Ar. Guru Prasad Rane
 

1. This year's theme is grassroots, can you tell us what your thoughts are on it? How would you relate grassroots with respect to architecture?

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 Guru Prasad Rane: At times when man lived in harmony with nature, the habitats that he built were a natural extension of his surroundings. In the wake of the new era of colonialism and its ugly aftermath, what we gradually lost was the age-old traditional practices of sustainable architecture. In my opinion it’s high time we introspect and get back into a sustainable mode of practice because nature has already shown us enough signs that it cannot go on like this forever.

 

2. What is the one thing that you learnt in the profession but you would have loved to know while you were studying?

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Guru Prasad Rane: We start learning about architecture once we join the school of architecture and continue to process as long as we are involved in the profession. Never had the so-called two distinct phases of 'while studying' and 'during profession'. Even during the college days, I had the opportunities to spend time on architectural firms and understand the scenario outside educational institutes.

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3. Does any specific structure in India fascinate you? if yes, why?

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Guru Prasad Rane: Chatham Saw Mill at Andaman. One of the largest sawmills in Asia, built completely out of wood.

As a 1st year student, I was part of the L.I.K trophy team for documenting this structure. While preparing measure drawings we start understanding the structure better. We go beyond visual appreciation and get involved in the construction, aging and afterlife too. Chatam Sawmill and a couple of other structures similarly documented during educational days have often helped with solutions in the profession.

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4. What was the one thing after completing architecture that helped you figure out that yes, this is the field I would like to specialize in?

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Guru Prasad Rane: Being born and brought up in Mumbai, I was always fascinated towards a sustainable living. Architecture, I feel, should be an extension of the lifestyle we follow. After working in Mumbai for a year, I was certain that I should follow what I strongly believe in and I headed to Kerala in search of sustainable architectural practices.

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5. What kind of projects did you do when you started working? And when did you first get to manifest bamboo and mud architecture in your design?

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Guru Prasad Rane: Though I started with mainstream architecture, I got a chance to experience various alternate technologies after moving to Kerala. But I got to do mud building only after we started our own firm which is 8 years after my graduation. Same is the case with bamboo.

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6. As your firm’s office is in a village called Pallipuram in Pattambi, we wanted to know what was your thought behind selecting a small yet homely village as the site?

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Guru Prasad Rane: Historically, mankind had a sustainable lifestyle. But somewhere in the recent past we started deviating. Cities were the first one to go off track followed by smaller towns and then villages. Villages are easiest to switch back to sustainable mode as they were the last one to leave. By creating our own office space reflecting what we hold close to our heart and a small organic farm of our own, we thought of presenting an alternate way to look at it. As I said earlier, sustainable architecture should be an extension of sustainable living. And, it’s easier to start from villages.

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7. We are also a huge admirer of your benevolent work and from that comes to mind Snehanilayam, the children’s home for the less privileged. Could you help us understand the planning and your approach to it?

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Guru Prasad Rane: It was a work that made us just as happy and contented as its residents. The ground for the exposed brick building was set at different levels. To make a home that is viable, cost-effective, and at the same time one with the surroundings as we wanted the girls to be, we decided to set the home at different levels too, making it an extension of the earth it stood on. Thus, the design for the girl’s home crossed multiple contours, and created a home that was whole, and also budgeted. While the specific design made the construction affordable, it also created a feeling of being unbounded.

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8. Seeing your projects, we see some variety; From vernacular Kerala type to contemporary style. Our question to you is which style comes more naturally to you?

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Guru Prasad Rane: We give more importance to Sustainability in Architecture. Style is always contemporary with influence of vernacular architecture. The amount of this influence differ according to project, site context, clients, etc

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9. Can you tell us the way you decide upon materiality for your projects whether rammed earth or bamboo?

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Guru Prasad Rane: Depends on willingness of clients to get involved in construction, maintain the structure, availability of the particular material and design requirement, etc.

We don’t like to categorise buildings as sustainable or unsustainable. For us, every building has its own negative impact. We try to reduce the impact as much as possible by choosing appropriate materials.

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10. Could you emphasize the role of architects in our society?

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Guru Prasad Rane: Architects do have an important role in the enduring progress of a nation and it’s time we, architects from various schools of thought, come together, discuss, and lead the society forward with creative ideas for a sustainable future.