Currently, the architecture industry is in a slight observer role. The world has indeed changed a bit; and with it, finances and investments have also changed. But 2021 is seeing some good turnarounds. The pandemic is also creating new opportunities.
Various compliances have increased, and as the country moves from a ‘developing’ to a developed country, statutory, and standards compliances will further increase. Being aware of all this and how it impacts architecture in an integrated manner is key to the success of any practice.
Focus on health and amenities have made architectural companies relook at what other spaces can it provide in its design. One such company is VK:a Architecture, which is a firm that has made its work of finding the right balance of design and intent even more intensive.
VK:a is led by Hrishikesh Kulkarni along with his father. With his unique style, he has brought in new methods of working at VK:a Architecture. His research-oriented approach, collaborative thinking with consultants, and proactive client interaction leads in the shaping of any project.
The genesis of VK:a Architecture
VK:a architecture is a multi-disciplinary architectural design practice based in Pune, India. VK:a architecture was founded in 1973 by Ar. Vishwas Kulkarni, after graduating from Sir JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai, and working with Ar. Charies Correa. He started the firm with two employees, and today, VK group (Architecture, Environmental, Interiors, Operations, and Urban) has a strength of over 200 qualified Architects. Urban Designers, Planners, Landscape Architects, Environment Design Experts, Environmental Scientists, Civil Engineers, Valuers, and Project managers are included in the team. In 2021, VK:a architecture completes 48 years of successful architectural practice in India.
What started in the year 2003 as being the first architectural practice in India to be certified under ISO 9001 has today become a group certification for ISO 9001-2015.
The practice is helmed by a very dynamic leader Ar. Hrishikesh Kulkarni, along with the values and tenets that are laid down by Ar. Vishwas Kulkarni, who still actively practices. But VK:a is much more than what one would perceive as a conventional architectural practice.
It is an organisation that strongly believes in empowerment and creative freedom where associates and team members also drive the organisation forward through a collective philosophy of ‘Better by Design’.
VK:a architecture keeps working in collaboration with many international firms and consultants on various projects with roles ranging from consortium leader to managing all compliances. Currently, it is excited to work on some cutting-edge projects with Surbana-Jurong and Pei-Cobb-Freed in Asia, Middle East, and beyond.
Motivating Leader
Ar. Hrishikesh Kulkarni is a Partner at VK:a architecture. As a Lead Director for various projects, Hrishi looks after design, delivery and providing expert technical guidance for making each project special.
Hrishikesh completed his Diploma in Architecture at the Academy of Architecture, Mumbai, India. Later, he did his Masters in Environment and Energy at the Architectural Association (AA) in London 2002-03.
He specialises in performative architecture, energy efficient design, human comfort studies, and built environmental simulations. He is a qualified assessor in Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), which is similar to LEED or Green Building Rating Systems (GRIHA). He has lectured at the London Metropolitan University in the same subject.
After completing his Masters in London, he worked with Stubbs Rich Architects, UK, for four years, where he worked on many large-scale projects in the UK and Europe. He was later instrumental in forming a collaborative company VKOPEN with OPENArch Ltd., in 2007.
Apart from his professional involvements, Hrishi is passionate about the new trends and techniques being developed worldwide. Hrishi is an active member with professional bodies, such as Council of Architecture (CoA), Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), Architects, Engineers, and Surveyors Association (AESA), and Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). With his involvement, he advocates better policies at the government level for changes in rules and regulations.
After returning to India, Hrishi was involved in supporting ‘Study Tours’ of CREDAI Pune Metro to various countries multiple times. This was a novel initiative of CREDAI with the intention of their members getting to visit unique, interesting projects and to connect with the designers and developers of these projects.
Hrishikesh co-founded VK:e environmental with Dr. Poorva Keskar and Ar. Anagha Paranjape Purohit in 2009. VK:e environmental is a leading firm in India providing green building rating services, building physics studies and simulation, and all required environment compliances on construction projects.
With Ar. Vijay Sane, he co-founded VK:u urban, a practice that focusses on various government and international projects, including smart cities, town planning schemes, integrated townships, program management for large scale housing, and other urban infrastructure projects.
He also leads a interior design and fit-out team called VK:i interiors. His passion for research and change in the development planning policies led to the formation of an NGO called sustainability initiatives. It works in capacity building, policy advocacy, and research on urban issues.
The Mission to be the Best
Hrishikesh’s father, Ar. Vishwas Kulkarni has been a practicing architect since 1973 in Pune, and Hrishi used to work at his office on weekends since his school days. As one of the early adopters of CAD and use of computers in architectural practice, he became really interested in computational tech building design. From the two main interest of physics and architectural design, he decided to pursue the latter. Seeing his father so passionately involved in the practice of architecture motivated him a lot. His father not only worked for the purpose of creation but bettering and bringing happiness to the people who occupied his buildings. This was an inspirational statement for me as I studied architecture.
