Architect’s Interview

Theory of Design

Hello everybody this is Hardeep Singh in conversation with Ar. Neil Prakash

Good afternoon sir, thank you for giving me your valuable time for this interview. I will ask some basic
questions about you and your design ideologies. I will start with the questions now

Question: Could u tell us somethuing about ur education and where u did ur graducation from?
Answer: I did my architecture study from School of Planning and Architeture, New Delhi. College is
where we get trained for architecture its just another help on the way, u start seeing things around
you and relating to them u start getting connected to them, this is what makes u an architect. Almost
anyone can be an architect. Another thing is how u translate a ideas on to paper, or now on a
computer and see that other ppl are able to collaborate cz architecture is not a work of just one ppl, if
we are able to get it on to paper and other ppl are able to understand then u truly are an architect. An
architect is truly an dreamer, u are not an architect till u are a dreamer. Dreaming is something that
everyone can do but its another skill to translate it on to the paper.

Question: How was ur journey to starting ur own firm

Answer: I really didn’t know what an architect is till 10th grade. I came from a small city, everyone
over there was a doctor or an engineer. Though I came from a good school, even over there I never
really heard about that word. Then there is this course in elective in 9th standard where mechanical
drawing was offered as an elective, I was happy to take it, I was good at drawing and painting I have a
lot of those in my house, I use to break things, one of my hobby was to hammer nails in the walls my
house use to be full of nails. I had this lovely neighbour, mr and mrs. Chaoudary, they gifted me a set
of paint and paint brush and I was allowed to paint anything in their house. So I could paint their sofas,
walls and floors and they would not say anything. Their garden was also a place where I spent lot my
time building dams etc of mud and pour water and see it break. There were a lot of joys we had with
love and care, its also my earnest request to anyone reading this interview to let everyone explore
and not stop them.

Question: For every architect their first project is very special, how was ur exprience seeing ur first
project being built?
Answer: Their is a joke between me and Supreeti, as we work together as one on all projects, we have
this believe that we have a many a first projects in our carrier. And I don’t think there is any a first
project. There is this park I built in goa when I was working with an architect called dean d cruz. The
first project would be when I built a rocket out of a agarbatti roll. India had sent their first satalitte
into space. I made a model of that. That was my first project of building something. Considering first
project as in client coming in etc. If u continue being an architect, clients will automatically come and
every project will be first of its kind.

Question: As a student what was ur understanding of architecture and who was ur faviorate architect
and how has it changed over yrs.
Q. As a I thought I was very clear when I joined I became totally confused in college as it went along
the yrs. I cant really put a finger as such. I would say I was very influenced by some faculty I had one
of them being I.M. Chisti, he took architectural appreciation for us, that subject gave me immense
satisfaction, it was among submissions marks and tests that this subject which was there only for one
semester that made architecture came alive to me, I am really greatful to Chisti sir for this. Another is
obviously Professor Manoj Mathur, the love he gave me and continues to give me. The first memory I
remember of him is he taking us to a site where a small column grid marking mistake made it
impossible to enter the washroom. For someone like him whom I was adoring as a grt architect, for
someone like him to explain something this way, showing his big mistake, as a student I took it
seriously, someone like him making such a mistake. But what I learnt from him is some slips may
happen, but it should not be repeated. Because he had made a skip I make sure I don’t have to slip.
This is something I started to learn from them.
Question: Do u read any books and would u recommend some for us
Answer: first of all I would recommend ppl read books and not just scroll through the images, this is
what is actually really disturbing. Architecture which is actually a 3d art is being learnt, taught through
2d. it is something to experience, let it be steps, the lift shaft or the corridor or anything. In every
building there is something to learn. Lets say u have to learn music can u just learn it from notes? No.
The text which goes with the images does add a value to it but someone taking this profession there is
reality no excuse to experience it learn from it, in every building there is something to learn. How
much time do we have a practicing architect, its like a doctor operating just coming out of college, it is
such a job we are taking on, it just because life is not involved we are not taking it seriously, its the
reason our profession is not earning the respect it deserves, we are also taking shortcuts and not
delivering the public in the way we should. So reading the books, collecting the collective experience
of human kind, experiencing building let it be so called celebrated architectural buildings or a house in
slum, experiences are there so learn to experience to feel. I really don’t have a lot to say on that front
anymore, so pls go experience. I remember designing a 14 by 14 two storey residence for a lady,
because it was 14 by 14 everyone was saying it will be like a well, so it is on us architects to make a
well not look like a well, maybe it can look like a ocean and make a ocean look like a well. So it is to be
done it is like this experience that helps us do this it is proffessor Chisti who got us to do this.

