--- title: "The Architect's Hand: Bespoke Design Process & Craft" description: "Discover how our studio uses handcrafted physical models and analog methods to design soulful, climate-responsive spaces that are deeply connected to nature." canonical: https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/architectural-design/the-architect-s-hand-process-craft last_updated: 2025-08-20 --- # The Architect's Hand: Our Process & Craft Tribe Verified · Handcrafted architecture studio based in Mumbai. By [Spasm Design](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects) · Takes projects across India; Visit studio in Andheri West, Mumbai · ₹450 per sq. ft. of built-up area (estimate) Part of [Architectural Design](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/architectural-design). [View full gallery](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/architectural-design/gallery) We believe architecture begins with pencil, paper, and physical models, not on a computer screen. By crafting maquettes in wood and brass, we explore light, shadow, and scale with our hands, ensuring every project feels human and grounded in its site. ## Photos and videos - [Video: Our models are the essence of what we do. Made of wood and brass, they help us study scale, site occupation, and negative space. The studio is producing models every week. It is tactile bliss.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/0f974823-84c1-4f16-b8af-841628306cee) - [Video: Models and maquettes line our studio walls. Made of hardwoods and aged brass, we usually scale them at 1:200 to critically study and compare projects. This is a tangible, hands on process.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/2464736d-a27e-4e08-810a-542923112525) - [Video: How projects develop at our studio. Getting in every morning is a joy, with models waiting for tweaks from the day before. It's a tangible, catch and release ethos, with no pondering behind a flat screen. We promise to remain students.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/2e7bc526-c820-4153-82e0-ead619854a41) - ![A sectional model of our Tiruppur house. The studio is now producing models of all scales to study sun paths, courtyard proportions, and spatial quality. Virtual models can only go so far; this is the real thing.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/300a3212-1a17-43ed-9339-7defa50ad84d) - ![A model of the Tiruppur house, showing the relationship between the built form and the landscape. We use these models to study light, space, and the overall composition before construction begins.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/650c993b-72d0-4f6b-b774-a970aa516233) - [Video: A conversation on methodology and process. This video shows some of our completed work, like the Brick Kiln house, and gives insight into how we approach design from the first sketch to the final building.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/6538e0bf-f60f-4d95-b13e-1aad33df1492) - ![A sectional model of the Tiruppur house, crafted from wood. These models allow us to explore the interior spaces and the play of light in a tangible way, a crucial step in our design process.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/7ec10dcc-d67c-4de3-8d62-6cb60f2fc64e) - ![Another view of the Tiruppur house model. The use of wood and the inclusion of delicate, tree like forms helps us to visualize the project's connection to its natural surroundings.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/891cd324-9610-4dc9-b974-a0c8cf8ba057) - ![A site specific insertion, captured in a wood and brass model. The project must deliver a well laid out home without disrupting the naturalness of the site. The model helps us find that balance between iconic and sensitive.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/9f1da3e4-b971-4848-b0a0-04cde6628a44) - ![A model of the Tiruppur house, showing the main axis and the relationship between the different volumes. These models are precious gifts to our patrons who give us the opportunity to dream.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/a13a3380-e632-46e0-9f85-dbdcca25beb0) - [Video: Project after project, we keep it human. Our approach is like a reggae song, simple and easy to live in. This video shows sketches and renders, capturing the journey from an idea to a built reality.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/a83e8d13-7b97-4fbb-8021-f65b3a777e44) - ![A model of the entrance to the Tiruppur house. We use these handcrafted objects to study every detail, from the proportions of a courtyard to the quality of light filtering through a screen.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/af959008-e2d2-47cd-bdb8-981ee7473f99) - ![A new project model, exploring a site specific insertion. The goal is to create a home that is powerful yet sympathetic, strong yet soft, where art and soul intertwine to produce wonder.