All Charged Up

“We were quite surprised that a young firm like ours had edged out veterans in the field,” says Aggarwal,pointing out that few architects from the region send in entries for such competitions.

Interestingly,Aggarwal and Gaind were classmates at the Chandigarh College of Architecture and teamed up a few months after their graduation. “We are still trying to strike a balance,” jokes Gaind. The two started the firm in 2006,their aim being to provide rational design solutions. “We have worked on restaurants,retail spaces and offices in the tri-city,” says Aggarwal. Not grand in size,the two have created a favourable impression with their out-of-the-box ideas — be it with a bamboo grove-themed restaurant or a jewellery store that looks like a jewellery box. “Until now,we have had the chance to work with projects tight on space. It is challenging to work within limits while trying to increase the feeling of space,” explains Aggarwal.

The project that won them the award in the workplace national category involved creating a modern and dynamic office for a share broker in Sector 32,Chandigarh. “The space was just 970 sq ft but we created segregated spaces with a strong visual connection,” says Gaind. The office space,he points out,is separated by translucent glass screens woven together by a single element. The dynamic and vibrant spirit of the share market trading is reflected in digits that flow across the glass. “We have a lot of fun in the projects we do and do not want to design two projects that look identical,” Aggarwal signs off.