On 5th July, I had the opportunity to speak at a wonderful evening event at Ahmedabad, hosted by FOAID India and Design Perspectives India. The event brought together architects and industry leaders for a productive conference. One of the highlights of the evening was the opportunity to exchange thoughts with the immensely talented Vin Varavarn from Vin Varavarn Architects in Thailand.

During my talk, I shared the vision of Grounded Goa, our architectural firm that focuses on sustainable design. I explained our design process and gave the audience a look at some of our key projects, especially our Villas in Goa.

At Grounded, we combine rustic and contemporary styles to create buildings that reconnect people with nature and the simple joys of life. Our goal is to bring fresh air, natural light, and a sense of well-being into every home we design. Goa Villas by Grounded is a special part of our firm that builds unique and sustainable houses in Goa. We take care of everything from design to construction, ensuring that each house reflects our commitment to both beauty and sustainability.

Listening to other speakers and engaging with the amazing audience was truly enriching. A big thank you to Hiren Patel, Dipen Gada, and Grid Architects for attending the event, and a special thanks to Shraddha for the invitation. The evening was beautiful, and I walked away having learned so much.

Our upcoming project, The Crescent House resides in the Nandi Hills of Bangalore. It has a small site with immediate neighbors and beautiful views in every direction. It was a design challenge to incorporate all the 180° pan views of Nandi Hills from the villa. We tackled this with an innovative experiment.

The four of us designers of Build Grounded split up on-site and individually came up with four design solutions. After brainstorming on-site for around an hour, we had a discussion. Considering different approaches, we came up with a strategy then and there. A way through it was the amalgamation of all four directions, which later on developed into the actual design of the house.

As the name suggests Crescent House, the main facade of the house is in a crescent shape. The facade has different openings showing different views in different sizes all across the stretch of the Nandi Hills. Soon to be complete Crescent House is under construction but you can still make out the facade taking shape enjoying the views all around.

If Hampi is to be described in a single word, it would be Majestic. The capital city of the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire still takes your breath away, six centuries after its downfall. Team Grounded took a trip to Hampi from our studio this January. For anyone living in Goa, Hampi is an ideal destination for a road trip, just 6.5 hours away. On day 1, we visited the stunning Virupaksha temple complex and the surrounding Hemakuta hill.

The nine-tiered Gopuram of the Virupaksha in itself is an architectural masterpiece. The temple complex is a must-visit site for every architecture/history enthusiast, with its intricate detailing dating back to the 7th century.

The Virupaksha Temple

The highlight of our day was the stunning sunset from atop the Hemakuta Hill. The play of light over the historic temples nestled amidst the beautiful boulders of the Hampi landscape was simply breathtaking. The evening sun seemed to echo the grandeur of the once magnificent Vijayanagar Empire to its visitors.

Sunset from atop the Hemakutas

Pushkarani at the Krishna temple

The twin Champa trees framing a Hanuman temple.

Immortalizing the moment through art. Sketch by our Ar. Shrunkhala & Intern Prajakta.

Team Grounded at the Hemakuta Hills.

Photograph Credits: Members of the team at Grounded.