TFOD Profile Of The Week: Reasoning Instincts Architecture Studio

Bhairavi Dhoot got a B.arch degree with distinction at CEPT University in 2006. She later did her masters in Advanced Sustainable Design (UK) in 2011. Her eight years of practical experience has given her opportunities with a number of projects that dealt with high end lifestyle, real estate, hospitality and commercial design in India and Singapore. After her masters, she was more interested in Sustainable design than ever before and it became her primary design intent. Ujjaval Parekh also got his B.arch degree from CEPT University in 2006. In his career, he has gained exposure in high-rise residential design, workspace design and urban design in India, Thailand and Singapore. His inclination towards cities and their complexities drove him to get his master’s degree in Urban Design with distinction from the National University of Singapore. He was also a full-time lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic for three years. 

One of their first completed projects is their studio itself in Ahmedabad. With a bold colour palette of earthen shades contrasted with rust and grey, it represents a lot of what the studio stands for! It is a 700 square foot long and linear office designed on the lines of an open studio plan. It is treated as a singular space broken into smaller spaces using screening elements maximizing on the natural light falling inside as well as allowing transparency between spaces. The highlight of the studio is a 9.5 m long pin up wall made of folded and rusted raw steel that serves as a backdrop to all the spaces. It is an element of continuity along with the monolithic concrete flooring.

Their second completed project was an Industrial office for clients Ambuja Solvex Pvt Ltd. Located at the entrance of a vast industry, with the backdrop of an arid landscape, this building stands elegantly making a statement for itself. It is a 1000 square feet workspace designed in a linear arrangement with different functions planned in a simple and unified form. Designed keeping in view the client’s nature of work, the office block is a chic industrial office with a comfortable work environment for the user and their visitors. The glass façade broken by metallic verticals juxtaposed by a wooden panel with a grey frame running on four sides, it is an exemplary contemporary building.

Recently, they completed a hospitality project in Baroda, Gujarat – Jukee Boxx Café. It is a 1000 square feet project located on a popular street of Baroda, designed to cater the youth with refreshments and karaoke. They define the ambience of the café as, “contrasting theme of harshness of metal with warmth of timber, thus reflecting global aspirations of a rather local culture amongst the youth of the city”. The carefully designed interfaces between metal and timber with cantilevered table tops shows attention given to details. Informal seating arrangement and use of textured colours add to the urban character of the café.  The uniqueness of the café is the casual seating arrangement in the form of window side platform with cushions. 

A few of their projects are under-construction like the ‘Portal House’ in Gujarat which is a 6,000 square foot weekend home set amidst lush green landscape. The design of the house is resembles a swastika with the common parts of the house in the centre and four cabana bedrooms at radiating arms. Each bedroom has an indoor Jacuzzi and private deck giving the clients a break from their urban lifestyle in cramped Mumbai. Materials like pigmented concrete walls and corten steel panels have been explored in this design to value add the design elements. An industrial project, a 22,000 square foot Dry Fruits Processing Unit, in Sanand, Gujarat, is another example. It is designed under a unified proflex roof giving a continuous look to the different parts of the factory. Planning maximizes the ventilation within the shed as hygiene is of prime importance. Their project, ‘The house between walls’ in Ahmedabad is a 2,750 square foot weekend home, designed between two parallel walls 4.8m in height, rendering play of light and shadow throughout the day. The Cube House in Ahmedabad as well, is a 7,500 square foot house, catering to three generations of a joint family. The house has been designed around a centre large volume which is the family space. It has a courtyard to let light and breeze into the core of the house. Stepped terraces are provided overlooking the private lawns in the north.

With a strong believer of discipline in design and a keen interest in grasping knowledge through practice, Bhairavi Dhoot, leads by example. A thorough researcher and explorer of forms, Ujjaval Parekh, spearheads design direction and vision. Together they make a good team. “We believe in architecture as a process of expressions – a process that expresses and communicates the sole purpose of humanity - for humanity. Architecture cannot change the world but certainly can shape it by creating opportunities of bringing people together. We are committed towards crafting spaces, optimizing materials and creating inspiring opportunities as per contextual conditions. These opportunities, rightly so are focused on fundamental human issues of security and comfort. We believe that architecture allows us to manifest an environmental, social and economic value by tapping our instincts to investigate with appropriate reasoning. Hence, we love what we do!”