Ankur Choksi , Founding Principal has over 19 years of professional experience in handling diverse projects such as retail and hospitality environments , workspaces , brand experiences and narrative-based experiential design for events , exhibitions & Museums . He has designed for and explored multiple media while working at various design firms at the early stages of his career . Ankur has been a visiting faculty at design schools and presented at several design-related events in India .
Delivering Services beyond Expectations
Studio Lotus considers their clients as the most important stakeholders . They say , “ In our engagement with clients , we don ' t limit our thinking to our role as Architects or Designers but more as partners to their brands in case of businesses or how we could add value to their quality of life in case of residential projects . It is important to us that we deliver beyond what is expected from us , that we are truly able to add value beyond the scope we were hired for . In the process , the relationships we form go beyond a transaction to a deeper engagement . We feel really fortunate that we are able to form lasting relationships with our clients . Today almost all our new projects come in through our existing client base .”
Focusing on the Outcome
For Studio Lotus the process of design and related engagement is very critical and determines that the outcomes have a sense of quality that is more than skin deep . For them it is critical that the process of design and execution be collaborative . This process is often iterative ; allowing the project to be shaped in an emergent manner , introducing innovation at different junctures . This also allows the end result to be closer to the needs that emerge as the project is being built and allows for a much greater sense of ownership of the project amongst all stakeholders .
The delightful advice of the company to the building startups is , “ Believe in your idea and give it all you have got . Very often , success is just a step away from what seems to be your biggest point of failure . Secondly , do the small things well – very often it ' s giving all you have got to those little things you do every day that turn into great accomplishments . Rome wasn ' t built in a day .”
Studio Lotus ’ say on Industry Scenario
Studio Lotus feels that the industry is poised at a very interesting cusp . Real Estate developers are facing a very challenging scenario as Real Estate is no longer a speculative industry , which is what had fuelled it in the last
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We explore ways to engage the user , the way they move through the space , discover the layers as they unfold and interact with it
“ decade . The focus is now on projects with a much greater focus on quality , which in the long term will be good for architecture in India . “ For us the challenge is how to continue to learn and continuously improve , how can we add even more value to our clients and collaborators and continue to be a firm of choice for our team and clients alike . We are constantly asking ourselves - what will it take ? What further value can we add ?”
A Memorable Experience of Studio Lotus
Studio Lotus shared a memorable and successful experience they had with one of their clients . “ One of our most memorable experiences was when we were designing our first hospitality project , Raas Jodhpur . It was a very challenging site and over and above that , was the fact that it was the first major architectural project for us and our collaborators Praxis Inc . and the first project the client was ever doing . After we did a full set of drawings , we kept discovering new constraints at site and of the contractors and local artisans . By the end of the project , the drawings were put aside and it was done almost entirely through a collaborative decision-making process with the client , artisans , engineers , architects and designers - arrived at the site through conversations and work on the ground . In spite of this very organic process , to date it remains one of our most successful projects .”
Fearlessly Taking Challenges
Studio Lotus is of a belief that challenges are what helps anyone grow . For them , the most exciting challenge is the nature of the future of the architectural practice itself . They see the emergence of a new kind of practice or organization that is based on the idea of a network held together by core values and processes , rather than owners and employees . They say , “ It is going to be the ability and willingness to reinvent oneself ongoingly , which will determine success in the future .”