These rising architectural stars could change India’s skylines forever

“India is the place to be,” said Amit Gupta, architect and co-founder of Indian design firm Studio Symbiosis.

And for the rising Indian architectural star, this certainly seems to be true. Though the design firm – founded by Gupta and his wife, Britta Knobel Gupta – is only seven years old, it is already looking to shape cities and skylines throughout the South Asian nation.

Of the 40 projects Studio Symbiosis has signed to date, 38 are based in India. This not only includes lone-standing structures, such as hotels and offices, but several large-scale housing and city-planning projects. For a practice like this one, they said, the scope is unique.

India: A booming architectural hub

The co-founders launched their vision in London, first studying together at the Architectural Association, then working with world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid. They also have ties to Germany, where their firm’s international headquarters is located. But it is in India where these designers feel their projects really make an impact.

“The architecture industry here is transforming,” Amit Gupta told CNN by phone from India, “and the economic spike in recent years has really increased the demand for new buildings.”

Though established international firms have a strong presence in the Indian architecture industry, Gupta insists it’s time for young, fresh, creative new design houses like Symbiosis to make their mark.

“Yes, there are many international firms working out of India, but more and more Indian architects (are) coming back to the country and setting up base here,” he said. “There is increased building demand, the budgets are good, there is plenty of land. It’s great because there’s room for younger, smaller practices to move in with their bold new designs.”

A competitive edge

But designing innovative new projects in India is only the tip of the iceberg, Gupta said.

“The question quickly shifts from: OK, you can design it, but can you construct it?” he said. “And that’s where you have to be careful.”

Construction in India, he believes, is different from elsewhere in the world.

“There is a combination of high and low technology processes and tools for construction here, and so you’re working with materials that (are) uncommon or rarely used in other countries,” he said. “It’s very rare in India, for example, to see buildings constructed with steel, but it’s very common to see buildings made from concrete.”

Setting up shop in India, he said, has given him an edge over his overseas competitors to tackle these issues.

“Although we are newer and younger than other firms, we’ve been able to solve construction problems because we’re spending time in the country and seeing what’s happening on the ground,” he said. “We are able to see the state of Indian architecture up close.”

Tradition meets ‘cool’ new design

And Indian architecture – particularly traditional construction techniques – has served as inspiration for several of Studio Symbiosis’ bold, futuristic designs.

“We’ve spent a long time studying India’s architectural history,” Knobel Gupta said, “mogul architecture, Wada architecture and of course the famed ancient stepwells. But we then take these historic designs and re-imagine them, and so you may not even recognize it at first because it’s done in a completely new form.”

Victoria Lautman

Victoria Lautman takes tips from drivers, villagers, and pores over old maps to find India's ancient and abandoned stepwells. In the following images, she discusses her journeys and the stepwells she has stumbled upon.

Victoria Lautman

"I went to India for the first time 30 years ago. I didn't know anything. I happened to go with architects. We went to a desert. The ground literally fell away, into this incredibly elaborate hole in the ground. It was one of the most shocking experiences of my life."

Victoria Lautman

"This is the first stepwell I saw and I couldn't forget it. The shock of looking down into architecture instead of up at it subverted everything I'd expected from a building. The dramatic contrasts of light & shade, the cool air, the telescoping views and hushed sounds...every sense was on alert. Who wouldn't remember that for decades?"

Victoria Lautman

"This is where I knew I had slipped over the line from 'enchanted' to 'obsessed.' Neemrana is very deep -- 9 stories -- and dangerously decrepit, but one of the most marvelous structures I've ever seen. Ever."

Victoria Lautman

"This is the largest, most grandiose, costliest and probably most impressive stepwell ever built. Last year it became an UNESCO World Heritage Site, thankfully, and it's literally impossible to try and describe it."

Victoria Lautman

"The scale and detailed sculptures -- hundreds of Hindu deities -- is just overwhelming."

Victoria Lautman

"It's magnificent, gorgeous, and utterly frightening all at the same time."

Victoria Lautman

"This impressive, ignored, disintegrating stepwell is in a small village about 15 minutes away from its famous sister, Rudabai vav in Adalaj, and yet no-one ever visits. It was built at the same time, most likely by the same queen, and while less showy and grand it's nevertheless beautiful and elegant, with sculptural niches climbing up the narrow walls. It's "protected" by the local government (even though chunks are falling from it and bonfires have been lit within) but easily accessible through an adjacent temple."

Victoria Lautman

"Chand Baori is one of the better known stepwells thanks to it's cameo appearance in several movies. But still, tourists generally miss the short detour off the road between Jaipur and Agra and if they realized it, they'd kick themselves. It's one of the oldest, deepest, most impressive wells or 'kund,' defined by the sculptural geometric steps on all four sides and steep funnel shape. It's impossible to take a bad photo of a kund..."

