I like to design spaces as immersive narratives, where material and atmosphere shape the human experience. My work explores the intricacies of the people-place-culture dynamic. I like to challenge the norm and subvert paradigms
graduate thesis project at Drexel University
luxury residence, india
hospitality studio at Drexel University
eutopos
apartment, india
HOK Future’s 2023 competition entry
neyge
undergraduate thesis project
penelope
design+build workshop in Denmark
A sense of estrangement, of detachment we experience from our work and leisure, from our environments and from eachother
The spectacle/illusion created by a capitalist society; the dazzling array of images, narratives, and consumer goods that captivate us
The obfuscation of the value of a commodity; how an object can be imbued with value beyond the labour or material that went into it alienation commodity fetish phantasmagoria reification
The act of treating an abstract concept or idea as if it were a concrete, tangible thing or object
Your local store transplanted into Tiffany’s stacked with pantry staples with the Tiffany seal: milk cartons and laundry detergent. This is Tiffany for the masses
Juxtaposing public retail with an intimate salon, the lodgings of the “celebrity of the month”. Behind sheer curtains, the boudoir offers a private setting for all bridal needs
Along a quiet trail through a bamboo grove, a display case holds a pendant crafted in excavated glass, bamboo and recycled silver. Is “sustainablility “ the new luxury?
A cavernous path with looming stalactites leads to The Tiffany Rock, a postextraction kimberlite necklace. Does a dusty rock become luxury if Beyoncé says so?
A vast dreamscape set in a gorgeous, desolate desert; the Temple at Tiffany’s is an exclusive lounge, a sanctum for our modern day gods, our celebrities
With overhead video screens mimicking the skies, marble sculptures of deities, The Temple invites one to escape, to unwind, to soak in material delights
SYNTHESIS MONOLITH by hongjie yang
ONSLAW CHAIR by madamoiselle
CATHEDRAL by auguste rodin
GODDESS IN MARBLE beyonce
oxide pigmented plaster finish for floor and walls
MARSEILLE SOFA by modshop
muslin desert rock velvet brass boucle
MOLTEN GLASS handcast screens
PACHA CHAIRS by pierre paulin
house of patina
category: professional; luxury residence, architecture+ interiors location: bangalore, india
This 10,000 square foot luxury home for a family of four is tucked into a quiet residential neighbourhood with tree-lined streets and pockets of public parks. Designed for clients who value privacy and an understated opulence, the house of patina has expansive volumes, a central courtyard to preserve an existing jackfruit tree and contemporary, clutter-free interiors spaces.
The exterior is clad in dark slate stone and a gorgeous copper mesh facade to break from the monolith. While picking materials for the home, we consciously picked something that wouldn’t call for constant maintenance and replacement- copper’s bright orange to rusty brown to sea-green to icy blue patina - a classic testament to the passage of time.
involvement: design concepts, construction drawings, 3D modelling, renders, site supervision
10MM TEAKWOOD BEADING POLISHED AS PER SPECIFICATION
HEADBOARD: 50X10MM GROOVED WOODEN PANELS
HEADBOARD: 25X10MM GROOVED WOODEN PANELS
6MM X 6MM BRASS INLAY
25MM X 25MM SOLID WOOD TAPERED LEGS
200MM BLOCKWORK WALL
15MM INTERNAL PLASTER + PAINT FINISH RECESSED LED LIGHT FIXTURE
18MM MARBLE CLADDING (AS PER SELECTION) ON WALL WITH HANDRAIL DETAIL INFILL
BESPOKE
BESPOKE
BESPOKE KING BED: RENDER
BEIGE/CARRARA/ GREY marble monoliths
SMOKED GLASS
COPPER PATINA FROM 0-30 years
BELLEVEUE LAMP modern callback
FLUTED GLASS refined, clean lines
BELL SIDE TABLE sebastian herkner
WALNUT WOOD millowork
CAROLINE WALL bold, minimal
BRASS precise, clean joinery
trinity
category: academic; hospitality location: philadelphia, usa
This project was conceived as a luxury boutique hotel next to he Betty Ross house in Philadelphia. When we think of art deco- the cities of NYC, LA, Miami Beach etc. come to mind. One does not really think of Philadelphia as one of them. Walking through the streets of the city, one sees a plethora of neoclassical and victorian examples. Art deco, here, exists in hidden corners, in forgotten buildings, in forgotten details.
The leading design intent was to pay homage to the playful, geometric patterns, whimsical ornament, exaggerated massing, and flamboyant materials of deco. The revolution was propagated from this city- evolving from a primordial soup of architectural and cultural influences in the early twentieth century.
Art Deco, Jazz and Hollywood form a Holy Trinity of popular american culture in the years between the world wars- a fertile union of imagination and imitation. astyle full of tropes and full of originality.
