Raising the bar, constantly

Ruth Dsouza Prabhu speaks to architect Bobby Mukherji to understand the mind that works behind the creation of great spaces. 

There is something about a good work of architecture that can hold you spell bound. You may never be able to put a finger on, but you know a good piece of work when you see it. With both builders and customers becoming more aware of the potential of architectural offerings, it would make sense to try and understand the minds that work behind the making of a beautiful building.
 
Bobby Mukherji, Principal Architect, Bobby Mukherji & Associates (BMA) has to his credit several monumental works in the field of architecture. Among his key works are the Radisson hotel, Grand Ashok Hotel (Bangalore), the reconstruction of Le Meridien Hotel (New Delhi), Kitty Su Club (New Delhi), the prestigious Amby Valley City (Mumbai) and the Marriott Hotel (Jaipur) etc. Bobby speaks of the desire to change city skylines, the need for an infrastructural support system and the growing need for architects to raise the bar.
Changing skylines…feasible?

It is quite a common refrain heard among architects. This burning desire to change the skyline of a city and bring it on par with international ones.

But how achievable is such a dream? Bobby says, “Such claims are not really do-able in one’s lifetime, especially in a country like India, where every permission required goes through a massive bureaucratic process.

Most architects have a vision of how they want the city to look, but between red tape, finicky clients and lack of supportive infrastructure around the projects, such dreams have to take a backseat. Today, an architect needs to be satisfied with designing a microcosm.

For example, in a gated community, you can make true all that you envision and be satisfied with that. But once you step out of the community, you do not have any control about the surrounding infrastructure. As an architect, you have to make do with your small oasis.”

Holistic system of working

There is no doubt that work processes abroad function very different from what we are used to. How does it fare as far as architecture goes?

Bobby Mukherji elaborates with an example, “I was working on a project in Qingdao, China. This is a small middle class town where the water-based sports of the Olympic Games were held. Though I had just one building to make, the surrounding infrastructure in terms of good roads, amenities, lighting, just about everything, was well taken care of.

It did not matter that this was a small town three hours away from Beijing. Governmental regulations are such that they provide you with the skyline that you are looking for. In India, though we have the expertise as far as urban planning goes, what we lack is the patronage from the right sources.”

Great design = increased business

There are times, says Bobby, when clients realise some of their designs are just not going to get them the revenues or returns they envisaged. That is a time when they will want something drastically new. Clients today know the power of detailing and such simple attention to these matters is what can make a massive difference to the coffers.

One of Bobby’s biggest challenges was the remodeling of the Le Meridien Hotel in New Delhi. He says, “Every year we were given a new wing to design till we were done with the hotel. In early 2000, when we first began on the project, the hotel was making a profit of around a million, but once the renovation was done, this revenue increased by 200 per cent. The location, the building, and even the staff remained the same.

“What changed was the presentation of the building. Great design translates into great business. Clients and consumers today are evolved and matured. They have international exposure and therefore their expectations are higher.”

There is a lot that comes and goes in architecture, more so, based on the need and demands of a project and location. Sustainable architecture is something we hear often, but don’t really see around us. Bobby says, “Sustainable technology is not something that is applicable to everyday architecture till the day it becomes cost-effective. As far as trends go, what we will see going forward is a frugal form of design – this will be in materials used, the kind of design presented and such. All of this will take place in the new and upcoming areas of any city.

As far as premium requirements in the centre of the city goes, it will remain the same as the balance between demand and supply is quite delicate and gets plugged in instantly. As far as interiors go, there will be a demand for premium styling.

Importance will be given to amenities and their presentation in terms of world class fittings. All of this, says Bobby, stems from the fact that the hospitality industry serves as a trendsetter. In the creation of a hospitality unit, the best of designers are pressed into work. The result is spectacular.

When guests experience the hotel’s offerings they begin to observe and then aspire to have the same. This is how the expectations in terms of quality go up. 

The market is constantly evolving. An architect’s creativity will lie in his ability to constantly raise the bar in terms of expectations from known luxuries.