Gamechangers Of Design

Manit and Sonali Rastogi of Morphogenesis share how they conceptualise and realise green structures of all shapes and sizes.

- RASHMI NAICKER

Every architecture and design firm “speaks” a particular design language through its projects. At Morphogenesis, one of the leading practices in the country and valued the world over, this design language is hinged upon climatic specifications and socio-cultural contexts — both are imperative before designing any building, say co-founders Manit and Sonali Rastogi. “Each project is conceived through a research-oriented approach to policy, planning, design, technology, passive and low energy design.”

Four aspects are central to the practice’s philosophy. Each design is conceived through first principles and through the lens of SOUL — Sustainability, Optimisation, Uniqueness and Livability. The firm’s belief in sustainability shapes all its projects, and forms the very basis of design. “Our endeavour is to plan in a manner that reduces consumption of resources and energy, resulting in up to 50% less energy consumption than certified green building benchmarks, through passive design and microclimate creation, proven through post-occupancy evaluation,” explain the Rastogis.

In a country like India, the duo also take into account the fact that projects often involve resource optimization. It is achieved through integrated project delivery and by breaking barriers of established cost benchmarks while reducing consumption through design innovation. This aspect coupled with the responsiveness of design to client, climate and context — and being “mindful that the project is globally pertinent” — enables them to create projects that are truly unique.