Winner
Excellence–Residential (Above 3000 sqft) – Interior Design
Runner up
Excellence – Commercial – Interior Design
Bhadri Suthar Sonpal, tHE gRID Architects, Ahmedabad
Bhadri has had a creatively fulfilling career with The Grid Architects, a practice she co-founded with her partner and spouse Snehal Suthar 15 years ago. As part of the core team, she has been involved in projects that straddle a variety of typologies and scales, from private residences and residential communities to corporate houses and educational institutes, all unified by the common thread of sustainability. For her DESIGNING IS A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY.
Are interactions during WADE helping the women in design?
It is very beneficial and meaningful for budding young designers and experienced architects and designers to interact on the same platform so that the wisdom is transferred and the inquisitiveness and curiosity gives rise to a learning process that saves much time, energy and resources in not reinventing the wheel.
What was the most important deliverable from WADE?
Most important is sharing about failures and then coping mechanisms devised related to certain situations, selection of materials, climate that is priceless because that is what will help each other. This also helps you to realise that the fellow patrons are facing similar problems.
As a WADE Woman & Winner, how would you contribute towards its causes?
I am part of academics which again is something I enjoy and I am passionate about as I am part of vising faculty at NID and NIFT and also in jury panels for them and at CEPT. I also participate in panel talks and presentations. Sustainability is about a balance between social, economic & environment. Sustainable is always a part of
our projects. It’s about habits, about lifestyle. We would like to contribute by doing more meaningful designs.
“Creating a world record by WADE ASIA for the largest number of Women standing together for Water awareness as a cause this year was amazing. WADE is here to tread paths which have not been taken before.”
How is coming together of Women in Design, Art, Architecture, Engineering as a community, led by WADE ASIA, is building up the fraternity?
Women are courageous to walk on untrodden paths; push their boundaries, and I am happy to be part of it. It is a great opportunity for women entrepreneurs and students. In today’s world for a woman to establish herself as an architect/designer along with the socio-cultural responsibilities in a country like India is always a tough and demanding task. The WADE ASIA platform raises emerging women designers to new heights to establish themselves in a patriarchal world. Such opportunities support in filling the gender gap.
Few suggestions for the future.
Keep going without being disheartened and losing faith. Vertica and Madhurima you have great charm and capacity and enrich the fraternity as a whole.
Note: This article was originally published on Surfaces Reporter December 2019 Issue.