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/bcd6a9bd-8602-4fea-b203-703b15ed433a) - [Video: Further explorations into sectional models that open and unlock with hand crafted brass keys. The section cutaway parts are all lined in brass. We love making them in our workshop.](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/raw:1/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/f784b5d8-fc7c-46d0-8085-1462a844edba) ## About The Architect's Hand: Process & Craft Our studio operates like a workshop rather than a standard office. We invite you to sit with us and study these physical 1:200 scale models made of salvaged teak and brass. Seeing the building’s massing, how it interacts with the sun path, and where the breeze flows through a tangible object changes the conversation. It moves us away from abstract floor plans to something you can physically feel. We reject the idea that architecture is a product designed behind a flat screen. When we build a sectional model of a house in Tiruppur or an institutional campus, we are testing the reality of the space. ### Why this matters for your project: * **Light & Wind:** By using physical sunlight simulation on our models, we see exactly where the heat enters and where the wind needs to escape. This is how we achieve passive cooling without relying solely on air conditioning. * **Material Honesty:** We work with basalt, granite, and rammed earth. We use our workshop to prototype how these materials meet—how a brass joint sits against rough stone. If it does not look right in the model, it will not be built. * **Collaborative Design:** You are not just getting drawings. You are getting a tactile partner. We show you the model so you can understand the volume of your living room or the seclusion of your private courtyard before we pour a single slab of concrete. This listener’s approach means we build for your specific climate and story, not a generic trend. Whether it is a villa in the hills or a city home in Mumbai, the model ensures the outcome is quiet, relevant, and unmistakably yours. ## About Spasm Design We are a studio of builders, dreamers, and students of our craft. We reject standard industry styles, preferring to listen to your needs and the site itself, building spaces that age gracefully and hold soul. [See all of Spasm Design's services](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects) ## More from Architectural Design by Spasm Design - [Featured](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/architectural-design/featured) - [Country & Lakeside Homes](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/architectural-design/country-lakeside-homes) - [Urban Sanctuaries](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/architectural-design/urban-sanctuaries) - [Spaces for Learning & Community](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/architectural-design/spaces-for-learning-community) - [A Symphony of Materials](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/architectural-design/a-symphony-of-materials) - [Works in Progress](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/architectural-design/works-in-progress) - [Additional Work & Explorations](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/architectural-design/additional-work-explorations) ## More services by Spasm Design - [Sustainable & Climatic Design](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/sustainable-climatic-design) - [Integrated Interior Design](https://mytribe.in/spasmdesignarchitects/integrated-interior-design) ## Similar work from other experts - [Architectural Design Process: Sketches to Built Form](https://mytribe.in/malik_architecture/architectural-design/the-architect-s-hand-from-sketch-to-structure) by Malik Architecture · Architectural Design · Takes projects across India; Visit office at Ballard Estate, Mumbai - [The Architect's Hand: Our Design Process](https://mytribe.in/architecturebrio/full-service-interior-design/the-architect-s-hand-our-process) by Architecture Brio · Full-Service Interior Design · Takes projects across India and Rotterdam; Visit studios in Worli (Mumbai) and Rotterdam - [Our Design Process: From Sketch to Structure](https://mytribe.in/sianarchitects/urban-public-realm-design/our-process-from-sketch-to-structure) by SIAN Architects · Urban & Public Realm Design · Takes projects across India; Visit studio in Derawal Nagar, Delhi - [From Sketch to Structure: The Design Process](https://mytribe.in/spacesarchitects.ka/luxury-residential-architecture-design/from-sketch-to-structure-the-design-process) by Kapil Krishan Aggarwal · Luxury Residential Architecture & Design · Takes projects across India; Visit studio in South Extension II, New Delhi - [From Sketch to Structure: Our Design Process](https://mytribe.in/kamatrozario/commercial-institutional-architecture/from-sketch-to-structure) by Kamat & Rozario Architecture · Commercial & Institutional Architecture · Takes projects across India; Visit Studio in Ulsoor, Bengaluru - [The Art of Making: On-Site Craftsmanship](https://mytribe.in/casedesign.in/luxury-residential-architecture-design/the-art-of-making-on-site-craftsmanship) by Case Design · Luxury Residential Architecture & Design · Takes projects across India; Visit Design Studio in Saki Naka, Mumbai ## Book To book Spasm Design, message mytribe on WhatsApp: [Chat on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/916360004054?text=Hi%2C%20I've%20been%20looking%20at%20your%20design%20process%20and%20models.%20I'd%20like%20to%20discuss%20a%20potential%20project%20with%20you.)