THE MASTER BUILDER

Architect Ayan Sen is committed to pushing the boundaries of design and innovation.

- Seema Sreedharan

Architect, academician, researcher and author, Ayan Sen is a multi-hyphenate. With an enviable portfolio that spans institutions, mixed-use developments and social and cultural spaces, Ayan's work embodies a unique blend of functionality, aesthetics and social responsibility. He believes in the premise that 'locally sensitive regional thinking can be integrated with the best of international practices and systems', and this belief has been the founding pillar of his eponymous practice. Ayan Sen Architects Urban Designers and Planners (ASAUDP) was started with the thought of providing collaborative, creative and international professional systems in the growing architectural environs of emerging India.

The Beginning: A Tryst with Architecture

My mother was a historian and my father was a renowned lawyer in Kolkata. We used to travel a lot, and I think visiting multiple cities and historic sites instilled in me the desire to transform buildings and cities. I also grew up in a house that dates back to the 40s'. I think the love for buildings and the desire to transform them became a part of my DNA. By the time I was 18, I was convinced that architecture was my calling. I knew that designing spaces and cities and was something I could do for the rest of my life. In fact, I vividly remember telling my friends that I would build their homes when I grew up. And this was when I was in class X. In that sense, I had a lot of homes to build. So, I guess I always aspired to be an architect.