In this masterclass titled “Can Design Rewire Our Well-Being?”, Bijoy Ramachandran reflects on how architecture shapes lived experience. The experiences shared is drawn from his decades of practice in India. He shares lessons learned from significant encounters with mentors like Louis Kahn and Prof. Kurula Varkey, emphasizing how these interactions profoundly influenced his foundational understanding of architecture.

Ramachandran discusses the collaborative environment of his studio, HundredHands. He also highlights that the best solutions often emerge from collective effort and observation rather than individual genius. He touches upon the challenges of practicing architecture in India , where assimilation and finding common ground with various stakeholders are crucial.

Key Insights

He then introduces few key ideas that guide his practice in creating architecture for well-being:

Tectonic Beauty: The careful assembly of buildings and the creative appropriation of the accidental and handmade. This is seen on projects like the guest house for a stone processing factory and a retail store on a defunct factory site.

Deep Beauty: Search for Meaning – Drawing inspiration from historical structures and creating “in-between places” that foster learning and interaction, exemplified by the Montessori School of Jaynagar, Ira, and IAC.

Resonant Beauty: The Historical Sense – Connecting new work to the past for instruction and understanding. He explains the impact of historical sense on the architectural canon, as illustrated by Charles Correa’s Champalimaud Center. He also reflects on his firm’s proposals for Nalanda University and a sports university in Bihar.

Conclusion

Ramachandran concludes by emphasizing that architecture, at its core, is about making places for well-being. This is acheived by moving beyond mere sustenance and accreditation to pursue beauty and meaning. He emphasizes that while the principles of context, prudence, empathy, and careful labor remain valid, modern practice also requires morality, speed, and agility to adapt to the turbulent present and continue creating meaningful spaces for human well-being.