Architects Work From Home: Ar. Bhavya Kenkare explores the new normal
“As an architect and interior designer, I focus on health and safety standards by designing low-maintenance and practical spaces for simple and efficient living. Also, I encourage working with local materials and artisans to achieve the best value for my clients.”
– Ar. Bhavya Kenkare, Co-founder, Arch-aid Architects, Mumbai
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the architecture and design industry and has resulted in a delay in ongoing and future projects. No sourcing of materials, no physical inspection, and missed project deadlines in many cases have incurred huge losses. Today, we share the insights of Ar. Bhavya Kenkare, Co-founder, Arch-aid Architects, Mumbai.
“Design is a generic process where we ideate, work on our designs, and refine aesthetic details. We update our knowledge with extensive research and live webinars, but we can only do that so much when it comes to working from home. Site constructions need constant supervision, face-to-face meetings, and interaction with clients, material suppliers, and the labor force. We need to sample materials, but the site needs to be accessed to be assessed.”
“As for our work-from-home policy, our junior staff perfect their designs on projects that have already been discussed and were decided before lockdown. We interact continuously through mobile and video conference applications, but it hasn’t been quite easy due to the low productivity and effectivity. We try our best to maintain their focus and discipline which is frankly hard to achieve due to the prevalent comfort zone. Moreover, we have to pay salaries to our staff, which is difficult as we do not have any client revenue coming in. We are dependent on external resources and staff, which has hampered our lookout on projects as well.”
“Our firm has strongly advised our team, clients, and vendors to maintain stringent hygiene and safety standards, boost their immunity, and keep themselves active. The pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have added to the erstwhile economic recession and layoffs are predicted due to the same. As an architect and interior designer, I focus on health and safety standards by designing low-maintenance and practical spaces for simple and efficient living. I also encourage working with local materials and artisans to achieve the best value for my clients.”
