Know your architect: Mayooree Saxena

Architect Mayooree Saxena

Principal Architect, SAI Consultants, Bhopal.

My favourite structure (designed

by someone else): I love the architecture of late architect Revathi S. Kamath. She was a pioneer of mud architecture and created buildings rooted in sustainability. Of all her projects The Gnostic Centre, a serene centre for the pursuit of spiritual consciousness and academic learning, located at the Delhi-Gurugram border is my favourite. It conveys her sensitivity and efforts towards working with local and traditional materials, skill-sets and building techniques

I am inspired by: The elements of nature especially natural light, breeze, trees and the sound of birds. I try to bring them into the spaces I design.

Design to me is: Design is the most important element of a city and society. I believe a city is defined or un-defined by its architecture.

I wish I had designed (and how would that have been different

from now): Projects that do have provision for rainwater to percolate back into the subsoil, and those that do not integrate landscaping.

My signature design element (one element without which no design

of yours seems complete): I enjoy creating outdoor-indoor connects by creating landscaped courts and green spaces. This feature is manifest in my projects be they residences, offices or restaurants.

To unwind I (hobbies other than

architecture): I enjoy soft Hindi music and long drives

If I was not an architect: : I would have been an event manager as I love designing spaces and creating experiences for users of those spaces.

My worst design: I had designed an office with lovely green spaces and a green vertical wall. When I went for its inauguration to my shock the landscaped areas had been hardscaped and the vertical wall had artificial plants!

My best design: I enjoy designing residences. The Verma residence is one of my most fulfilling projects as it successfully incorporated several elements into a cohesive design expression.