Hiren Patel, Principal and Director, Hiren Patel Architects writes about an approach to architecture where the question of thinking in detail is central to the idea of a project and the work reaffirms this belief when it endures use inhabitation over a large span of time.
Design
For me, designing a building is like creating a painting on a canvas. Back in the day as a student, I had the honour of learning from the renowned Indian painter and sculptor, Piraji Sagara. Under his guidance, I studied watercolour, landscape art, portraiture, and sculpture, apart from various techniques in painting and drawing. I think that this knowledge has helped mould me into the architect I am today. While architecture taught me how to work with scale and volume, with interior projects, I had the opportunity to explore the art of fine detailing. Fifteen years into practice, I decided to venture further into the field of landscape design. Having completed works across scales and typologies, a quest for a ‘timeless’ quality in architecture has remained a constant guiding factor in all our explorations.
After several years in the field, and many projects later we still strive for that synergy between architecture, interiors and landscape. At the start of every design process, we try and work simultaneously on the interior lighting and the planting layout. As a studio, we still prefer to work conservatively- ‘form follows planning’. At any given point, we are working on a variety of projects across diverse scales and programmes. I like to call this way of working a ‘mental gym’- wherein we have developed a skill of simultaneously working on large scale planning projects while figuring out small-scale design details for interior projects. This brings about flexibility in the workspace.
Context
As a country, India is gifted with a wisdom of ages and a rooted cultural heritage. Working in different places across the country, it is our constant effort to integrate nature into our buildings just as much as it is important to integrate the ‘contemporariness’ of the form into its natural setting or neighbourhood. Japanese architecture is a good reference for a regional approach to architecture as there is much to be learnt from their way of building. In India, if we can successfully strike a balance between the known and unknown, the architecture of India can certainly inspire rest of the world.
Often, construction sites in India are found to be chaotic and quite disorganised. The uncertainty of Indian sites brings with it a lot of potential opportunities as well. Even after all these years as a professional, I think I still consider myself a student. There is so much one can learn every day from just observing their surroundings, neighbours, students, colleagues, and even the workers on site make for some of the best teachers. There are many new ideas and thoughts that could be assimilated from such observations- not everything can be taught in a classroom. A lot of learning happens based on the practicalities involved in a construction-site.
Detail
At the studio, we work with a unique philosophy on each project. This is something we establish at the start of the project and follow it through to execution. Detailing of architectural as well as interior elements is of equal significance in the process of design across all our work. Execution of details requires good craftsmanship – including multiple samplings and mock-ups to enable fine-tuning of the end result. This back and forth process is an important assessor of the practicality and longevity of our intended design solutions. In a beautifully designed idea of architecture, it is the fine detailing that is very critical.
Our material palette is quite diverse today. With our kind of architecture, the most important aspect is whether the chosen material would help create something timeless. Natural materials are generally the preferred choice but we also find immense potential in the man-made palette. I think striking a balance between the two is critical. In the end, the challenge is not very different once you have the experience and with it a certain control over application.
I think beyond materiality the essence of each project is reflected in the governing design philosophy. Today, we operate in a fast-paced economy where the quantum of construction is huge and access to information and know-how about anything is abundant. Being distracted by the numerous choices that are sometimes demanded by the client, is then not an option unless there is some significant bearing on the design. I have learnt that only practice gives the best results – images can be distracting, and sometimes – deceiving.
Workmanship
India is a land of diversity in arts and crafts. We are a land replete with skilled communities of artisans across cultures. Collaborating with artisans is an important part of what we do as a practice – something I am still discovering and learning about from significant Indian practices such as Abhikram Architects led by Parul Zaveri and Nimish Patel. We have formed a small team of craftsmen including carpenters who work closely with us on all our projects. There is a lot of mutual respect and understanding that we have developed for each other, and we find that there is a certain consistency and finesse across all our work because of this exchange.
I feel that good workmanship that adds quality to a project, is important for the eventual outcome since our intent as designers is to create something that lasts. There are two kinds of workmanship in my imagination – the first affects the quality of the building where one cannot compromise, and the other kind of workmanship is ingrained in the design philosophy. The latter, I have come to understand, is inconsequential to the larger idea of any design project. Years ago, when I first visited the British Council Library designed by Charles Correa in New Delhi, I felt that it was so simple, and I thought to myself: It is possible to design ‘simply’? At the time, I was only a student and years later I realised that such simplicity in a building is the toughest to achieve. It requires one to work their art with the discipline of a ‘Zen Master’. It is a kind of simplicity that takes years of practice and dedication, and sometimes even a lifetime to achieve: the kind of architecture that transcends workmanship! Today, I aspire for such quality in our work and this I know will take more practice and patience.
Endurance
As architects, I would like to think that we are mostly optimistic (although critical) but at the same time, as professionals it is very important that we are accountable for whatever it is that we create or propose as design. We are trained to design buildings that would hopefully outlast us. Thus, it is essential that we keep reminding ourselves that whatever we create will inevitably have an impact on the environment and society it inhabits. My question to our practice has always been the same, “Will our work spread happiness?” Subconsciously, I think my process is much deeper than just designing a building- it is more like worship. I firmly believe that architecture cannot be taken for granted ⊗
HIREN PATEL is the principal architect of Hiren Patel Architects. Starting out as a small firm, HPA has grown exponentially over the last two decades working on projects of great variety and scale. From initial success in designing high-rise buildings in Ahmedabad, their work spans multiple geographies from the plains to the tropics. Their project, the ‘Dadamiyan Masjid’ in the walled city of Ahmedabad was shortlisted and recognised by the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Jury. Their work has an artistic inclination and their office is committed to open and continuous learning with the understanding of change as the only constant in life.
