M-Connect powered by Marmo Solutions - Celebrating Architectural Excellence & In...
The soul behind the structure, the story behind the form
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Prefer us on GoogleLast Updated: Nov 24, 2025, 12:08 IST2 min
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What drives a designer’s instinct? How do ethics, memory and empathy find tangible shape in steel, stone and space? Episode 15 of M-Connect: Celebrating Architectural Excellence & Innovation — powered by Marmo Solutions in association with Forbes India — titled The Form Within, peeled back the layers of an architect’s mind to explore how the intangible—values, emotion, intuition—translates into built environments.
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The panel featured three introspective voices from across India — Nitin Rawal, Founder of N17 Architecture and Design (Panipat), whose diverse portfolio spans residential and commercial spaces across India and overseas; Sumit Malik, Founder of Design Consortia (Delhi), known for elegant, technologically integrated designs that range from villas to boutique hotels and Ashish Agarwal, Founder of Ashish Agarwal Interiors (Guwahati), with two decades of experience crafting timeless luxury across the Northeast and beyond.
Nitin spoke of how there have been times when he has questioned his own designs and that has been the turning point. He noted that his was particularly true when the client places confidence in him; its then that he has given a 100% to the design and it works out very well. He described a commercial project where his firm radically deviated from their typical style—tilting the design language by 45 degrees from their usual comfort zone—transforming not just the structure but his own creative confidence. “When a client gives you complete freedom, that’s when your inner self truly shows up in the built space,” he said.
Sumit’s design compass is guided by moral responsibility—not just towards clients, but also the site, the environment and even people who view it from the outside. “Design must respond to geography, climate, materials and budget. If I’m designing in Rajasthan, the building should offer refuge from the sun; in the hills, it should embrace light. Every detail has to make sense logically, visually and ethically.”
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Ashish reflected on the evolution of his approach. “Earlier, I designed everything myself. Now, I invite collaboration—from light consultants to artisans and even clients,” he recounted how a villa project was redesigned to incorporate the homeowner’s passion for art. “Giving people space to express themselves creates something more meaningful.”
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The conversation delved into emotionally resonant spaces, the subconscious mind’s role in design, and how signature elements—forms, flows, materials—keep reappearing, often unconsciously. They spoke of architecture not just as problem-solving, but as storytelling: where every window, wall, or void reveals a narrative about the people it shelters.
In the closing reflection, each architect was asked what space their inner design voice would take. One imagined a sphere—fluid and edgeless. Another envisioned abstract human-centric spaces. The third refused to define a single form, saying each project brings its own shape and soul.
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As the episode of M-Connect wrapped up, what lingered was the idea that great design is driven by myriad influences and sometimes, the most notable forms begin within the soul of an architect.
The pages slugged ‘Brand Connect’ are equivalent to advertisements and are not written and produced by Forbes India journalists.
First Published: Nov 24, 2025, 12:11
Subscribe NowThe pages slugged ‘Brand Connect’ are equivalent to advertisements and are not written and produced by Forbes India journalists
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