The Journal
Notes from the studio.
Four decades of building, written down.
What Only the Client Can Decide
Eight decisions no consultant can take for you, and when each is needed.
3 min readPracticeBuilding in a Controlled Context
What the controls actually restrict, and why that is usually less than feared.
3 min readIndustrialWarehouse and Industrial Design: What Actually Governs
Clear height, grid, floor and docks, and why the vehicle decides the building.
3 min readPlanningTownship Master Planning: Why the First Fortnight Decides It
Density, roads, phasing and water, and why the first fortnight fixes them.
3 min readCostWhat It Costs to Build in Delhi NCR in 2026
The number nobody quotes honestly, and what actually sits inside it.
4 min readConstructionWhy Curtain Walls Leak in the Monsoon
Drained, not sealed, and why that distinction decides everything.
3 min readHospitalityThe Real Timeline of a Five-Star Hotel, From Brief to Handover
Brief to handover, stage by stage, and where the time actually goes.
4 min readPracticeReading a Set of Working Drawings: A Client's Guide
What each sheet is for, and the six questions that reveal an incomplete set.
3 min readPracticeBuilding in the Hills: What a Himalayan Site Teaches You About Everything Else
Slope, access, seismic zone and weather windows, and what they teach.
4 min readPolicyAffordable Housing Under DDJAY: What the Policy Actually Allows
Plot sizes, FAR, density, and the licensing change that closed the core NCR zones.
4 min readRegulationHigh-Rise Fire Safety, From NBC 2016 to NBCS 2026
The 15-metre threshold has moved to 24, and prescription has become performance.
4 min readInteriorsCorporate Office Interiors: The Ten Decisions That Set the Budget
Ten decisions, all taken early, that determine what the fit-out costs.
4 min readDeliveryWhy Projects Go Over Budget, and the Six Controls That Stop It
Six mechanisms, six controls, and why the overrun was decided long before it appeared.
4 min readDeliveryArchitect, Contractor or PMC: Who Actually Does What on Your Project
The three roles on every project, and the gaps where things go wrong.
4 min readApprovalsBuilding Plan Approvals in Delhi NCR: What Actually Happens Between Sanction and Completion
What actually happens between a sanctioned plan and a completion certificate.
4 min readPracticeVastu Shastra and Contemporary Architecture: What Actually Translates
What holds up as building science, what is convention, and how to resolve the two.
4 min readRegulationFAR, Ground Coverage and Setbacks: How Much Can You Actually Build?
The three numbers that decide your building, and the master plan question everyone gets wrong.
4 min readPolicyRERA: What It Actually Guarantees, and What It Doesn't
What the Act obliges, what it leaves alone, and how to read a registration.
4 min readDesignDesigning for Delhi's Climate
Four degrees to forty-seven in the same year, and what that demands of a building.
4 min readRetailWhat Makes a Mall Work
Why some centres trade and others empty, and when that was decided.
4 min readPracticeChoosing an Architect: Fees, Scope and the Questions That Matter
How fees are structured, what each stage includes, and what to ask before appointing.
3 min readSustainabilityGreen Building Certification in India: IGBC, GRIHA and LEED Compared
Three rating systems, what each rewards, and when certification is worth it.
3 min readConstructionThe Basement Question
Why basements cost what they do, and the decisions that cannot be undone.
3 min readDesignFacade Systems for Indian Conditions
Glass, stone, ACP and plaster, judged against dust, monsoon and maintenance.
3 min readStructureRCC, Steel or Composite
How the choice is actually made, and the factors that decide it.
3 min readHospitalityWhat a Hotel Operator's Brand Standards Actually Require
What the binder actually governs, and why it must arrive before the drawings.
3 min readPracticeRenovate or Rebuild: How to Decide
The five tests, and why the worst outcome is deciding halfway through.
3 min readDesignParking: The Most Underestimated Constraint in Indian Development
The constraint that shapes the grid, the basement and the economics.
3 min readInteriorsLighting Design: The Layer Most Projects Skip
The layer that decides how a finished room feels, and how it gets skipped.
3 min readDeliveryHandover: What to Check Before You Accept a Building
What to inspect, what to receive, and what accepting the keys actually means.
3 min read