The Purple Ink Studio is an award winning young architectural practice which believes in constantly exploring the parameters of design and blurring the boundaries between architecture, landscape and sustainability.
After having graduated from B.V.B Hubli, Akshay Heranjal has worked under Karan Grover, Sameep Padora and Sanjay Puri. Aditi Pai Heranjal heads the Landscape + Sustainability division at ‘The Purple Ink Studio’. She has her Bachelor’s degree from Gogte Institute of Technology, Belgaum and a Master Degree in Landscape Architecture from CEPT University, Ahmedabad. Their work & dedication speak a lot about their creativity & potential. Surfaces Reporter wishes them all the best!
www. thepurpleinkstudio.com
SR - What are the attributes of founders that define the work of your studio?
Purple Ink Studio - The Purple Ink Studio is a firm that was started with ideas of two individuals who strongly believed in their respective design concepts and had nurtured the feeling over the past couple of years. One being extremely rational, aesthetic yet responsive and the other based on strong responses to nature and inclusion of natural elements in design. The works in the studio have had passionate influences of both and sees a continuous evolution in exploring the best of both worlds.
SR - Please elaborate on the ‘Kilometer Zero’ and ‘Eco concepts’ you are experimenting on.
Purple Ink Studio - It’s high time we gear up for ‘tomorrow’. Each and every building that is taking shape needs to be planned with a vision to be able to sustain itself. We initiated an idea of ‘Kilometer Zero concept’ in our projects, which means that everything that a building needs to sustain & survive is created/generated right there within a radius of Zero Kilometers. Our studio has been working on these ideas and has been constantly thinking of ways to incorporate them in every project through research and collaborations.
We realised through time, that it is not always possible to be 100% self-sustained for every project, and that’s where the idea of ‘eco cities’ shaped up. We are looking at ‘Future Typologies’, where if ‘Building X’ is self-sufficient with Water, and if ‘Building Y’ has reached a stage of excess in Food Generation, then they should be able to inter-connect and share their resources to be able to be stable and help each other achieve a stage of balance.
SR - Akshay - whom did you work for & how was the experience?
Akshay - I was privileged to have worked under 3 completely different ‘gurus’, Karan Grover, Sameep Padora and Sanjay Puri, all of whom, who helped me mould into what I am today, as a person and as an architect. Having always believed the need to learn under a master, they would always hold a special place in my architectural journey.
We are looking at ‘Future Typologies’, where if ‘Building X’ is self-sufficient with Water, and if ‘Building Y’ has reached a stage of excess in Food Generation, then they should be able to inter-connect and share their resources to be able to be stable and help each other achieve a stage of balance.
SR - Aditi - what led you to study landscape designing?
Aditi - I have always been a keen observer of the ways people lead lives, especially in connect with one’s response to the environment and resources around them. Very early I realised that Architecture is one profession that is particularly exposed to these external forces, which directly or indirectly affects both the man and the environment. I took this up to study it further and did my Masters in Landscape studies from CEPT University in Ahmedabad
which has laid a very strong foundation in the way we look at projects in our studio.
SR - How is the landscape design evolving in India?
Purple Ink Studio - We can see a growing interest in personal gardens and most of them wanting to be more productive than just aesthetic. This, seen in micro levels (individual home/apartments scales) is an interesting shift and an increase in this would only mean more self-sustaining and healthier lives. Though, on a macro level, in a city like ours, on being called ‘garden city’ and having numerous lost lakes, I wish to see more of active urban spaces adding breathers to the fast-paced life in making the city more livable by rejuvenating the lost values.
SR - As advocates of Kilometer Zero concept- tell us about the role of local materials in your projects.
Purple Ink Studio - We consider architecture, landscape and sustainability as one comprehensive entity and that the three cannot (and should not) be treated individually. The design process at our studio starts with being completely responsive to the context and different derivatives which become guidelines to take the design ahead. We believe that being sustainable is not a part of the process but a way of life and this creates a very strong connect to blur the boundaries between the three. This idea then trickles down the entire ‘working process’ which extends into the resources used, material selections and a series of processes which are involved in the construction & completion of a project.
SR - If given an opportunity which is the one thing you would like to improve in the architecture & design education in India.
Purple Ink Studio - Architecture plays a very crucial role in defining the ‘Growth Patterns’ of the future communities and the way we live. Being ‘Responsive’ to this fact which is slowly occupying the realm of every architect’s work (call it sustainability/green) and one’s response to it is where we see Indian Architecture heading.
