TWO'S COMPANY!

SONAL SANCHETI AND RAHUL GORE’S _ OPOLIS IS A PRACTICE THAT FUNDAMENTALLY RESPECTS EACH SITE'S CONTEXT, RESULTING IN THE CREATION OF TRULY TIMELESS EDIFICES THAT SHALL ENTHRAL GENERATIONS

- MITALEE KURDEKAR

Aptly christened _Opolis, where ‘o’ stands for respect in Japanese, while ‘polis’ comes from the English word for city, the multidisciplinary design practice founded by Sonal Sancheti and Rahul Gore back in January 2001, is as unique as its name. If anything, the work carried out by the firm completely justifies its moniker, given that each project it undertakes reflects an inherent respect for the city and the context that it is made for.

“Even with the smallest project, we try to think of how we can add to the city and address the context. The underlying idea is the open-ended nature of the practice – one that celebrates city life,” says Sancheti. In fact, the ability to not narrow their craft to a particular specialisation, concept or style, could well be _Opolis’ forte and the success mantra behind its long innings in the field of design.

Having said that, a recurring theme – call it their design philosophy, if you will – of responding to the essence of a site, of being true to its context, of keeping lines simple, of being environmentally sensitive, of blurring the boundaries between the inside and the outside; colours their approach to each project. It is this focused methodology, coupled with an inherent appetite for good design, which helps them create impactful and meaningful ‘places’. As Gore puts it: “What drives our practice is that anything from a 400 sq-ft boutique to a 4,00,000 sq-ft building is treated equally and with the same passion.”