IN CONVERSATION WITH SHIRISH BERI

The eminent architect elaborates on multisensory design experiences and why he believes in crafting organic, interactive healing spaces

- SNEHA GANDHI

“To let go is to have,” muses Shirish Beri, an architect, urbanist, author, poet and painter. With five decades of dedicated work to his credit, he is a man with a purpose to promote cognitive thinking through architecture. Renowned for his designs that revolve around nature-integration, simplicity, and restraint, the architect correlates his life’s journey to his sustainable approach. Shirish Beri’s first brush with the profession was during his schooling years, through his father’s architectural practice in Kolhapur. An ensuing connection steered him into the world of books, art, films and travel, laying the foundation of a multifaceted personality. Tracing a faint calling, the architect enrolled into CEPT University, formerly the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, in Ahmedabad. The city and its diverse architecture— from the vernacular designs of the Amdavadi pols to modern structures by Dr Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, Hasmukh Patel, Charles Correa, Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn—gradually moulded his design philosophy. He further mentions, “Exposure to various subjects like philosophy, sociology. psychology, anthropology, archeology, literature, dance, drama and computers helped in creating that interconnected holistic understanding in life.”