Total number of pages 156
Inspiration and insight for architects and interior designers
Volume 7 | Issue 12 | March 2016 | `50
CELEBRATING THE WHO’S WHO OF CONTEMPORARY INDIAN ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
ANNIVERSARY
TH
Published by ITP Publishing India
HOT 100
128
Reza Kabul
ARK REZA KABUL ARCHITECTS
F
or Reza Kabul, director and founder of ARK Reza Kabul Architects, the decision to be an architect was quite unplanned. He had his eyes set on an engineering degree, but a brief stay with a friend (who was a final year student of architecture) led to a deep fascination for design after he viewed sketches and representations made by the friend. Before he realised it, young Kabul had cleared the entrance exam for Architecture and earned the degree of Bachelor of Architecture at the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara. After graduation, Kabul worked with architect Hafeez Contractor for a while and then established his firm in 1985 on the mezzanine of an Iranian restaurant owned by his father. With headquarters in Mumbai, ARK has established its presence in Pune and San Francisco Bay Area, California, offering architectural, interiors, landscape design and urban planning services. Today, the total strength of the practice is over 100 seasoned professionals who work in sync with clients and develop innovative designs with cutting-edge technologies and advanced management practices. Driven by the firm belief in client satisfaction, Kabul states that no matter how much a student may have perfected theory, it does not quite prepare him for the real world. Which is why he greatly values his internship, and his initial years of working with Contractor. Kabul believes that every project has an individual identity, with its design driven by various factors including the local context, client brief and perspective, functionality, accessibility, maintenance and budget. The firm’s philosophy is strongly rested on “liberating spaces”, and attention to detail is a hallmark of their creations. Besides creating an aesthetically pleasing, functional design, Kabul believes that a good architect should be equipped to design anything and cater to any locale, demographic, and requirement. Creating a niche restricts a professional from broadening his horizon and expressing creativity. A&I
ARCHITECT and INTERIORS INDIA | MARCH 2016 | www.architectandinteriorsindia.com
INSPIRATIONAL STRUCTURES
Eiffel Tower in Paris. Taj Mahal in India. Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai. Badgir (a traditional Persian architectural element to create natural ventilation). The Gherkin in London. Bombay High Court in Mumbai. Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.