Sarab Architects & Consultants, Mohali

Designation

Principal Architect

Company Name

Sarab Architects & Consultants, Mohali

Designing spaces like never before – is how Sarab Marwah defines innovation in the architectural realm. “It is like poetry; same pen, same paper, but different representation,” she adds. At her Mohali-based practice, she has been composing spaces that reflect the client’s personality, ensuring it is practical and aesthetically good at the same time. 

Realising that an architect is blessed with the “power to create not only for self, but others,” a young Marwah was drawn instinctively to the field. The natural progression was to get an architecture degree from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, graduating in 2007. Thereafter, training at Architect Hafeez Contractor in Mumbai for three years was a defining experience. “His way of working has always been an inspiration, and the first step towards my career,” she mentions with gratitude.

Once she was back in Mohali, Sarab Architects & Consultants was born as a multi-disciplinary office working on varied projects – from large-scale planning, interior design to furniture design. Marwah with her team of designers and consultants are “enthusiastic in their ambition and professional in practice.” The approach is to convert intense research and analysis of practical as well as theoretical issues into the driving forces of design.

“SAC is able to combine innovative thinking and efficient execution. It sees its position as a partner to the client, rather than only the consultant,” says the principal architect. “We promote the use of natural light and ventilation. No matter how big or small the project is, our attempt is to make it energy efficient as much possible with the available resources. We use software to understand and design the project according to the energy flow.”

While designing a showroom for Roca & Parryware products, Marwah took cues from luxury bathing of the past, viz, Middle Eastern ‘hamam’. The focal element was the centrally-placed bath tub, so she used automated lighting to create a night and a day scene. “During the day, the hidden lighting above the pergola gives the feel of bright sunlight, whereas the classical chandelier gets lit up during the night,” adds Marwah.

When it comes to traditional wisdom, the courtyard concept has always intrigued her. “It acts as the lungs and eyes of the building…and functions as a corrective thermostat,” she explains. For a villa at Bathinda – one of her significant projects, she explored this concept in a manner that both traditional and contemporary sensibilities came together harmoniously.