Architects Work From Home: Ar. Sabeena Khanna explores the new normal
“In retrospect, we might consider work-from-home possibilities every month for our team after the lockdown is removed.”
– Ar. Sabeena Khanna, Co-founder, Studio KIA, New Delhi
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. Sabeena Khanna, Co-founder, Studio KIA, New Delhi.
“We initiated a work-from-home policy for our team even before the national lockdown was imposed, to safeguard them and their families. Despite the stressful times, the policy has been a productive experience so far. Architecture is creativity unbound by the formalities of a structured workspace and we experience the abundant inspiration that can have its ‘eureka’ moment at any time and place.”
“We use technology for communication, interaction, data storage and security. A large design studio has been divided into independent silos that are brought together at the click of a button. Systems have been put together so that our team members can work remotely yet be part of a team.”
“We engage with our team through daily reviews to set targets and measure our productivity levels. Flexible hours make work an enjoyable process as long as the deliverables are processed on time. In these times, the time in commuting to work is saved and we can deliver more in a day than was possible before. We can adapt ourselves to work at our pace, as we see a paradigm shift from physical to virtual offices. Reduced traffic on the roads will contribute to reduced carbon footprint, low pollution and cleaner surroundings.”
“In retrospect, we might consider work-from-home possibilities every month for our team after the lockdown is removed.”