No rules, no structure; both crass and classy
FLOORPLAN
PLAN: COCKTAIL BAR
FRONT ELEVATION: COCKTAIL BAR
WORKING ELEVATION: COCKTAIL BAR
KROWNE 24” GLASS STORAGE CABINET
KROWNE 52” SELF CONTAINED DRAW COOLER
KROWNE ROYAL SERIES 12” TRASH SECTION
KROWNE 12” UNDERBAR HANDSINK
KROWNE SODA GUN HOLDER
KROWNE ROYAL SERIES ICE BIN
KROWNE 24” BLENDER DUMP SINK
KROWNE ROYAL SERIES 3 BAR SINK
KROWNE 24” DRAIN BOARD
KROWNE FRONTDOOR MUG FROSTER
KROWNE BACK BAR REFRIGERATION
KROWNE FRONT DOOR GLASSWASHER
GEOMETRIC DECO flooring
RIBBED WOOD PANEL bar back wall
BOTAN NO HANA pendants
PLEATED MIRROR PANEL wall cladding
TUFTED DETAIL barstool
JOSEF HOFFMANN table lamp
ABBYSON EVA barstool
AKOVA GRANDE pendant
cocktail lounge: booth seating
MODERN GEOMETRIC SCHEME custom artwork
fluted wood fascia
THE ATOLLO LAMP by Vico Magistretti 1977
TERRAZZO COUNTERS custom: glass, ceramics, stone
GRECO-ROMAN sculptures
366 ARMCHAIR by Józef Chierowski, 1960
JEN CAREY photography
BELL SIDE TABLE by ClassiCon
oriental weaves
ARCO FLOOR LAMP flos
PARQUET flooring
bar + arched entryway to formal dining
open-kitchen island + concealed bedroom door + bar unit
the coterie
category: HOK Future’s 23 competition location: philadelphia, usa
An innate need of the human condition, as hypothesized in Maslow’s hierarchy of need; is intimacy, friendship and love. We are social creatures that rely on eachother; it’s the only reason we have survived centuries. Our need to be interdependant remains even though the backdrop of our modern lives have transformed into uber individualisic ones which has negatively impacted our social health.
As a major immigrant city, Philadelphia has attracted immigrants and refugees since the late 1800’s. Today, a sizeable community of south-east asians live in the city and it’s suburbs. The community today with a mix of older immigrants and their first and second generation members are left with very few links to their homeland.
The design of The Coterie recognizes our primal need for connection creating an environment that is warm and helps foster these relationships across lands and time. The space exudes a sense of grounding, a place to remember and re-experience memories of “home” . Communal activities that bring people together is the central focus at The Coterie.
involvement: equal contribution as part of a two member team
A communal kitchen and culinary workshop ties in with the adjacent exhibition space and restaurant highlighting the diverse traditional cuisine of south-east Asia. A focus on mealtimes as a key aspect of fostering community.
The Padmashaali’s, a weaver’s caste originating in Andhra Pradesh, moved to Kodiyala, a village 20km from the city of Mandya, Bengaluru; under the commands of the then ruler Tipu Sultan. They lived through decades of success: when silk weaving rose to prominence. Now, nestled in the afterglow of the bustle of the years bygone, the skills of the village do not reach the right audience in a world of mass-produced synthetics and cunning middle-men. Their economy lies shattered, their operational model influenced by the village’s rich (factory owners) and there lies a lack of unity and trust amongst the community.
Neyge* is a weaver’s co-operative; proposal for the rejuvenation of the operational model of the local industry and provision of a platform for exchange of culture and skills; completing the cycle from weaver to end user.
*kannada word for “weave”
LAKE SITE
TEMPLES
LOOM HOMES
The once-renowned silk handweaving craft of the Padmashalis is fading, replaced by faster, cheaper polycotton textiles, as the effort no longer matches the selling price
decline exploited
The weavers, reliant on local factories for steady income and unwilling to take risks and venture on their own, are exploited in labor, pay, and time
lack of community
Government subsidies have allowed powerlooms at home, and with factories as the only other workspace, lack of a communal work culture and collective
stifled
This operational model restricts individual and community growth, stifling creativity and innovation in sari designs as they don’t reflect a monetary benefit
CROSSTALK FROM VERANDAHS THROUGH THE DAY
THE PIER
BUSTLING MARKETS, VARIETY OF VENDORS. GOODS
THE DYE DOCKS
VERANDAHS USED TO DRY SPICES, CLOTHES
THE PAVILLIONS
DRAINS ALONG THE STREET USED TO WASH DISHES, C LOTHES
THE WEAVER’S CLUSTER
ADMINISTRATION
THE PAVILLIONS
WEAVER’S CLUSTER
HOUSING
RETAIL SQUARE
DINING/ RECREATION
DYEING DOCK
THE PIER
through the retail square
through the weaver’s unit
LIGHTER FUNCTIONS: IRONING, CUTTING, STITCHING
RAISING LIGHTER MODULE TO CREATE MULTIPURPOSE OPEN SPACE BENEATH
ROTATING MODULES TO MIMIC THE LAKE EDGE AND BETTER CATCH SW WINDS
TRIANGULAR PORTION FORMED USED TO CONNECT THE TWO HALVES
RESULTING FORM WITH NATURAL LIGHTING AND VENTILATION
TEXTILE DRAPES FOR PARTITIONS
LOCALLY SOURCED TIMBER
OXIDE POLISHED CEMENT FLOOR
RAMMED EARTH WALLS
THE RING FLOORPLAN
a visual and physical buffer, an attempt to mediate the relation between the inside and the outside
THE GARDEN
VEGETATION : STRUCTURAL FRAMES : FOUNDATION
diameter-9.0m, height= 2.8m
SECTION
the porosity allows for partial visual and physical communication between the inside and the outside
ELEVATION
the rigid uniformity of outer ring in stark contrast to the organic richness of inner garden
the ultimate stripping of all barriers, the visitor is fully immersed in a world of their own
