In the bustling metropolis of Delhi, architects play a pivotal role in shaping the city’s skyline and urban fabric. Renowned for its rich cultural heritage juxtaposed with modern development, Delhi offers architects a dynamic canvas to express their creativity and innovation. From preserving historical landmarks to designing cutting-edge sustainable structures, architects in Delhi navigate a landscape where tradition meets technology. Their designs not only redefine the cityscape but also reflect the diverse aspirations of its inhabitants.
Best Architects In Delhi
As custodians of architectural identity, the architects in Delhi blend heritage with contemporary trends, contributing significantly to the city’s evolving architectural narrative. Let’s look at some of the most popular names in the discipline who have often been heralded as the best architects in Delhi.
1. Morphogenesis
Founded in 1996, Morphogenesis was established by Sonali and Manit Rastogi to define sustainable architecture for modern India. The evolutionary processes found in nature serve as inspiration for their creative process, and their commitment to sustainability is unparalleled. There are four offices of Morphogenesis in India: Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, and Mumbai. Morphogenesis is popular for designing Delhi Art Gallery (Delhi), Pearl Academy (Jaipur), and Infosys Campus Mihan (Nagpur).
2. RLDA
Rahoul Singh and Laxmi Chand Singh founded RLDA as a design studio in 1997. RLDA focuses on the form, image, content, and detail of their projects taking into account their purpose and setting. Their projects locate themselves within contemporary cultural production, in line with the design inquiry paradigm that investigates the materiality and how people perceive them. RLDA is best known for designing Al-Karim University (Katihar), Atali Ganga Adventure Sports Resort (Rishikesh), and the Brick House (New Delhi).
3. Studio Lotus
In 2002, Ambrish Arora, Ankur Choksi, and Sidhartha Talwar founded Studio Lotus. The company approaches its work with a deep understanding of context and a strong emphasis on the tactile and sensory aspects of the environment. Studio Lotus approaches sustainability from a variety of perspectives during the design process, including cultural, social, and environmental connotations. Modern materials and technologies are actively integrated with regional expertise and resources. You might know the firm for its designs such as Villa in the Woods (Uttarakhand), RAAS Hospitality (Jodhpur), and Organic India’s Integrated Production Facility (Lucknow).
4. Anagram Architects
Vaibhav Dimri and Madhav Raman founded Anagram Architects in 2001. They strive to evolve culturally appropriate, contextually responsive, and resource-efficient designs while enhancing elemental modernity with conventional and non-conventional practices. Their projects are based on the idea of holistic sustainability, which takes into account the sociocultural, economic, and environmental aspects. They examine architecture that fosters responsible and socially conscious lives and encourages an experiential reconnect with the environment. Anagram Architects have designed the KOODAARAM Kochi-Muziris Pavilion (New Delhi), Cleft House (New Delhi), and Kindred House (Wardha).
5. 42mm Architecture
In 2005, Rudraksh Charan and Priyanka Khanna founded 42mm Architecture. The firm redefines spaces and designs settings that are harmonious with sustainability, aesthetics, and utility. 42mm Architecture is pushing the boundaries of design to create seamless experiences out of architectural, interior, and master planning projects. They have designed Vista Sill (Haryana), Pool House (New Delhi), and French Connection (Lucknow).
6. Anupama Kundoo Architects
Anupama Kundoo established Anupama Kundoo Architects in 1990. The firm’s projects are the outcome of developing procedures and building knowledge. Anupama Kundoo Architects uses integrated design thinking to address a range of issues and has the power to improve people’s health, happiness, and general well-being by influencing the built environment and navigating the changing human society. Some of the firm’s well-known projects involve Volontariat Homes for Homeless Children (Pondicherry), Shah Houses (Pune), and Keystone Foundation (Kotagiri).
7. Ant Studio
Monish Siripurapu established Ant Studio in 2010 to bridge the gap between machinery and craft, encompassing all fields of art, architecture, technology, and materiality blending with nature. By employing a transdisciplinary approach in their projects, Ant Studio connects the natural and constructed environments beyond just aesthetic and functional considerations. Being a research-driven studio, it places a strong focus on cutting-edge tools and material exploration, linking labour-intensive construction techniques with technology. Ant Studio is famous for designing On The Rock (Hyderabad), Hope Foundation (Noida), and A House by the River (Raipur).
8. Architecture Discipline
Akshat Bhatt founded Architecture Discipline in 2007. Their rational, context-driven approach to ideation, is defined and developed by a highly technical outlook emphasizing longevity and flexibility. An Architecture Discipline project creates a comprehensive experience. Their work is characterized by a careful balancing act between scale and intimacy, which applies to the design of products, architecture, interiors, and urban spaces. Their designs include the Postcard Hotels and Resorts (Goa), Three Sixty-Three Degrees (Kolkata), and Trident Residencies (New Delhi)
9. SpaceMatters
In 2005, Amritha Ballal, Moulshri Joshi, and Suditya Sinha founded SpaceMatters. They re-create spaces while viewing change from a spatial perspective. This is the reason SpaceMatters intentionally moves away from style patenting and combines built and ‘unbuilt.’ Their highly textured work is multi-media, multi-scale, and multi-contextual. SpaceMatters has designed Temple in Stone and Light (Barmar), Bonjour India Experience (New Delhi), and Institut Français (New Delhi).