Hrishi’s father laid down the tenet that better design leads to better live, something the team made into a more defined motto, ‘Better by Design’. And the more Hrishi made his exploration into this field, the more it captivated him. Much later, as Hrishi got really into research-based design and building physics simulations, he explored his other interest in Physics.
Fruitful Offerings
VK:a has designed over 2000 projects in various sectors. It has been involved in many successful projects in residential, commercial, education, hotel, malls, public sectors with proven expertise in architecture, master planning, and energy and environmental disciplines.
VK:a believes that it should be the integrated, holistic consulting services partner for its clients in their projects. The company lean on its lineage but move forward, bringing past, present, and future together in designs that inspire innovation.
The company has developed competent teams that focus on the end user at every stage of the project cycle. It is a unique organisation, which provides the full suite of design and engineering services coupled with full statutory compliances.
VK:a does project Feasibilities and TDDs, Architectural Design, and Detailing, All Statutory Compliances, Integrated Services with MEP+F, Landscape Design, Periodic Support, and Consultancy both during and after construction. Overall, it places as a responsible, multi-disciplinary, project, and user centric architectural consultancy that likes to involve itself in all aspects of the project creation.
The Path Filled with Thorns
The entry for the company was actually in 1973 when Hrishi’s father started the practice. He entered in 2000 as he completed his studies. The main challenge at that time was on how to best use new tools and technologies for CAD and Design. At that time, Hrishi led the practice in developing the company’s CAD standards, server centric working system.
“I remember we had our own email servers, which was before even Gmail started. I transitioned back to Pune in 2008 when you can say I almost had to re-enter in this field,” states Hrishikesh.
He continued with further integration of technology, not just software tools but adding industry grade hardware, which was never considered by architects.
At that time, the real challenge was to win projects from government and public sector. After sustained efforts over more than a decade, VK:a has been able to develop a large portfolio of these projects. Another challenge was building a great team. Sometimes Hrishikesh feels the team is blessed to have with continuous efforts and support from its operations team. And the team is grateful to many of its clients who have been a part of this journey and invested in its approach.
Being a Warrior in Difficult Situations
The pandemic did catch the world off guard. In a way, it was a humbling for all in the building and creative industry. The team focussed on its welfare and health when they knew that the real estate industry would not be going full steam for a while. 2020 passed by through observation, patience, and a sort of focussed resilience.
The company is grateful for both its core systems and agile temperament that allowed VK:a to work from home when it needed to and then come back to work when things were better, in a stagewise manner. Huge credit goes to VK:o operations team and the IT Team, which made work-from-home possible with minimal downtime.
The staff was also very cooperative. Through the downs and uncertainties, not once did any of them grumble or complain, they knew the company had their back, and the employees always had the company’s. So, it worked hard. Right through the initial months, the company kept on working and monitoring its progress and updating the clients, as a lot of their sites were still operational.
The company also took the opportunity of available time to invest in VK:a. Through training and workshops, it remained abreast of the requirements its contemporary practices need. Employees started to come back to office from June onwards, and now, most of them work at office while maintaining necessary health precautions.
There really is no great substitute for architecture happening physically at an office. The team made it work the best it could, through online means, from its own respective homes, but the collaborative design experience that enriches its final product through discussion, debate, and the tangibility of paper and pen, is a wondrous, inimitable experience.
Opinion that Matters
“I guess Architecture is not for ‘enthusiasts’ in the strict terminology of things, but Enthusiasm, Agility, Humility, an ability to continuously Learn, pushing boundaries and collaboration are some of the key fundamentals of this profession,” says Hrishikesh.
“Another aspect is hard work. I know many will talk of smart work, and that is also true. But working smart only happens once one knows how to work hard. There really is no shortcut to that,” adds Hrishikesh.
“I guess it’s worthwhile to repeat something that has been drilled into my head, from my father and my teachers. Design DOES make a difference. And we need to continue to pose interesting questions in Design and not just continue with the solutions already available,” expresses Hrishikesh.
Robust Future Plans
The company is constantly progressing over the last few decades, and it hopes to continue doing that. Architecture is a vast field, and the team at VK:a will continue to add more and more expertise and disciplines as it grows.
Currently, the firm is looking to explore projects in Healthcare, Industrial/Logistics, Urban Infrastructure, Hospitality, and Integrated Townships. The team sincerely believes in teamwork, and collaborative approach will always be keen on exciting collaborations.
This year, VK:a has tied up with the Pritzker Award winning New York based firm of Pei Cobb Freid, founded by legendary Ar. I M Pei. The firm is working jointly on super exciting projects in Middle East and India. It is also likely to expand on its work together with infrastructure advisory firms like EY, Mckinsey, and SGS, etc. It has not exactly planned on where to be in the future, but the team feels that it is on a journey to position its organisation as the unique choice for total Design + Engineering + Compliance services on projects.
VK:a also believes that innovation in the industry will not be limited in the future to design ideas and material exploration but will also be seen through products, methods of fabrication and prototyping, and increased use of generative tools for forms. The organization is exploring these ideas with concerted efforts and investments.