Question: I would like ask your insights on some topics which influence architecture in some form or
the other. So the first would be what do u thing of the resource consumption and the idea of
sustainability and the climate change which is happening now days and whats our role as an architect
towards this.
Answer- Architecture is so so contextual, just like an family doctor. We in India are alive, we have
many small small firms doing this very well, not waiting for someone to come and clap. Coming to
sustainability, first of I think the problem has come where we are stuck on material. Sustainibility is
not just about replacing a brick that consumed a x calories of energy to be created and replacing it
with something which consumed half the energy of that. The problem is when the second brick used
is not as insulating as the first one. For sustainability its important that we be as wide as possible and
look at building systems. And yet despite all that I believe breaking things as a smaller part and
looking at it as numbers is never going to produce art. One thing that's most sustainable in human
history is art, the music the dance etc. The best and the most beautiful survive ppl want to conserve
them, continue using them etc. try to change its use and make them live a little longer. And I don’t
think u can count it in carbon foot print and all. In ovoid we have got to see this very closely, we
should delink from materials and styles, they have their value. As architects we make friends with
different different materials and use them judiciously for what they can do, so for us sustainibility
stems for us for this part that when we cut a stone also there is a diamond, we cant say oh diamond
very expensive, no, its doing a job that no one else can do and putting so many of these together is
what is architecture.

Thats why we have this phase in ovoid that aesthetic is sustainability. For example if u take a old
grandpa’s rose wood made walking stick afterwards it can be used as a wall hanging till its needed for
use by someone else and then it can go back as a wall hanging or maybe a creative architect might
use it as a door handle for that matter but on the other hand if u look at a aluminium walker, and I am
not saying that aluminium is inferior to rose wood that's not my intention, I believe aluminium can be
as beautiful as rosewood. But when u look at that aluminium walker the day u need it u have to buy it,
the day u don’t need it u don’t even want to look at it. We haven't crafted aluminium well, so when
its beautiful we want to preserve it and use it again and again, so what if consumed a few kilo calories
more.

Question: Also nower days we see we are very much influenced by western thinking, we want to do
everything they are doing, so what are your views about the vernacular techniques and how
important it is for us to preserve them?
Answer: Its a very interesting question, we are copying the west not just in architecture but very
much in our day to day lifes. We have lost pride, but not going with the time is also hardy. But not to
forget vernacular on one particular day was also modern. A country tile was also produced at a time,
making a roof was also new then someone would have told him u can chop the bamboo and tie it
around and create another floor, and he would have been like are u mad why do u want to live on
another floor. So we should not get trapped, and I see a lot of young minds getting trapped with these
cliches and not being able to freely express them. It is always good to take help some use only some
methods but we can take the learning from them and bring it together here. Good architecture can
do many things in the background like good music, it can change this world which is full of ugliness
and make it better.

Question- So to just some it up any advice from u as an architect to us the upcoming generation?
Answer- I would say just enjoy because this u would have experienced, the food u have tasted made
by an unhappy person, if u didn’t notice try cooking when u are unhappy or make someone cooking
angry and see what u get out of it and then make someone who is cooking make them happy. Try
celebrating a birthday of someone from ur mess and you will see the change in taste. First is to
become a happy fulfilled people so go ahead and experience life don’t limit yourself to as a architect
see whats it to be a engineer, a doctor, a cobbler, or a auto driver and see whats it to be happy as
them. This is important because at last we are going to be serving them as an architect. No one
creates architecture alone so engage with ppl and materials etc. And forget this thing about an idea is
what is an architect’s domain, when we did not know how to speak u had an idea, then what makes u
think as an 3rd year student of architecture that you have an idea, anybody can have an idea. Our
domain is about fine tuning that idea, see how it fits in and see how it works there what are the pros
and cons. And then suit the idea, so this thing of being stuck with a idea is something we should all
avoid and thats the worst thing we all do, thanks to professor mathur he taught us that we should be
a mindful of ideas.