Prof. (Ar) Charanjit Shah Creative Group
For an architect, the primary function is to create usable spaces for the masses; only with a true understanding of humanity can he or she create the kind of human settlement which is required for a common man.

Since the inception of my career in 1970, I have believed that a built form should not be treated as a dead mass of brick and concrete, but as a living organism, allowing it to breathe with nature. Only when one respects the site conditions and existing natural resources, one can build nature-friendly and sustainable buildings.

I’m deeply impressed with great masters like Laurie Baker, Le Corbusier and AP Kanvinde and have tried to learn from their works and ideologies. Today, we are moving not only towards designing buildings with sustainable means and passive strategies, but also moving towards net zero developments – where nothing is imported from outside – from water to electricity to solid waste management – for becoming completely self-reliant.

Mother Earth is the biggest teacher we have. The sun, the wind, water and earth – all the natural elements give us inspiration and influence the way we design and work. So does our history and traditional knowledge systems. Our Indian architecture has all the principles and values and the most powerful influences which inspire me to create designs that speak to the soul.

In the profession, one needs to look beyond architecture. It is not the rituality, but the spirituality which matters, in a religious discipline. Similarly, the romanticism of the profession may be a sincere attitude which converts to the best aptitude. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts into vision and vision becomes reality. This is my mantra to bring authenticity in work.

Swami Vivekananda Airport ; RaipurSwami Vivekananda Airport ; Raipur

I have always believed that sustainability is not an ideology but a way of living. Therefore, promoting and designing for a greener architecture is my priority. Use of various passive and active design features is what we have aimed at since the past five decades, and now we are moving towards net zero designs which aim at making any development self-sustainable and efficient.

While designing, the site’s topography, climate, solar and wind movement, the cultural connections, etc, play a major role in the conceptualization of the design. Designing for sustainability is not a challenge but should be an in-built passion to create built forms which are grounded in nature. If our process of thinking and designing is based on principles of nature, it would automatically lead to environment-friendly architecture.