Grassroots

Nestled in Vadodara, Gujarat, India, Architect Manoj Patel is a degree holder in architecture, graduated from D.C Patel School of Architecture ( A.P.I.E.D ), Vallabh- Vidhyanagar, Gujarat, in 2012. He has also pursued post-graduation in Climate Change and Sustainable Development in 2014 from CEPT University, Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India. Later, in 2015, he established his own firm ‘MANOJ PATEL DESIGN STUDIO’ which majorly focuses on sustainable building designs and restyling of the space with contemporary elucidation for design through the exploration of waste and recyclable materials in a built form which turns out to be a visual glee for citizens at large. The very projects tendered by him are honored and awarded for various acknowledgments by PAN INDIA, recognition for “Young Practice of the Year” by – IIID, LEXUS DESIGN AWARD INDIA – for innovative products from clay roof tiles. Architect Manoj Patel has also been selected under top 50 “Young Architects of the year in India” by A&I India magazine. “The better India” publications have appreciated Ar. Manoj Patel in their positive story article for designers. Also, many projects have been recognized and published by international publications namely ARCHDAILY where 2 building projects were nominated for “Building of the year 2020”, PLATFORM publication acclaimed one of the project’s under “50 Best International House Design”. Other publications who acknowledged the works are DOMUS INTERNATIONAL, DESIGNBOOM and INHABITAT.

Meeta Jain’s Bangalore based design firm offers expertise in architecture, interiors, temporary spaces, landscape to site planning. She believes, Spaces must create a vision of world we want to inhabit, and poetry in space must emerge from a deeper understanding of what’s ideal in human relations to nature. In her words “We try to harness that spirit as spelled out beautifully by poets like Gibran ‘where the home mustn't be an anchor but the mast of a ship that sails and explores’, and likewise every ‘type’ of building at its very core must make one feel ‘at home’. In her projects, she also strives, for an "extended social ecology”, by forming spaces that are open-ended and create good interface spaces between the project and outside the world. It’s her vision to bring people together through her spaces She is a graduate (batch 1990), a Gold Medalist of the prestigious CEPT, Ahmedabad. and resident at ETH Zurich, under Students Exchange program 1994. The studio is also active in the community sphere contributing to the City as a whole, through an alternative design collective called MAPBEE, through effective use of art, craft, design, education and temporary spaces Mapbee creates space models that attempt to reflect the change needed in the world, bringing together of different creative practitioners / citizen groups. Mapbee has done projects in realm of public space, education, waste recycling, mobile exhibitions, play spaces and dismantlable homes.

Zach Poole is an architect with over 18 years of experience, with an emphasis on institutional projects and a focus on the design and detailing of complex exterior envelopes. His experience includes a wide range of project types of different scales, from historic restoration, art galleries, educational and multi-family residential to large scale master planning. Zach holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Syracuse University.