Mumbai Day 21: Studio Mumbai
Today I had the good fortune of visiting Studio Mumbai Architects. Located in the township of Nagaon-Alibaug, Studio Mumbai is renowned for its dedication toward craft and material innovation, talents showcased in a large number of residences completed by the firm. The studio itself is run as a top-to-bottom design facility: drawings, models, pre-fabricated building elements, furniture, and even timber are all produced and manufactured at their headquarters for use in Studio Mumbai's projects. With an uncanny attention to detail, the studio takes pride in the technical resolution of their work. Each project evolves amidst close collaboration with local artisans, and their architecture reflects such an obsession with craft.
Studio Mumbai also focuses on material innovation. While many traditional techniques for the production and construction of building elements exist in India today, many developers and clients are turning toward more generic constructions––concrete, curtain wall glazing––due to their Western appeal. Studio Mumbai openly rejects this homogeny, instead using elements such as wood, copper, and brass in an attempt to resurrect a dialogue with centuries-old Indian trades. An experimental wall structure, built on a small corner of the studio's property, uses woven bamboo encased in lime to form an undulating, waterproof divider; a small hut, made completely out of dried leaves, serves as one of the firm's most unusual material experiments.
The development process for each of Studio Mumbai's projects, as a result of this intensity, can be long: one house has been in design/construction for almost seven years. Not surprisingly, it's not always easy to woo clients, especially given the current pace of work in India. My guide for the tour, Adhiti, attributes this to the influx of "impatient capital" in India, a deluge of local and foreign investment which translates to generic and unremarkable physical forms. Studio Mumbai stands resolutely opposed to such development practices, and is attempting to re-orient the profession in the midst of this cultural sea change.