10. Studio Symbiosis
In 2010, Amit and Britta Knobel Gupta founded Studio Symbiosis. They produce integrated design solutions that incorporate cohesive, effective, durable, and sustainable designs to produce architectural performance. To create sustainable and smart buildings, studio Symbiosis’ performance is intended to be a driving force behind design. The firm has been in the news for designing Eco Park (New Delhi), ID Origins (Mumbai), and Peacock and Butterfly Lobby (Hyderabad)
11. Ultraconfidentiel
In 2007, Stephanie Bonduelle and Amaury Watine founded Ultraconfidentiel Design. To create a modern, distinctive, and contemporary environment, their creative approach is based on the optimization of space and flow. Ultraconfidentiel’s goal is to comprehend, envision, and present the universe based on their client’s requirements. The firm is popular for designing Tira Beauty’s office (Mumbai), Monin (New Delhi), and Andrea’s Eatery (New Delhi).
12. Vir Mueller Architects
Christine Mueller and Pankaj Vir Gupta established Vir Mueller Architects in 2003. The firm establishes distinct kinetic and visual relationships within the parameters of location, and culture. Primacy to the design process dictates that Vir Mueller Architects’ work changes in response to the unique needs of our clients in terms of program, site, and budget. Their projects emphasize material and craftsmanship integrity at every scale, creating a fundamental connection between the built environment and the craft of architecture. The firm has designed 288 Residence (New Delhi), IET Ahmedabad University (Ahmedabad), and Humayun Tomb’s Site Museum (Delhi).
13. SPA Design
Stephane Paumier established SPA Design in 2005. The practice develops contextual skills for every project. The process of creating a quintessential SPA Design project requires extensive research into the site’s history, context, and technical details to physically realize ideas, forms, and spaces. The company looks into every possibility associated with a program and a site to determine a compelling design idea. SPA Design has been in the news for designing the Ahmedabad University Centre (Ahmedabad), OP Jindal Global University (Sonepat), and Alliance Francaise de Delhi (Delhi).
14. Group DCA
Amit Aurora and Rahul Bansal founded Group DCA in 1996. Encouraging brand identities while promoting design excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction are Group DCA’s core values. An organized team effort with the design team, clients, and spaces results in creative and complex design solutions and a successful project. The firm is well-known for designing Enrich Salon (Bangalore), Anand Jewels (Indore), and Gujral Residence (Delhi).
15. Amit Khanna Design Associates
Amit Khanna Design Associates was founded in 2004 by Amit Khanna to integrate sustainability and regional identity into both the design process and the finished product. Their projects’ growing scale and scope consider community issues in addition to clients’ interests, impacting the micro-context. Amit Khanna Design Associates have enhanced urban edges and the comfort of street users. Some of their designs include 40/60 House (Gurugram), an Automated warehouse facility (Faridabad), and a Rajgarh Resort (Himachal Pradesh).
16. Portal 92
Portal 92 was founded by Sagar Goyal and Aanchal Sawhney. Portal 92 offers customized holistic design solutions by fusing architectural research, practice, and artistic expression. They investigate and redefine architectural design by experimenting with details, materials, emotional expression, and spatial design. The firm is popular for designing The Entertainment Area (Muzaffarnagar), The Hem House (Muzaffarnagar), and Dhan Mill (New Delhi).
17. Romi Khosla Design Studios
In 2001, Martand Khosla established Romi Khosla Design Studios. Its design parameters and concerns are determined by the materials that are available at the project site, the socioeconomic profile of the users, and the requirement to define the form as a minimal object. Romi Khosla Design Studios places a high priority on the hand- or machine-crafted use of natural materials in its form-expressing work. You might know them for designing Castro Cafe (New Delhi), M.F. Hussain Art Gallery (New Delhi), and the Plus House (New Delhi).
18. Common Ground Practice
It was Priyamwada Singh who founded Common Ground Practice in 2013. They emphasize ecologically sound, culturally relevant, and modern built environments. Their design methodology is firmly grounded in theoretical notions of urbanism and architecture to produce physically sustainable infrastructure and lower carbon footprints while simultaneously emphasizing user experience and space usability. Common Ground Practice’s execution employs a haptic digital approach, utilizing the expertise and inventiveness of regional craftspeople, bolstered by state-of-the-art software and corroborating research. They have been in the news for engendering the Charkhet building complex (Nainital), BSES Housing Colony (New Delhi), and the DERC office (Delhi).
19. Renesa Architecture Design Interiors Studio
Sanjay Arora founded Renesa Architecture Design Interiors Studio in 2006. The firm investigates both cutting-edge digital technology and conventional design ideologies at the same time to design spaces. Renesa Architecture Design Interiors Studio influences the built environment for the benefit of humanism and the survival of the planet. Their projects are both poetic and practical, combining high design with sustainable building performance, thanks to our interdisciplinary design process. Some of the firm’s famous designs include the Casa Brut (Delhi), Vegan Matrix (Chandigarh), and the Flip Flop (Mumbai).
20. Studio Aadya Aakar
Studio Aadya Aakar was founded by Tanay Jaithalia. The firm is dedicated to space planning and design through idea, innovation, and identity. Studio Aadya Aakar designs areas that encourage experimentation and integrate state-of-the-art materials and technology, providing occupants with an enjoyable and stimulating spatial experience. Some of their popular designs include the Berry Residence (New Delhi), the Cube Residence (Tinsukia), and the Beer Cafe (Chandigarh).
21. Zed Lab
Zero Energy Design Lab (ZED Lab) was founded by Sachin Rastogi and Payal Seth Rastogi in 2009. It focuses on building net-zero energy structures. ZED Lab uses research, design, and construction to improve people’s quality of life and the environment. Their strategies are influenced by Indian vernacular. ZED Lab’s design methodology utilizes traditional bioclimatic knowledge through climatic studies, simulation models, custom software, and physical experiments. This gives it a unique advantage in providing resilient and long-lasting solutions. ZED Lab has been in the news for designing the Cantilever House (Ghaziabad), IIT Kanpur Convention Hall (Kanpur), and the Corbett Solitaire Resort (Jim Corbett).
Image Courtesy – RSM Global