PRACTICE BEYOND BORDERS: The story of SSD Paris

Uninterrupted and at his candid best, visionary designer, Saket Sethi, shares his thoughts on the evolution of his design journey, the things that inspire him and what the future has in store for him

- LOUIS LEPRON

On July 14 2023, Bastille Day, Paris; Armée de l'air & IAF Rafales fly together overhead, while on the ground the Punjab regiment joins French soldiers to march on the Champs Élysées. It is a special day for France and India.

I am struck by a parallel epiphany on how I find myself in Paris. For me, if you are seated in Labrouste's grand salle at the BNF Richelieu library, probably the most beautiful onel have ever been in, it is reward enough. I stare at the multiple star shaped glass domes far above me, pouring molten sunlight onto pencil thin metal columns. On the walls, gilt ornaments surround bas relief profiles of the great French thinkers. There are several floors of open bookshelves and exposed stairs, with massive archways above housing a continuous trompe-l'œil of massive trees and blue skies. I sit in one of the many wooden carousels occupied by students and researchers, retracing the steps that got me here.

I pause my research on the master plan of Paris the creation of the high-density "Haussmann Block"; its strict use of 'Calcaire Lutécien' for the main structures and grey slate for all the roofing; with elevational guidelines to select from a fixed library of ornaments for the design of windows, railings, cornices and moldings for every building. It is abundantly clear that a few critical decisions made by an individual have ensured the destiny of a city and its people for a lifetime to come. I see the results of absolute decision making around me everywhere and I wonder what do I make of mine?