BUILDING SPATIAL DIALOGUES

In conversation with the powerhouse duo Lijo Jos and Reny Lijo, who dare to break away from accepted design norms and introduce new ideas, forging a path for themselves in the field of architecture

- AVNI RAUT

With over two decades of experience in the field of design and architecture, architects Lijo Jos and Reny Lijo have carved out a niche for themselves and their journey has been as inspiring as it has been challenging. Where did it all start though? For Lijo, architecture wasn't really his first preference. He has always had an artistic bent of mind; he also loved making things and being hands-on. "I wanted to do something related to art," says Lijo. "But when it was time to pick a profession, I chose not to learn art professionally because I realised that certain art schools have certain philosophies. They mould students in a manner that they end up practising in similar ways.

I did not want that kind of moulding to happen for me, I wanted free thinking. So, I decided to pick something creative but that had a lot of art infused into it. Architecture, I realised, had that kind of a blend." What drew Reny towards this profession was the fact that it entailed creativity and also called for technical knowledge. "Other fields which were open for me as options then were civil engineering and other technical fields which didn't inspire me as they lacked creativity. Architecture was the only profession at that point of time that I was open to which I thought would be the right mix of what I wanted," she reveals.

The duo met at an architecture studio in 2003, where they were working back then. It was during this period of time, while working on different projects together, that they realised how well they complemented each other in terms of their design sensibilities. Their wavelengths matched and they were able to work in sync while also bringing different viewpoints and skillsets to the table. This eventually led to them launching their own boutique practice in 2005, LIJO.RENY. architects, and over the course of the last 17 years, they have undertaken several projects and set new benchmarks.