World Architecture Festival (WAF), a global all-live festival, combines awards, seminars, and networking. However, INSIDE, its sister festival, celebrates the world’s finest interiors, fostering creativity and knowledge. Despite a few Indian architects making global marks, others attempt to establish a global presence through the World Architecture Festival. In addition, the World Architecture Festival—Singapore 2024 honored only one architecture firm from India as a finalist in five categories.
tHE gRID Architects, a multidisciplinary design firm based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, was founded in 2002 by Snehal Suthar and Bhadri Suthar. They focus on contextual design, simplicity, and creating structures connected to the earth. GRID architects participate in worldwide competitions and contribute to architecture, landscape, interior, and furniture design. As part of the World Architecture Festival (WAF), the festival shortlisted two of their innovative projects: AGRItecture Home and TARANG in five categories. The categories are:
The architecture community should familiarize themselves with the World Architecture Festival’s categories to understand the objectives and goals of gaining recognition in the appropriate field.
The focus is on exploring innovative concepts, materials, technologies, and design philosophies that challenge traditional architecture, with a focus on experimentation and forward-thinking ideas that could shape the future of architecture.
In the dynamic environment with aspiring homeowners, residential design is about to make a new shift, and the concept incorporates advanced technologies, innovative materials, and cutting-edge principles to anticipate future needs and trends. The growing trends include smart homes, adaptive spaces, and more.
Innovative educational designs focus on architectural and spatial design techniques to enhance learning experiences, exploring innovative approaches to educational environments. Key themes include adaptive learning spaces, future-focused design, and more.
It describes architectural installations that use visuals to express novel ideas and concepts, emphasizing artistic and creative presentation over mere structural or practical elements.
In the World Architecture Festival, this category judges projects based on their interior design inside public buildings, emphasizing the interior space design and use of public buildings. The highlights are aesthetic appeal, user experience, and more.
AGRItecture HOME is a revolutionary architectural design that promotes sustainable living by reducing carbon footprint, improving indoor air quality, and enhancing mental well-being. It represents a symbiotic relationship between humans and the environment, advocating for integrated urban living that combines architectural creativity and agricultural practicality.
School prototype is an innovative educational twist that aims to create green living and learning. Having 6 scalable units, 3 units include classrooms, and the remaining consists of a staffroom, hydroponic system, and exhaust fans. Brick and charcoal wall segments between 6 m that sit on the midpoint as a solid barrier to enhance acoustic comfort. Three sustainable pillars—ecological balance, economic viability, and social equity—sink well with the architectural design.
The public project creates a dynamic pavilion using thin brick tiles and mortar to form a Catalan vault. The design is climate-responsive, suited to hot, arid conditions, and incorporates biophilic principles. It is India’s largest arched vault structure made of terracotta bricks, fostering community engagement and sustainability and promoting low-embodied carbon and a circular economy.
As a design community, architects and designers can consider the milestones of tHE gRID architects. You can strive to go all out beyond this and achieve much more. The World Architecture Festival happens worldwide under different names and themes. As much as we learn from global practitioners, we can also stay informed by keeping track of the World Architecture Festivals across the globe.
To wrap up, the World Architecture Festival (WAF) and INSIDE play a crucial role in showcasing global architectural innovation. At WAF 2024, tHE gRID architects received recognition for their projects AGRItecture HOME and TARANG, highlighting their dedication to sustainable design and India’s expanding influence in the field of architecture. This acknowledgment signifies a promising future for Indian architecture.
Content Writing By: Ar. Baarat Krishna
Rooted in a newer extension of the vibrant city of Ahmedabad, this abode represents a fine tune of modern design sensibility with timeless material expression and spatial volumetric connections. A home for a family of 4 which balances openness with privacy, functionality with aesthetics and luxury with warmth. The physical orientation of the east facing […]
Perched gracefully along the edge of a manicured golf course, this C-shaped weekend retreat blends the spirit of Balinese home design architecture with a clean, modern palette. Designed as a sanctuary for rest and reconnection, the home opens inward and outward simultaneously—embracing a central courtyard while framing uninterrupted views of the fairway. This Balinese Home […]
Located in HMT Layout, Bangalore, Isha_Srinidhi Nilaya stands as a multi-generational home designed on a compact 60×40 ft (2400 sq. ft) East facing plot, with a total built-up area of 8000 sq. ft. East Facing a lush public park, the residence responds to its urban setting through a layered design that balances privacy with a […]
Located close to the historically-rich South Indian city of Mysuru, Solum embodies the endeavour towards living simply and close to nature. The client hails from a business background and yet harbours a fondness for the modesty and simplicity of an agrarian lifestyle. The young entrepreneur had always dreamt of developing a full-fledged farm self-sufficient in […]
“Even within the smallest green lies all the purity and freshness of Eden.” This idea became the seed for Eden Moss, a home nestled in an ecological environment and imagined as a breath of freshness, evoking the scent of mud after rain, and seamlessly intertwined with nature while still embracing comfort and contextual charm. Nestled […]
Adorn, a home filled with earthen design and the laughter of a family of four, nestles in the peaceful neighborhood of Selvapuram, Coimbatore. “On one side, it shares boundaries with cozy family homes; meanwhile, the other side opens to expansive fields dotted with tall trees.” The fresh air scented with greenery sets a calming atmosphere […]
Timeless architectural features, such as courtyards, are always associated with bringing the naturally public forms to the world’s heart, building the most peaceful, secluded outdoor areas. These outdoor spaces maximize the living experience with their private space feature, which gives one the option for leisurely relaxation, recreation, or gardening. Furthermore, it has also been a […]
The Indian farmhouse accommodation goes on to capitalize on a mature evolutionary synthesis of ancestral aesthetics and contemporary features. With this, the outside and the inside of farmhouses became places of comfort with nature. In this blog, we delve into 15 incredible farmhouse designs that entail a harmonious blending. While they exhibit different spaces in […]
Aangan is a modern residence that seamlessly integrates with the lush environment of Kerala, showcasing a tropical home design. Designed to embrace the region’s warm climate, the house features a striking sloped terracotta roof at varying levels, enhancing both its aesthetic appeal and functional efficiency. The structure is enveloped in a vibrant tropical landscape, adorned […]
The door design for main door is a defining feature of any Indian home, embodying both style and cultural significance. In a country rich with diverse architectural traditions, the entrance to your home reflects not only personal taste but also cultural heritage. Whether you’re drawn to the intricate carvings of traditional Indian door designs or […]