S1 Ep3: Architecture, Ideology and Design with Shitij Dogra

Good For Construction

Introduction:
Shitij Dogra Architects founded in 2017 is a multifaceted practice which aims to create spaces that respond to the context and aesthetics of a given environment. Through thorough theoretical research the firm aims to establish a philosophy which experiments with, and integrates different material sensibilities into a given context. The firm is a multidisciplinary unit covering wide arrays of design principles such as interior, architecture and furniture. The firm is currently working on projects of different scale and sensibility. Some of the on-going projects include two biomass plants in Punjab, a residence in Nainital, a few residences in Gurugram and a farmhouse extension in Delhi.
The firm has launched a major section of its flagship furniture series ‘Newborns’ in the India Design 2019 symposium.
Shitij's Work: @shitijdograarchitects (Instagram)
Connect: [e-mail]
Time Stamps:

1:50 - (Eesha) How would you define Shitij Dogra Architects?
4:06 - (Eesha) Did you always know you'd start your own firm?
6:26 - (Eesha) Did you make an effort to network in college and maintain contacts?
7:05 - (Shitij) I'm a workaholic and if in college I had two months off, I'd go work in offices
7:50 - (Eesha) When did you realise you had enough experience to start your own firm?
8:07 - (Shitij) I worked for 4.5-5 years before deciding to start my own firm. I worked with Romi Khosla, Sameera Rathod and Harsh Vardhan Jain
8:30 - (Shitij) When I was at Romi Khosla, I learnt how to make working drawings and the deign process
10:08 - (Shitij) With time the entire process of the boss allocation g projects to you became repetitive
11:40 - (Eesha) When you decided to start your firm, who did you go to first?
12:04 - (Shitij) My parents asked me, do you have a project and I said no
12:20 - (Shitij) I told them I'd make furniture and they asked why furniture?
13:36 - (Eesha) Did you do all the ground work on your own or did you have any help?
16:00 - (Eesha) Where does your team come from?
16:44 - (Shitij) If the carpenter is good the stone guy will also be good, because their work needs to interlock
18:26 - (Shitij) There are times when you fail and you fail big time
19:15 - (Eesha) After deciding to start a firm, what was the first step?
20:50 - (Eesha) So where and how was your first day at Shitij Dogra Architects?
23:00 - (Eesha) When and how did you get your first project?
25:15 - (Shitij) You get projects on the road!
30:34 - (Shitij) Eventually in my head I stopped calling these pieces furniture, I started calling them functional sculptures
31:10 - (Shitij) An art piece is a little selfish, a furniture piece is selfless
33:37 - (Shitij) I think as architects or designers, we need to be emotional about what we make
35:18 - (Shitij) In the end, it needs to help you sleep at night
35:30 - (Eesha) Let's talk about clients and failures
43:09 - (Shitij) I think, the things we create and the materials we use are a direct reflection of who you are as a person
43:24 - (Shitij) Design is an ideology, it's a way of living, it's not just what your hand sketches. It's how you get up and how you sleep
50:20 - (Shitij) The day I compromise is the day I fail
50:50 - (Eesha) Let's discuss failure