I believe that an Architect’s creation becomes worthwhile if it is responsive to its inhabitants, its environment and to its context. Buildings and spaces should be’ alive’, enough to evoke the desired responses in people.
Fortunately, I got an opportunity to design, build and live in my own house (every Architect’s dream, I suppose!). I could give a tangible shape to all the learnings and beliefs I held in my journey as an Architect. ‘Happiness’ is an ultimate, all pervading, non-negotiable concept I like to follow in all my designs. I am experiencing a successful response to this ‘mantra’ in our house- past couple of years have just gone by, soaking in the outcome of a dream well realized. To put it in McD’s words….simply lovin’it :). Anurag, my primary Client and who is my husband too, is happy, probably as the dictates of his ‘budgeting’ were followed :). Shamin, my son and the junior Client’s first response to the exterior, is my personal favourite – “The house has an international look to it”! And what makes Ananya, my daughter and the mini Client happy, is the ‘spaciousness’of the spaces, she says!!
These happy responses, I had kind of expected but what I hadn’t anticipated at all, were the interesting reactions we got from people who visited our house thereafter. People from all walks of life- architects, juniors, seniors, students, artists, photographers, friends, friends of friends ,potential clients, contractors, relatives of all ages, acquaintances, strangers, people passing by on the street, Uber drivers:) yes, those too!!),have been coming in and seeing the house, walking through it, admiring, appreciating….It almost started feeling like those little groups that volunteers take around the Vatican or the Colosseum in Rome, with their little pink flags raised high:)
Then the tours took on an educational turn – students of Architecture came to document the house and make it part of their thesis or training reports. Architects came(for inspiration, maybe) while designing their own houses….Needless to say, they themselves had to turn into tour guides- Dhruva, Mayank, Mehak….yes, that’s you! So much so, that my working partner, Subhash ji, who incidentally, has a major role to play in the design process, joked that we ought to start ticketing the tour now:)
People’s interest and appreciation of our house made me happy as a user and as an Architect whose vision was appreciated. Being happy is important and it also raises questions. Questions like why this one space makes people from varied backgrounds happy? What did these people mean when they say “beautiful”? Was a dear cousin able to appreciate the house in the same way as a student of Architecture? What was an Uber driver finding attractive in the façade? Can a common denominator for experiencing happiness, beauty, satisfaction, and peace be found? Did anyone ever wonder what was the vision of the Architect behind the evolution of this fulfilling space?
Wearing all the hats of a user/architect/builder/client, I am tempted to share my perspectives and experiences in the hope of triggering more responses and finding answers to my questions and more…
