"In this competitive age, where expediency often rates over quality, mediocrity over excellence, we place a very high value on professional integrity. That is who we are, a practice that believes in the old fashioned ideals of architecture."
Born in 1945, I grew up in Pune, where the family had established itself back in the 1830s. Architecture was not my wishful ambition as I grew up. It was art, primarily painting. However, destiny had other ideas for me. I graduated from the Sir J J College of Architecture, Mumbai in 1968 and the A A School of Architecture, London in 1969.
My first journey in architecture was dominated by learning the craft of building. Under the guidance of my mentor Fello Atkinson, I learned the nuts and bolts of our trade. He sent me to Tripoli, Libya, to oversee the construction of the prestigious University of Tripoli. It was the time of young Gadaffi and immergence of the new country. This phase taught me the importance of discipline and professional conduct that has become the corner stone of Chaney Architects over the years. After a few more years in London, working on large-scale commercial and educational projects, I returned to India in 1981.
The second journey began with the establishment of Chaney Architects in 1982. Over the years our projects have tried to speak the same language, a language of contemporary simplicity and timeless elegance. To us, sustainability, green architecture and local context is a given. We are constantly aware that our architecture will affect the quality of the lives of all those who come in contact with it directly or indirectly. We, therefore, carry a responsibility not only to our clients and users of our buildings, but also to the community at large. This form the base for everything we do, every project we design, irrespective of site or size. We believe in values rather than in styles, in analysis rather than in established criteria. We work closely with our clients and consultants and try to infect them with our passion for quality. We provide solutions that are appropriate, practical and cost-effective. Our motto: Provide quality service, quality architecture can only but follow.
In this journey, we have crossed paths with architects from USA, UK, South Africa and Canada and worked closely with them on international projects. Our discipline for prompt delivery and our ISO based quality management system were responsible for successful completion of many joint projects. In the intervening years so many young aspirants came to us and hopefully left with greatly improved skills.
Chaney Architecture is managed by its partners, Iqbal Chaney and Nandini Sapre. It has over 650 projects to its credit and several awards for excellence in design. It was one of the earliest practices in the country to introduce CAD and ISO. Many leading journals have published their projects. It has prepared master plans for Lake District tourism for MTDC. Its projects range from townships to private residences, health care to hospitality, industrial buildings to interior designing. Whilst it is always encouraging to see the enthusiasm written on the client's face when he or she first sees the concepts, it is most satisfying when we meet them twenty years down the line and hear them tell you how comfortable they are in their homes or offices. That is what makes it all worthwhile.
Iqbal and Nina Chaney Foundation is the third journey. A registered charitable trust, it assists established institutions to look after the educational needs of children less fortunate. It is funded solely from the sale of Iqbal's water colour paintings, the long lost passion.
