IN THE STUDIO WITH…

RAVI SARANGAN, DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER, EDIFICE CONSULTANTS – STARTING OFF IN A SMALL 16X9 FT GARAGE TO BECOMING ONE OF THE BIGGEST AND HIGHLY RESPECTED FIRMS IN THE INDUSTRY.

Tell us about yourself...

A: Sanjay Srinivasan and I founded Edifice Consultants, a multidisciplinary architecture practice, in 1989. As a director in the firm, my work involves strategising the studio’s brand management, overseeing key client requirements, and participation in the creative design process within the firm.

I completed my graduation from Sir JJ College of Architecture in 1987; J.J. was an institution where the thinking in those days was liberal, bohemian, wild and yet fully grounded. We were taught to respect human beings, and this trait has stayed on in our lives since then!

Ironically, I had not originally intended to study architecture. It was the early 80s, and engineering & medicine were the preferred disciplines for students of science; only those who were unsuccessful in making it to either opted for architecture or dentistry. Eventually, I was convinced by my older cousin — Ranganayaki Parthasarathy, who was then studying architecture — to take a shot at this academic path. Since then, there has been no looking back.

.. and the firm you have founded…

A: Sanjay [Srinivasan] and I graduated from college in 1987 and started Edifice Consultants, almost straight away — in a small 16 ft x 9 ft garage in Collector Colony, Chembur. Our big break came in the form of a project for Infosys in Bengaluru in 1996. That was also when our first branch office was established, and since then, we have grown to 8 regional branches, including three full-fledged design studios pan-India!