Studio Mumbai Architects ( Bijoy and Prija Jain)

Studio Mumbai Architects presents an exquisite architectural poiesis through the crafting or weaving of the building with the landscape, and the crafted fabrication of the building itself. The result is a choreographed architecture, compelling also in its Zen‐like sparseness and delightful elegance. The intense sensuality of the practice's work is palpable without ideological mediation, through the modulation of light, material crafts, tactility, contrasting colours, and a heightened awareness of the site. Seeking ‘tradition’ through materiality and crafting, the architects incorporate ‘local’ construction techniques as a Modernist aestheticisation of the unselfconscious tradition. Secret gardens, structures embedded in the landscape inviting flexible uses, materials that interact with garden, sky and weather, and the transformative effects of time (weathering) are just some of the terms of engagement for the work of Studio Mumbai. Very few architects since Geoffrey Bawa have established such a compelling and instructive relationship with the landscape, as this requires the patient botanical metaphor of cultivation. The question of landscape is not just a pictorial one, but one that must be substantiated by ecological and sustainable programmes. Directed by Bijoy and Priya Jain, Studio Mumbai is a collaborative, multidisciplinary firm integrating architecture, landscape and interior design with product and furniture design. With a focus on crafting, the practice maintains its own established, year‐round fabrication facilities in two locations where the timber structures, finished carpentry and furniture are handcrafted for each of its projects. Here, teams of skilled craftspeople, many originating from a long lineage of regional artisans, collaborate in a flexible and highly precise manufacturing process. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.