Enhancing sophistication and aesthetics with sustainable designs

"Contemporary materials and technologies should constantly prioritise sustainability, and we are becoming significantly aware of it.”

In an exclusive interaction, Prashaant Kochhar, Partner and Principal Architect, LTDF discusses prioritising sustainability with advanced technology and contemporary materials.

Sustainability is much more than jargon for our country today. What practices can ensure demanding interior designs adhere to sustainability? 

Sustainability is the need of the hour, especially since the practices in our country do not conform to all the SDGs—the 17 global sustainable development goals—that India has promised to achieve in the coming few decades. To fulfil this promise, I think we need to go beyond the simple understanding of sustainability as "sustain'. Instead, we must think of how to flourish beyond just sustaining.

In the interior design realm, the focus should be on the 3Ps: people, planet, and profit. The first P focuses on the user and their needs, wants, and aspirations, while the second urges us to be conscious about the earth. However, profit does not just lie in the monetary gains— which might be more critical in commercial endeavours— but also in the intangible value created through the project or the space we have designed. Interior design is the most haptic participation of humans; hence the onus lies with the architects and designers to educate the clients and push the agenda of sustainability and value by design.