Creativity and imagination have no limits. However, they both are subject to scrutiny. If we have artists, we also have art critiques. While the artist may create artwork to satiate his urge, to give a form to his imagination and communicate with an admirer in ways an artist can; he also wishes (even if secretly) to win over the critiques. For, who does not love receiving compliments from unexpected quarters? For most businesses, customers are the final critique. These critiques might not be professionals or Subject Matter Experts, but their opinion matters much more than a professional one. Especially in a creative field like architecture, they may not be able to tell between a classical or vintage or Scandinavian and a Modern interior but are clear about one thing – that the décor should be appealing, bring a smile and make them feel like this is the house they were waiting for.
With an inspiration to give justice to human psychology towards owning a picture-perfect home, Aspire Arch Studios, a team of architects and engineers, was founded in 2010. Since then, it has successfully delivered luxurious homes across Pune, creating a niche in the luxury home interior segment.
The Inception
Aspire Arch Studios was established in 2010 as an architectural and interior design consultancy firm and initially worked in the bungalow segment across West Pune. The Studio worked on bungalow extensions, renovations, and interior design. Pune was witnessing a fast change in its skyline around the same time which allowed the studio to create beautiful homes in the high-rises segment.
Along the way, the studio faced some challenges like the work time window rules of the society, material movement and storage restrictions in the premises and several approvals needed from the society. These factors had some impact on the overall project timeline and costs, also bringing some limitations in terms of soft furnishings which cannot be delivered on-site. A usual approach to this is rearranging the project schedules and increasing the on-site workforce, but this is not always sufficient.
Owning a creative design firm requires a tremendous set of efforts and circumstances to all fall into place. A perfect place where knowledge meets opportunity and effort determines the outcome.
A project is all about how it is executed as execution brings the designs on paper to life, hence it is very important for the project designer/studio to be in complete control of every detail that happens on-site and the usual approach was not going to help do this. Additionally, this approach was not going to add any value to the project, or the studio in the long term. The studio wanted to be in sync with the latest trends and finishes and eliminate the challenges faced in the project execution which would in turn help the studio focus on its core.
Turning Things Around and in Favour
Three pillars of any successful project, as per Team Aspire, are – a systematic design process, skillful and timely execution, and complete control on the project cost. The Studio was determined to stand tall on these three pillars and systematically began its journey towards a well-planned project life cycle. The Studio changed in to a Turnkey Solutions Provider to gain complete control over the material and operating procedures.
It is particularly important for any design firm to be in sync with the client’s vision about his home and his design taste. Without this, none of the design drafts will meet with the client’s expectations and there will be a loss of time and effort in the project timeline. To ensure this does not happen with our clients, we built a three-stage design process which when followed correctly, will help us sync with the client in the first attempt and avoid the chaos in the design stage of any project,” shares the team.
For the systematic design process, the Studio came up with an “Idea Book”, which guided the client to express his vision of home clearly, in turn, helping cut short the design time. This, in turn, helps to cut short the design phase of any project while simultaneously achieving a cent percent result.
For skillful execution, The Studio established a fully functional plywood panel processing facility equipped with modern furniture manufacturing machines, delivering a premium finish to the furniture. Adding a star to this, the engineering team built a customized CNC Router for complex cutting and engraving work, a rare case scenario for an Architectural firm to have one. The facility helped maintain the finishing standards and cut short the on-site processing time for the furniture work and that is how LegnoKraft was born.
Aspire has also made the wood processing facility available to fellow architectural and interior design firms, and they get all the above-mentioned benefits by getting their furniture processed in LegnoKraft facility.
What differentiated Aspire from the rest is the implementation of new-age material optimization programs and production management tools, along with the implementation of project planning and management techniques such as Kanban charts.
All these efforts together helped gain complete control over the project cost and timeline while simultaneously eliminating the challenges experienced without compromising on the quality of work.
These attributes not only help Aspire to squeeze the project timeline but also deliver the best by keeping control on every detail involved while delivering a home which is identical to the 3D renders generated during the design phase.
Meet the Minds
Ar. Prachi Bapat (M. Arch, Construction Mgmt.), the Founder and Principal Architect of Aspire Arch Studios completed her Master of Architecture(Construction Management) from Pune University. She plays a very crucial role throughout the project life cycle, from understanding the project brief, design conceptualization, project execution and everything till the project handover.
Er. Abhishek Parvate, the Co-founder of the Studio completed his Mechanical Engineering from Pune University and then worked with Accenture India for a while. Giving wings to his inclination towards project management and process optimization, here at Aspire, he leads the project finance, planning and process optimization and also the furniture processing facility of LegnoKraft, a furniture and furnishing label, by Aspire Arch Studios.
Work-Life @ Aspire
A design studio is only as successful as the freedom of expression it offers to its design team. The Design Team at Aspire takes the complete ownership of the projects from the conceptualization to the handover and keeps itself updated with the latest trends and materials available, thanks to the strong vendor connect the Studio has developed in all these years of practice.
Right from the beginning Studio believed in open office culture with no cabins or cubicles. Cubicles do not make sense and the open office is a productive environment where everyone works together. The most productive output comes when the designer believes in the work that he is doing. “For every project, we have brainstorming sessions before we conceptualize the design. We believe in creating an environment where interaction is possible, besides making designers feel comfortable and more at home at the workplace,” shares the team.
Aesthetic Offerings, Today and Tomorrow
The design team at Aspire Arch observes, researches, and implements a customised creative vision that is aesthetically budget and deadline friendly. It does and will continue to recommend its clients modern and luxury design practices, trends, and products in a way that design decisions are worked out in their best interest. “Our team in Pune at Aspire Arch Studios allows us to create interior architecture that you as a client would be proud of which in turn helps us grow,” concludes Prachi.
To meet your dream home, visit us at www.aspirearchstudios.com
