Firm/Studio Name
RWAMP STUDIO
How did you come up with the name of your studio?
Since Inception, we were never sure of the name for the Studio, but what we were sure of is that we want to create a brand in the architecture design realm which is not catering to any particular person name or identity but should be about the principal and ethos of the studio moreover, it needs to be unique. Hence, we came up with the thought of using the initials of people’s names who were starting the firm to evolve as a unique word. Eventually, we did permutation and a combination of initials and come up with the name RWAMP STUDIO. Where “W” remains silent…on a lighter note 😀
What determined your passion for design? Tell us about the moment when you decided this is the way to go.
Day-to-day life objects and routines, the most common and overlooked things ignite interest in the designer within us. Sometimes they tell us to break through and design in the most unconventional way, sometimes they teach us simplicity. Moreover, they remind us how important the functionality is and that should not be boring visually 🙂
What kind of projects were you doing when you first started as a designer?
We consider our self more of students of design where we keep looking to expand our canvas by creating different and unique projects irrespective of scale.
Fortunate enough, we started with a few very interesting projects of varied scale from 20-acre eco-resort in Coorg to 4’x4′ kiosk as product design in Noida. Simultaneously, we also kept participating in different international competitions.
What field of design are you most interested in?
Architecture, we believe, is the breath of built form itself: a void to be filled with life and activity. It is the light and shadows, the breeze upon the skin, and the smell of flowers. Our design philosophy consciously tries to go beyond engaging with space as merely a visual entity, to include the five senses in the way that we imagine it. Through the use of texture, material, nature, and energy, we create spaces that speak to the soul and generate sensuous, more holistic responses within the people who inhabit them.
We specialize in museum/experience centre designs and the hospitality sector. From mythology to futuristic designs, from eco-friendly materials to cutting-edge technology, we aim to cover a broader and broader spectrum of architecture every day.
˜Indian mythological centre’ is a technologically advanced resource and experience centre talking about ancient Indian mythology. Here, virtual reality takes us back in time and holographic projections help us talk with great personalities of the time.
˜BB Knowlege Hub’ is another resource centre we designed keeping materials and micro-climate in mind. Architecture is a derivation of poetry.
˜Harvest™ is a 50-acre farmland project where we stepped aside from conventional functions of a resort and programmed an exclusive visit and stay of an individual – right from farming to cooking with the localities. Retaining the existing trees, putting naturally laid rocks and water catchment areas to our benefit, we gave our architecture a unique identity.
˜Secret Resorts™ is another 20-acre hospitality eco- project where master planning, architecture, and architectural branding went hand-in-hand. The secret is a cost-effective and environmentally sensitive project laid with CSEB brick and thatch.
˜Floating Leaves™ is our architectural evidence of amalgamation of eco-materials and parametric designs. As the name suggests, the roofs here appear to be floating and resemble the leaves.
We also published a research paper ˜Drift of Perception™ based on multisensory architecture published in 2011.
What is your favourite book/magazine on design? How about your favourite site?
Reading and research create a base for our design process.
‘Eye of the skin’ by Juhani Pallasmaa, ‘Thinking Architecture’ and ‘Atmosphere’ by Peter Zumthor, Between Silence and Light Spirit in the Architecture of Louis I. Kahn are one of the many books that inspire us.
To keep ourselves updated with new projects path-breaking technology or even for materials we keep doing our desktop research on websites like Archdaily, Dezeen, Designboom, Volume zero, and rethinking architecture.
What is your Signature Style?
We don’t believe in any signature style in architecture. We believe every project and site is unique and needs the same unique approach in design and style.
We also believe in the idea ‘Whole is one. Our design process connects & curates Masterplanning, Architecture, Landscape, Interiors & branding as one robust product.
We call it the MALIB approach.
What inspires you to thrive in this industry? Which piece of architecture inspires you the most.
Passion towards building a better environment by creating a balance between built form and nature. As the world shirks, we are isolating ourselves more than ever especially after the current pandemic. We as Architects and designer have a bigger role to play in creating spaces which not only speaks volume or luxury but also sustainability /ecology along with ‘Biophilic’ approach.
From your point of view, is design an art or a science?
For us, design is an ongoing process that keeps evolving with time, technology, and habits. This process is baked by science and most importantly common sense. Eventually, when it gets realized it should look pleasing and induce a feeling like any good piece of art like painting or sculpture work does.
If you had no limits (money, resources), what would you create?
This scenario is a dream for any designer – we would definitely like to create a system or a method /process – where we can achieve and create harmony between the nature and built environment. Humans have used nature for their benefit for a long time, now it’s a time to give back and create a healthy and balanced future for generations to come. And we strongly believe we as Architects & Designers have a very important role to play if it has to be reality.
What advice do you have for young designers or architects reading this interview?
FIVE Points that we strongly follow in our practice will be the advice we like to share:
1. Always try to push and challenges the brief of the project.
2. Three things to do before putting pen to paper – Research + Context study + knowing the End users.
3. sketch, sketch, and more sketches before CAD.
4. Design is a ‘story, so tell your story through various interesting unique diagrams & collages. It is a very efficient way of reasoning and backing your ideas.
5. We live and experience the world with all our five senses so try to make or design space considering all the senses.