Picasa

"When I give lectures, the so-called Helical vav invariably causes gasps -- something about that sinuous spiral and severe simplicity is so compelling. Even more startling -- as with many stepwells -- is the subtlety of it's above-ground presence: just a low masonry wall. Lovely."

Victoria Lautman

"There are a number of really wonderful stepwells in and around Delhi, some just a few yards from main tourist attractions, and yet even local guides have no idea that they exist or how to find them. Rajon ki baoli is located in the Mehrauli archeological park, itself a magical place studded with tombs and ruins. It's deep, in good shape, still harvests water, and its many levels of "apartments make it such a fun place to explore."

Victoria Lautman

"It's not easy getting to this small stepwell in the fields outside the city of Narnaul, with its many spectacular Mughal monuments. But the dirt road eventually lead to pretty -- if overgrown -- stepwells, with its four chattris that come into view. What a peaceful spot in its day - I'm sorry this one's such a ruin."

Victoria Lautman

"The fort at Mandu has a number of stepwells, tanks, and sophisticated water-harvesting systems but none as beautiful as Ujala baoli. The picture doesn't show what an odd, asymmetrical structure it really is, or it's sadly dilapidated state."

Victoria Lautman

"It's so steep and in such terrible condition that Mertaniji looks as though it's weeping filthy tears - but it's also an enormous feat of engineering and architecture. An estimated 25% of stepwells were commissioned by women, and this is one of them -- another "protected", awe-inspiring monument that unfortunately has all sorts of garbage in it."

Victoria Lautman

"A farm family cares for this stepwell, using it as it was in past centuries: for drinking, washing, and irrigation. It's large scale, huge entry towers, and architectural details make it another of my favorites -- an unexpected treasure way out in the countryside."

Victoria Lautman

I always show this baoli, or stepwell, as an example and reminder of how a unique, awe-inspiring, formerly essential monument can be reduced to rubble. I had to climb on a roof to even see the extent of this marvel, one of the largest I've encountered, and which must have been an incredible sight hundreds of years ago. Now it's surrounded by buildings, used as a dump, and no-one has any idea it's there. It made me cry."

Victoria Lautman

"I'd read about Vikia Vav in Morna Livingston's book "Steps to Water" from 2002 and was determined to find it on a search mission in Gujarat. It was by far the most difficult to locate and get to. Even local villagers had no knowledge of it, seemingly, and I was eventually led to it along a dirt track by a sympathetic fellow on a motorcycle. (The road) had so many rocks that my driver lost a tire. It's (from the) late 13th century, in the middle of nowhere on a former trade route, and nearly destroyed by the horrific earthquake in Gujarat in 2001. But marvelous still."

Victoria Lautman

"This is another example of a kund, small but powerfully sculptural. The gradation of hues from pink to white to green (from algae) makes it one of the most colorful of all the stepwells I've visited, and it's a particular favorite."

The perspective has aided the firm’s mission to create sustainable and environmentally sensitive designs. For example, the architects revamped traditional cooling techniques to tackle India’s scorching temperatures.

In 2016, India recorded its hottest days ever, with temperatures hitting 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). To deal with the Indian heat, the firm often incorporates water bodies – inspired by Mogul architecture – in its designs, as well as courtyards, which the partners say improve ventilation.

Knobel Gupta also points to a traditional South Asian technique known as jali, which involves creating perforated holes on walls or window screens to cool the space by compressing air.

“It’s a technique we find extremely interesting because it lets in light but does not let in heat,” she said.

Zero-energy design

Similar cooling techniques are seen in one of the firm’s newest projects: the Net Zero Affordable Housing Jhansi.

“Electricity is a big problem here,” Gupta said. “It often cuts (off) several times a day, so these buildings are structured in a way that prevents overheating. The curvatures allow for an even distribution of wind for an enhanced cooling effect.”

The term “net zero” refers to buildings that use as much renewable energy as they can produce, aiming for a completely self-sufficient structure with almost no wasted energy. To achieve this balance, rooftops at the Net Zero Affordable Housing Jhansi are fitted with photovoltaic cells that produce solar-powered energy.

The next step: Shaping future Indian design

Studio Symbiosis has also been commissioned to work on several large-scale projects, with three major city-planning designs – Transganga Masterplan Kanpur, Allahabad Masterplan and Chola Masterplan – now in the works.

“City-planning projects are crucial to India,” Gupta said. “Aside from a few exceptions – such as Lucknow and Chandigarh – a lot of cities in India were not planned, and today we can see the repercussions of it.”

“Major cities in India seem to be horizontal rather than vertical, without a skyline and only a few major urban hubs,” Knobel Gupta added. “Of course, we can’t just do this overnight, but it’s something that we hope to work towards over time.”