Substance Over Style

Design is fundamentally an extension of life—a powerful agent for change that exists within everyday life, be it personal, community or the larger public. This belief motivates Akshara Verma, partner at Ace Group Architects, to create landmark architecture. For Verma, pursuing architecture was an intrinsic decision. She grew up in an ambitious, supportive and nuclear household with an architect father and an IT professional mother.

After graduating from RV College of Architecture in Chennai, Verma continued her pursuit of learning in Sri Lanka and Mumbai, with lessons on perseverance, teamwork, landscaping and the art of drawing. She went on to pursue a master’s from The Berlage Center for Advanced Studies in Architecture and Urban Design in the Netherlands, where she gained valuable experiences and friendships. Thereafter, she returned to India with plans of being an independent professional and academic, and joined her father’s firm, ACE Group Architects. She is also an academician and loves imparting her knowledge and learnings to architecture students. As she puts it, “Travel and learning by observation have been an integral part of my design journey.”

While approaching a new project, Verma tends to have brainstorming sessions with clients which are backed by researched information, geographical feasibility, projections and case studies to seek ways to push a project into something new and exciting—both for the client and for them at the studio. She believes in the ‘Charette Model’, where all the consultants and collaborators focus on utilising the time together to problem-solve while working on a project.

Her landmark projects include RV University School of Design (retrofit architecture) and New Horizon Public School (urban, with lots of amenities) in Bengaluru, Jamjar restaurant in Mumbai, and Humblebean Cafe in Bengaluru.

Verma looks forward to exploring new materials and building techniques within the parameters of environment and ecology. She hopes to continue working with students, future architects, and the design community to drive ideas and innovation.

“I wish to contribute to the making of good architecture with an impetus on substance over style, long-term solutions over quick-fixes—architecture that remains thoughtful and thought-provoking in design and experience,” she says.

By Kamayni