4^th April 2015

---

Continuing with our series on Indigenous Architecture, we now look at architectural practices in India that are doing some very interesting work within these parameters in the Indian context. This is a personal list of people that have inspired me over the past 5 years. There are architects, engineers, artists, social reformers and craftsmen and it just goes to show the simplicity and ease with which one can enter this field. These are skills that almost everyone in rural India knows of and uses and that is one of the reasons not many people use architects in the developing world leading to huge insecurities within the architectural community who then formulate official acts and regulations to ensure their own survival!

The people on this list are some of the most ingenious and inventive minds in the country who have been beacons of hope in their respective contexts for some time. Some of them are contemporaries, some acquaintances, some friends and mentors but all of them have pursued their respective dreams with zeal and passion and there is a lot to learn from this. I have tried to cover as many geographic regions as I can as the richness in indigenous architecture comes mainly from diverse geographies and its associated nuances. So we start from the southern most states and head up north.

I hope this list proves valuable to architecture and design students looking for something different from convention, for those looking to question modernity and intelligently challenge things that they inherently feel is not right! I know it did for me.

Kerala, India

• COSTFORD, Thirvanathapuram, India

http://www.costford.com/

• P.B. Sajan and Shailaja Nair, Thiruvananthapuram, India

• G. Shankar, Habitat Technology Group, Thiruvananthapuram, India

http://www.habitattechnologygroup.org/index.php

• Jaigopal Rao, Inspiration, Kochi, India

http://inspire-india.com

• Eugene Pandala

http://eugenepandala.com

Tamil Nadu, India

• Benny Kuriakose, Chennai India

http://www.benny.in/

• Anthony Raj, Chennai, India

http://www.arulville.com/

• Anuradha and Krishna, Thulir, Dharmapuri, India

http://www.thulir.org/wp/

Auroville, India

•  Satprem Maini, Auroville Earth Institute

http://www.earth-auroville.com/

•  Suhasini Iyer, Auroville Design Consultants, India

http://www.aurovilledesign.com

•  Dharmesh Jadeja,

http://webuildaur.blogspot.in/

• Anupama Kundoo

http://www.anupamakundoo.com/

Karnataka, India

• Chitra Vishwanath, Biome Solutions, Bangalore, India

http://www.biome-solutions.com/

• Sathya Prakash Varanashi, Sathya Consultants, Bangalore, India

https://sathyaconsultants.wordpress.com

•  GoodEarth Homes, Bangalore, India

http://www.goodearthhomes.net/

• Neelam Manjunath, Manasaram Architects, Bangalore, India

http://www.manasaramarchitects.com

• Dr.Yogananda, Mrinmayee, Bangalore, India

Goa, India

•  Gerrard Da’ Cunnha, Architecture Anonymous, Goa, India

• Dean D’Cruz, Mozaic, Goa, India

http://www.mozaic.in

Gujarat, India

• Sandeeep Virmani and Kiran Vaghela, Hunnarshala Foundation, Kutch, India

http://www.hunnarshala.org/

Rajasthan, India

•  Barefoot Architects, Barefoot College, Tilonia, India

http://www.barefootcollege.org/

West Bengal

• Laurent Fournier

Nagaland, India

• Richard Belho, Zynorique, Kohima, Nagaland, India

http://zynorique.tumblr.com/

New Delhi, India

• Sanjay Prakash, Shift Architects, New Delhi

http://www.sanjayprakash.co.in/

•  Ashok Lall, Ashok Lall Architects, New Delhi

http://www.ashokblallarchitects.com/

•  Revati Kamath, Kamath Design, New Delhi

http://www.kamathdesign.org

• Pradeep Sachdeva, Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates, New Delhi

http://www.psda.in/index.asp

• Kabir Vajpeyi, Building as Learning Aid (BALA), New Delhi

• Golak Khandual, New Delhi

Haryana, India

• Anil Laul, Anangpur Building Centre, Faridabad

http://www.anangpur.org/

• Savneet Kaur, Imarat Architects, Karnal

http://imaratarchitects.com/index.php

Himachal Pradesh, India

•  Didi Contractor, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

http://didi-contractor-documentary.com/

• Ishita Khanna, Ecosphere, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh

http://www.spitiecosphere.com/index.htm

Jammu & Kashmir, India

 

• Sonam Wangchuk, Secmol, Leh, Ladakh, J&K, India

http://www.secmol.org/index.php