It’s time to gear up and become future ready. Making these practices regular along with well developed design skills with attention to details is what we feel should be inculcated within every student. The idea of regenerative architecture should trickle down to each and everyone and ‘inclusive’ living would soon become a way of life.
SR - Is there any special meaning to the name The Purple Ink Studio?
Purple Ink Studio - While we are extremely serious regarding the ideologies we believe in, the studio name adds a tinge of light-heartedness and mystery which is reflection of our design vocabulary.
SOME projects by THE PURPLE INK STUDIO
Anaha Spa at SHREYAS RETREAT
Designed as a ‘Retreat within Retreat’, the 20,000 Sqft spa block is a new ‘insert’ at the a well known Yoga Retreat in India that offers spectacular layers of spaces and experiences. The Architectural Vision is planned as a sustainable model, focusing strongly on the connect of man in the realm of nature. The main block disappears into the earth and is half submerged to connect to the isolating quality of the earth, with the light and air movement planned from a series of sunken courts. The approach to the main area slowly opens up a plethora of spaces which are programmatically planned to suit the smooth spatial transitions of the guests. The entire feel is organic with natural light washing the exposed walls and ceilings with a spectacular play of light and shadows.The spaces are further held together with a strong design language of Hand crafted jaali screens, solid wood doors and openings which merge the interior and exteriors, quite literally.
(Original) Site Area: 26 Acres
Built Up Area: 20,000 Sqft
Year of Completion: 2016
Architecture, Interiors & Landscape: The Purple Ink Studio
Design Team: Akshay Heranjal, Aditi Pai, Jaikumar, Nishita Bhatia, Priyanka Bankapur
Client: Inner Challenges Pvt. Ltd.
Photography Credits: Shamanth Patil J
AD Retail
The modest space of 650 sqft is celebrated with an accentuated idea of the arched windows with drapery, of the by-gone era which is represented in the most quintessential form, the “Arch”. The strong geometry of an arch articulated in a modern dialog creates the setting for a dramatically themed display. The design is exemplified with the use of both modern and traditional materials in the palette. The arch is entirely structured in wood and finished to appreciate the natural grains while it takes the colossal monolithic form to hold the complete interior space together. The walls constructed in exposed wire-cut bricks along with the floor, walls and part of the display furniture in exposed concrete finish are rugged elements within the space which respect the true characteristic of the material. Although the overall material palette is natural and modernistic in approach, the furniture responds to the elements of the by-gone era and adds in a display of color and a tinge of ornamentation to the overall design scheme.
Gross Area : 650 Sqft
Owners : Anil Drapes, Bengaluru
Interiors : The Purple Ink Studio, Bengaluru
Project Team : Akshay Heranjal, Priyanka Bankapur, Jaikumar
Interior Contractors : Mm Interiors, Mumbai
Photographs Courtesy : Rays & Greys : Shamanth J Patil
Architects Website : www.Thepurpleinkstudio.Com
COURTY ARD HOUSE, BANGALORE (INDIA)
The client’s brief saw a strong interest in a “Courtyard House”. Taking the courtyard as a focal point, the entire architecture and the landscape conceptualization revolved around using the feature as a climate responsive design advantage. Based on the climatologically factors, the building is rotated towards the northern sides (to have maximum fenestration avoiding the harsh rays of the sun during the day) and a continuous water channel is introduced in the direction of the prevailing winds which aids in maintaining the micro-climate of the interiors. This also creates a strong connect between the landscape spaces on the south and the north sides. The centrally placed courtyard provides light to all the spaces and also provides air movement due to induced ventilation through the openings on the walls. The greens planned within the site, the water channel and the courtyard with a tree form a strong ecological system making the building less dependent on mechanical (re)sources and keeping a check on the energy consumption.
The green space is not limited to the exteriors of the building only but also dominates the spatial structure of the interior layout. All the common areas of the house which surround the courtyard like the living, dining and the kitchen areas which are the day-units are treated as exterior spaces to seem as extensions of the landscape areas into the interiors. The internal court serves a dual purpose of being a climatological feature and a strong aesthetic element.
Gross Area : 4,500 Sqft
Site Area : 5,000 Sqft
Owners : Krishna Balamurali
Architecture + Interiors + Landscape Consultants : The Purple Ink Studio, Bangalore
Project Team : Akshay Heranjal, Nishita Bhatia, Aditi Pai Heranjal
Photography : Shamanth Patil