Vipuja Parmar

People do not require big interventions. Their demands are simple and rooted in everyday life and experience.

During my initial years, I had varied collaboration with different design firms. I had the opportunity to work on public scale projects with varied concerns. Each project demanded different explorations. I played different roles as an architect, as a researcher, as a surveyor and many more.

One to one interaction with the stakeholders and on-site surveys helped to analyze the existing situation better. It gave me a insight of what different people of different age-groups think and their aspirations. While working on these projects I realized, physical design is more of a facilitator for urban scale design.

People do not require big interventions. Their demands are simple and rooted in everyday life and experience. The design at public scale, demands a strong Vision but very simple formal vocabulary for the physical manifestation of design.

All these projects exposed me to the strength of empirical analysis. I realized, designing is a deep understanding of, how we live and what are our requirements.

I believe, the design of built environment, be a public place, or a building or an interior space needs to serve the purpose and should have the connotation of use.

2014 till date… With my partner, we established Ualab. At Ualab, design concepts with clarity of ideas are central to our design process.

For us, the process of designing is about responding and establishing relationships. Relationship with context; relationship with light and ventilation; relationship with people; ; relationship with programme brief; relationship with material; relationship with form and many more.. In our practice, in past few years we have explored some of these relationships in our design projects.

I believe, the design of built environment, be a public place, or a building or an interior space needs to serve the purpose and should have the connotation of use. This belief is central to my design process. I am sharing works of Ualab, wherein I have been the lead designer. Harnav River Edge development explores contextual relationship with the surroundings. Pedestrian, linear pathways parallel to the river edge are designed to enjoy the walk along the edge. This varied experience provides an opportunity for the children and people under all age group to enjoy the river edge. The slope for each of these pathways is meticulously designed to channelize the water movement from one pathway to another and then into the river.

Community space design in a Residential housing explores the relationship between the cosmopolitan people and works to enhance the community life between them through design of various spaces. Our design approach focused on creating safe and secured walkable and seating spaces.

We worked on re-routing the vehicular traffic to create a car-free community space. Plant species which require lesser maintenance and gives more shade are planted. I have been into Academics from past few years. It has helped me to evolve as a better designer. Free thinking in the studios guides me to work better professionally.

I think, as designers we are more interested in innovating new – but I think we can be much better designers if we can find new ways of doing same thing.

I want to keep on working with the built environment and the link between design and people.

I believe public architecture is one of the important tool to create a healthy society. Just imagine, how beautiful our neighbourhoods will be if there are designed, walkways, small parklets, bus stops, some seating spaces, shaded trees at the edge and many more. With the physical design – an entire system needs to be designed and worked out to manage and maintain the built environment.

Due importance should be given to the later part because it is through them, our design work will survive and be enjoyed by all. Post occupancy visits to our designed places and buildings is also equally important, to know what really works and what needs to reworked – or to be given a second thought.

I think, as designers we are more interested in innovating new but I think we can be much better designers if we can find new ways of doing same thing.