Firm/Studio Name
Makra Works
How did you come up with the name of your studio?
Makra is an acronym that was derived from the names of people closest to me, who have been my biggest source of inspiration.
What determined your passion for design? Tell us about the moment when you decided this is the way to go.
Growing up my sister and I were very fortunate to have had parents who were interested in the aesthetic use of space, and unknowingly that had rubbed off on the both of us. So naturally, when I had to choose between engineering or design, I chose design and decided to build my career around this industry.
What kind of projects were you doing when you first started as a designer?
We started with individual spaces and slowly scaled up over the years!
What field of design are you most interested in?
Sustainability in design has to be our most interested field. By sustainability we do not just restrict ourselves to the materials or the technology, we also ensure our design approach is in line with the principles of sustainability – reusing existing materials, reducing wastage during the construction process, and lowering the overall carbon footprint.
What is your favorite book/magazine on design? How about your favorite site?
Citizens of no place, Jimenez Lai and History of Architecture, Sir Banister Fletcher;
ArchDaily and Dezeen are absolute favourites to keep us updated on a daily basis!
What is your Signature Style?
Minimalism, Bio-integration and Spatial Design. We ensure that each project has all three principles.
House of two palms is one of the projects that best exemplifies our signature style and we are beyond thrilled to have received the recognition for the work we put into it, from the FOAID organisation. The project won the Silver Award in the Architecture Ideas Gen Next Competition 2020.
What inspires you to thrive in this industry? Which piece of architecture inspires you the most.
1) We strongly believe that good design inspires communities to function better and that thought has enabled us to work on a model for affordable communities which is a much-needed design intervention for a country like India.
Being able to dream of change at such a scale inspires me constantly!
2) My three main inspirations would be Frank Gehry, WOHA Architects and John Pawson!
From your point of view, is design an art or a science?
Design is a beautiful composition of both!
If you had no limits (money, resources), what would you create?
We would build affordable communities in every major city in our country!
The goal of this model would be to accomplish the following:
– improve the quality of life for economically weaker sections of the society through effective design and planning
– creating self-sustainable communities run by the inhabitants with the help of technology and local resources
– integration with the rest of the society to increase exposure and opportunities such communities
What advice do you have for young designers or architects reading this interview?
Good design and inspiration takes time to be appreciated. So, if you believe in a design approach that is different from the status quo do not be afraid to embrace it. It will set you apart in the long run!
