Grasp Design: A Fresh Approach to Architecture

No practice has the desire to disrupt the architectural and interior design industry like Grasp Design. Grasp is determined to dismantle the status quo by crafting a rather revolutionary modus operandi. “We are a firm that wants to foster free thinking and give people the opportunity for growth,” says Gurmukh Singh Panesar, Founder and Principal Architect at Grasp Design Ltd.

Part of the team at Grasp Design Ltd

There are good reasons why Panesar believes the architectural and interior design industry is ready for change. For decades, most of the industry has not kept up with international best practices in regards to design, documentation and sustainability. .. This cuts across from design to construction where there is generally a lack of relevant continuous training for staff to keep up to date and compete globally in an ever evolving industry.

When Panesar founded Grasp in 2016, it was thus a decision informed by a strong desire to change how things are done from an elemental level. Having gained useful and relevant experience while in university and after graduation, Panesar was convinced that for the industry to thrive, fresh ideas and fostering a paradigm shift in thinking was paramount.

As per the description on their website they describe themselves as “a studio for architecture, masterplanning and interior design founded with an aim to create functional, sustainable, contextual and unique experiences. This it does by striving to fully understand the needs of the user and the socioenvironmental impacts of each solution. Combining local craft, cutting edge technology and robust technical knowledge allows the firm to continuously innovate for the evolving needs of communities.”

“We shy away from the traditional hierarchical approach for our design process,” avers Panesar. He adds that Grasp strongly believes in group participation from all members of the team, be it the director or the student intern.

“This allows for a broader more collaborative approach that lends itself well to exploration and helps create a consistently evolving design language,” he notes.

At the time Grasp entered the market, the country was already in an electioneering mood. The uncertainty that often hovers whenever Kenya is heading for elections meant that most developers were cautious on projects. For Grasp, this meant that the majority of the projects the firm worked on were interior fitout jobs at the time. This helped develop their detail oriented approach further and thus complimenting the architectural consultancy side of the firm. They use local materials and skills in unique ways allowing for local artisans and suppliers grow.

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Being an architectural, master-planning and interior design firm, Grasp offers the whole spectrum of services targeting clients across all sectors like hospitality, tourism, commercial buildings, residential, industrial, educational, health facilities among others. They are also very strong in the affordable housing sector; having worked on the affordable housing policies for the Rwandan government and done various proposals locally. By fostering free thinking for its team of architects, interior designers and consultants, the firm is able to come up with unique solutions that are aesthetically pleasing, sustainable, and practical. The team is very technical and develops prototypes and samples with contractors and suppliers. “We are a very hands-on firm,” explains Panesar. He adds the aim is not only to ensure clients get value for money but also deliver beyond the obvious.

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The firm has internal workshops for the team or ‘crash courses’ as they call them to quickly deliver knowledge on certain topics within the team. This has proved beneficial in ensuring a consistent skill pool within the office. ‘We prefer hiring graduates from local universities with little or no experience and have them learn the correct way of doing things based on international standards’ mentions Panesar.

It thus did not take long for Grasp to clinch the one contract that would be both a game changer and a breakthrough project. For Grasp, the client was Microsoft and the year was 2020. “We got a breakthrough with Microsoft. It was a big boost for us,” notes Panesar. He adds that in an industry where the biggest challenge was breaking into a competitive and well established market and where you need jobs to get experience and need experience to get jobs, it came at the opportune moment

At the start of the global pandemic, Grasp quickly had to figure out how to work effectively remotely. They were able to do this via robust IT investments and a cloud based operation that ensures data security and accessibility from anywhere in the world. The firm has grown quickly within the past two years andhas sufficient capacity for large masterplanning, architecture and interior design projects.

Currently with a workforce of 10 employees, five consultants and representatives in Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan and Morocco, Grasp is focusing on deeper market penetration. It has put in place the necessary foundation anchored by its technical abilities, commitment to delivering projects fast and efficiently as well as optimizing technology to come up with outstanding designs. Grasp are currently at par with international best practice in BIM and have two in-house BIM Managers.

Another strong attribute about Grasp is the firm’s passion for sustainability. Indeed Grasp is a founding member and administrator of the local chapter of the Architects Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency, an organization founded in the United Kingdom with the objective of putting sustainability at the core of every project. With a presence in 25 different countries and bringing together over 6,000 architectural practices, the organization among other things aims to establish climate and biodiversity mitigation principles as the key measure to the industry’s success.

Research and development is another area where the firm is interested; from energy efficiency simulations, novel sustainable materials and additive manufacturing. Westlands Apartments

Grasp has chosen successful international practices as a good case study on growth and success. One major lesson it has learnt is the need to create a system for growth. “We want young graduates to grow within the company and eventually become directors,” says Panesar.

Driven by a revolutionary mindset, Grasp believes that it is on the right track not only in internal growth but also disrupting the status quo across the industry. “Our goal is that over the next five years we should have doubled our staff and be able to compete for projects not just locally but internationally,” concludes Panesar confidently.