M-Connect: Celebrating Architectural Excellence and Innovation Episode 6 - The a
Diving deeply into the personal & often spiritual connection between the creators & the spaces they bring to life
Last Updated: Sep 22, 2025, 17:37 IST2 min
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What inspires an architect? How do they find, nurture and evolve their design language, technical flair? Episode 6 of M-Connect: Celebrating Architectural Excellence & Innovation—a Marmo Solutions initiative in association with Forbes India—dives into the deeply personal and often spiritual connection between the creators and the spaces they bring to life.
Titled Spaces That Changed You, the episode features a compelling conversation between Sanjiv Goel, Principal Architect, Conarch Architects; Chetan Ahluwalia, Principal Architect, Architects File; and Vineet Malik, Founder and Principal, DC Projects. Together, they reveal how memory, emotion and personal evolution shape their design philosophy.
For Sanjiv Goel, architecture is more than lines and volumes—it’s an intangible feeling that arises in a moment of stillness. Recalling his first visit to the Golden Temple, he describes how the blend of light, reflection, and silence left an indelible mark. “That experience taught me that space isn’t just physical—it’s emotional, even spiritual,” he reflected. He also shared how a visit to the Pragati Maidan as a student, and his fascination for the Hall of Nations building, inspired his shift from science to architecture, eventually defining his entire career.
Chetan Ahluwalia brought to the table stories of transformation—both personal and professional. From building a Net Zero Energy home for an NRI client that challenged his notions of design, to converting a 100-year-old Kangra mansion into a hill resort after an earthquake disrupted original plans, his journey highlighted resilience and adaptability. “You start with one brief and end up with another. Sometimes, nature rewrites your script,” he shared.
Vineet Malik emphasized emotional detailing in design, beyond technical logic. Whether it was creating a sunlit courtyard in a basement using mirrors or conquering structural challenges to build a 78-foot cantilever, his narrative was one of balance—between ambition and empathy. “Design is not just about what looks good, but what feels right. Often, that comes from emotion, not logic,” he noted.
Episode 6 reminds us that buildings are not just made of marble and mortar—they find their origins in memory, intent and identity. The episode also underscored that architecture is not merely a technical discipline—it is a nuanced interplay of experiences, understanding, empathy and persuasion. Whether it’s interpreting an open-ended brief, aligning with the client’s emotional needs or making intuitive decisions on-site, architecture demands more than mastery of form and structure; it also calls for the ability to listen, adapt and co-create.
Presented by Forbes India and powered by Marmo Solutions, M-Connect continues to honour those who build not just for form or function, but for meaning.
The pages slugged ‘Brand Connect’ are equivalent to advertisements and are not written and produced by Forbes India journalists.
First Published: Sep 22, 2025, 17:37
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