There is no dearth of creative people, some of whom are excellent architects. But few put their soul into their creativity when it comes to designing homes, commercial complexes or even urban spaces. They create your dream abode or offices with Meraki. And that is why some homes, offices and public places give us the feeling of warmth and positive vibes whether the décor is expensive or not and even though we may be visiting them for the first time.
Leaving a piece of yourself and love in what you do, is what the Greeks refer as Meraki. And that is exactly what Studio Meraki does. It leaves its mark in each of its creation. We had the opportunity to explore more about this architecture firm.
Excerpts from the interview:
Please share your journey in this field and the inception/history of your firm?
I have always been an admirer of structures that by their sheer design have conveyed the purpose they stand there for and was always fascinated by how designs and structures could convey a sense of purpose, induce effect and arouse emotion. During my schooling, my curiosity and imagination helped the evolution of my amateurish fascination for a drive to learn the underlying principles of how architecture could make a difference to mankind.
I was introduced to the ‘Genius Loci’ by ‘Norberg Schulz’, which talks about the ‘spirit of the place’; in the third year of my bachelor’s degree in architecture during the course of a studio design project and it completely mesmerized me, modifying my entire perspective towards spatial design. After my post-graduation at National University of Singapore, I have further evolved and enhanced my skills professionally that have taken a whole new dimension towards the world of sustainable design and reducing energy consumption of buildings thereby making them healthier and breathe in an efficient way. My brief work experience as a Sustainable Design Consultant in Singapore has strengthened this foundation and provided me a better understanding of how architects should actually work in tandem with the greener principles of design more seriously and sensitively at the concept design stage giving the whole process a more holistic outlook.
Did you face any teething problems? How did you overcome these?
The challenges have been very similar to the other women architects. Females are automatically embossed as a ‘species meant for decorating’ with minimal or no understanding of hardcore engineering sciences and their inability to deal with on-site activities, is sketched profoundly in the so-called progressive strata of the society. But ultimately, I strongly believe that the vital challenges diminish with your sincerity and attitude, which is complemented by efficacy in work area.
Please tell us about the person behind the success of your firm.
Shweta Kaw (Founder) is currently heading Studio Meraki in Noida that is a design studio whose practice is diverse and ranges from architecture, green building design, interior and furniture design as well as graphics. As the name suggests, our intention is to aim for building happy and healthy spaces for a person to dwell in its habitat and nurture for him/her an improved sense of well-being by paying attention to psychological and physiological comfort and hence garnering less distress levels in our society.
These are the core values that also define the philosophy of our founder and her international exposure and tryst with sustainability have further honed this dialogue.
Green spaces have become an integral part of residential and commercial complexes. How do you incorporate these in your designs and architecture?
Green spaces are of course an inevitable part as the breathing lungs of the city. Green spaces are extremely important and hence we, at our studio, maximise our efforts to incorporate green areas in the external as well as internal spaces to honour the principles of biophilic design and human comfort. In cases where there are numerous restrictions at site, we try to look for alternate options like green walls, sculptures, moss walls, vertical gardens, terrace gardens etc. We always aim to provide landscape in its natural habitat and refrain from using artificial green products. Green spaces in residential/commercial areas are enormously helpful in improving the microclimate and mitigating the UHI effect.
What aspects do you keep in mind while designing for your client/s?
Clients these days are more well informed and meticulous than five years back, especially due to the sudden boom in social media and access to all international brands/design ideas. Hence, the challenge has become doubly tricky and complicated to deal with. However, our design principles remain very straightforward at the core and communicating with them their best interests is the key. The client today is too distracted, swarming with a motley of diverse options to conform to. The expectations are too high and so are the deliverables. Hence, understanding the clients’ needs and aspirations is the first and the foremost thing and instead of dictating our terms, it always makes more sense to be in tune with their ideas and then navigating our way through instead of shunning or criticizing them bluntly.
What are the latest technologies that you incorporate in your designs?
We are trying to work out typologies for energy efficient buildings to optimize green building solutions in every project. Technology has helped determine a lot of energy related information as well as predictions/forecasts beforehand to us now and maximizing the output is now up to us.
What are the major challenges in this field at present – with respect to the market and also with respect to the current trends?
In a field full of ambiguities arising due to a plethora of unskilled tasks performed by non-professionals and contractors at stumpy rates, we the qualified professionals are taking the brunt of it all. Also, the psychological impacts of aggression and absence of trust in the society dampen professional relationships and interrupt smooth workflows. The personal journey of any person representing a company and trying to fulfil the daily challenges comes with a fair deal of self-realization. It goes much beyond sole creativity and narrows down to pure inter-personal skills.
I think COA and the government have an immense role to play in this being the policy makers formulating the ideologies on which construction practices are based and laws implemented in this country. Currently we are particularly lawless when it comes to irregularities in payment, rights of employees and exploitation of resources in the field. Creative freedom can only be achieved after solving these problems at grassroot level. Otherwise, everyone’s hands are tied, and they have to compromise in offering the quality they want to deliver.
What makes you stand apart from the others?
Yes, there is a string that binds us all as well as our work and our imagery in thoughts. I don’t think it needs to be deliberate as it comes from a sub-conscious innate level that defines who we are and what we want to become and do for the society. We may not focus primarily only on form/morphology but certainly on the emotions they generate and what psychological impact they have on the users inhabiting the space. This stems from my earlier readings on the subject of “Genius Loci” that Norberg Schulz talks about in detail in his book. The concept has been discussed in modern architecture but still is underestimated. So more than building a marvel, it is imperative to study the human brain and its wiring, its instincts and responses to be able to design for the average human being already stressed out in a mindless society overrun by social media and its onslaught along with a lot of unnecessary tremors.
Where do you see your firm in the future?
We would like to focus more on technology and its multifarious aspects and how we can benefit from them in our work and collaborating more with local artists and helping to contribute to the society in the best way we can.
