.

Architecture is rarely a linear path. It is a sequence of discoveries that begin with your brief and our site analysis. By focusing on sun paths, wind patterns, and the specific energy of your plot, we translate abstract requirements into clear geometry.

When we sketch, we are not just drawing walls. We are mapping how you will move through a space. This allows us to integrate technical requirements, like HVAC schematics or structural load-bearing points, without compromising the aesthetic vision. Whether we are planning a compact urban home or a sprawling estate, our approach relies on early spatial planning to define massing and light-shadow interplay.

Once the sketches are finalized, the transition to 3D visualization and GFC (Good for Construction) drawings is deliberate. We collaborate with structural engineers to execute complex forms, from large cantilevers to exterior screens, ensuring the technical documentation matches the initial form. Finally, we remain active during execution, overseeing site work to verify that the tangible results honor the architectural intent. This process keeps design consistent from the first line on paper to the final installation.

Designed from hand-sketched origins, built locally.Approved by the tribe
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Kapil Krishan Aggarwal

Studio at South Extension II, New DelhiStarting ₹450 ₹ per sq. ft. of Built-up Area

I view architecture as a spatial story, not just a building project. My team and I work directly with you to turn raw site conditions into homes that feel lived-in, grounded in careful detailing and structural honesty.

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