Rajiv Khushalani

Meet architect Rajiv Khushalani, who draws immense inspiration from nature and believes greatly in team work… 

When in your life did this passion for architecture engulf you? I come from a family with interests in construction. Since childhood I was always more intrigued with the act of building than its business aspects. This led me on to take up architecture as a discipline.

Tell us about the team at Khushalani Associates… does your collaborative energies come together to form the firm’s design philosophy? And what would your philosophy be? I did an M Arch in Architecture and Urbanism at the Architectural Association, London. All projects in the program were team projects. This is where I realized the importance of the fact that ‘The whole (team) is always greater than the sum of its parts (individuals)’. Till date, I believe in this philosophy very strongly.

You cater to overseas projects by collaborating with international design firm OMNIDE… when was this association formed and what are the projects you have worked on till now? The association was the brainchild of one my close friends Ivan Lazzoroni. Most of us are ex colleagues from London and now based in different geographies such as Asia, Africa and Europe. We all have individual practices and collaborate only in case of an opportunity such as international competitions and exchange information on a regular basis. Till now we haven’t worked on a live project together, but have exchanged a lot of ideas on design techniques and architectural products available in different markets.

What are the big projects that are keeping you busy these days? We are working on a 40,000 sq ft villa in Indore. Besides this, we also have large housing projects in Thane and Pune.

What’s your take on the state of architecture and design in India today? Architecture in India is waiting for its renaissance. No doubt, we have given the world a lot of noteworthy architects, yet, it is not at the mass level. The common man does not care for it. We as architects need to strive towards that end. Architecture has immense potential in changing the face of the nation.

On a lighter note…You draw design inspiration from…? Nature. If one can extract from nature, it has abundant clues.

Given a choice… the country you would shift base to? And why? I wouldn’t shift anywhere. I’m in India because I want to be in India. No other country offers this kind of potential to architects.

If you would be any character in fiction… who would you be and why? My 18 month old daughter loves Mickey Mouse. So it would be Mickey!

The one thing you would save if your house was on fire? Besides my family, my passport!

The funniest moment in your design career? It was during the first year of my undergraduate course at Kamala Raheja. I was running late and didn’t realize that the final model was on the top of my car. It was the most embarrassing excuse I could give the jury till date.

Some more images…

By: Betterinteriors