Hafele - TFOD Profile Of The Week

Closely following the work of Architect Rajesh Patel for close to 20 years, I can claim that every project of his surprises me. An absolutely puritanical design ideology; minus the frills and trills of new-age pop-architecture, manifests strongly in his work. And still, it never gets boring or repetitive; because staying firm to a purist philosophy doesn’t imply shortchanging on innovation or experimentation!

There is in fact, a lot of experimenting happening across all project types. If in the head office of a company involved in the electrical/plumbing/integrated building management business, he explored the concept of exposed service-lines and ducts; in another for a film-producer, he used a seamless steel structure emulating a film-roll! Deriving such concepts from the nature of the business conducted in the establishment, he still retains the staid sophistication inherent to his style. 

Ar. Rajesh Patel’s work in the institutional sector is also impressive – with a battery of S. P. Jain’s Global Management Centres – all over the world, in his portfolio! The interior of their first international school housed in a commercial complex in Dubai, the heritage restoration and interior and extension work of their Singapore facility, and the entire design for their most recent Sydney initiative – are all excellent examples of challenges well-met. 

In the Residential sector too, the architect has some remarkable projects to his credit – in many cities and towns of India. While there are some exclusively interior projects such as the sprawling bungalow in Calicut, or the Singhania Bungalow, he has done numerous comprehensive architecture + interior projects. 

His exploration of the minimalist genre on the edge of a hill in Panchgani, overlooking the lake, is a fine example of listening to the spirit of the site; and creating architecture + interior that succumbs to nature. 

In a similarly spectacular location in Pavana, the architect has created a stunningly glamorous and indulgent bungalow.