Filmmaker Aradhana Seth in conversation with prominent architect Kozhema Chitalwala, who has become a reputed name in the last three decades, particular in the hospitality design sector. Being the founder of the Mumbai-based studio The Design Group, his humour matches his technological savviness, in this open and honest conversation.
[03:22]
My first job was with Taufiq Talib, who taught me most of what I know today. I owe him quite a lot.
[07:57]
Every Hotel has its own character and identity, depending on the grade, context, and scale of the hotel. All our hotels look quite different from each other.
[10:00]
In our current, progressive age, Architecture and Technology need to be combined. Our studio is almost completely paperless. We are conscious about our resources.
[11:15]
To me, architecture is less about ideating and designing, but more about colour, feel and texture.
[15:30]
We are very careful about what we do, because a small mistake could lead to a recurring rectification expense that will have to be dealt with over the period of many years.
[17:05]
In many of our projects, tiles have replaced natural stones.
[18:05]
Normally, a contextual reference assists us in creating a unique identity for a project.
[19:22]
Indian hospitality has always been conscious of energy expenditures. We always integrate factors of sustainability into architectural designs.
[24:46]
I always try to tell a story through the architecture. I create a narration first, and then the concept and design will follow.
[26:00]
Apprenticeships are essential for young architects.
[27:05]
My biggest inspiration has always been Frank Lloyd Wright.
[29:58]
I would like to work with the local talent, architects, designers, and civil engineers in smaller cities, and build hospitality projects with them. This would feed back into my own practice in a positive way.
[31:30]
Design creation is the first part of our process, design execution is the second, and lastly, documentation is also a very essential part of our process. We have fixed codes for all our drawings and materials, in case we ever need to refer to them for anything⊗
[IN]SIDE Talks are a series of conversations between Filmmaker Aradhana Seth with various reputed architects and designers around the country, support by Outlook, in association with H & R Johnson (India). Each conversation does aims to investigate the deep connections architects have with their crafts, and give an insight into their lives as people, creators, learners and masters.
