Succinct Ideas and Pertinent Ways

Architect Stephane Paumier in conversation with IA&B puts forth his views on the state and role of architecture and design in the context of modern day India.

Stephane Paumier arrived in India in 1996 for a voluntary civil service after his architecture graduation from the School of Architecture of Paris-Belleville, under Henri E. Ciriani. He won the international competition for the Alliance Francaise de Delhi in 2001 in collaboration with Architects Anupam Bansal and Rajesh Dongre (ABRD Architects).In 2005, Stephane Paumier founded SPA Design Pvt Ltd as a principal, with Anupam Bansal and Krishnachandran Balakrishnan as co directors, both graduates from School of Planning and Architecture Delhi and Master respectively from Kansas and Berkeley University.

IA&B: You have established yourself and SPA Design as an architectural firm in times of globalisation and rapid urbanism. What do you think are the fundamentals and metaphors of ‘Architecture’? Could you tell us about your journey as an architect, the hurdles, achievements and your vision?

Stephane Paumier: I came to India in 1996, even though SPA Design was only started in 2005, I have had 20 years of experience in India. So I could see the Indian contemporary scene change from an exemplary Master architect driven scene with Raj Rewal, Balkrishna Doshi and Charles Correa to an exploded and dynamic scene where lots of young practices have emerged as was shown in the State of Architecture exhibition in Mumbai. In this context we are part of the new India based generation that focused on institutional campuses and buildings because we feel it is where a special effort in needed in priority. The overall Indian production of architecture is unfortunately not good enough for multiple factors but we would say that special kind of institutions like school, universities where kids will spend many years that will shape their future should be well designed.