Dean D’Cruz

Name

Dean D’Cruz

Company Name

mozaic

Dean’s design DNA has the imprint of ‘Natural Architecture’, the firm which he partnered with Gerard da Cunha for seven years.  As the name of the firm suggests, he carried the principles of creating sensible spaces using local materials and reinterpreting traditional architecture when he set up Mozaic. D’Cruz, an alumnus of Sir JJ College of Architecture, used these concepts when he embarked on low-cost home projects; leading up to his rendition of small boutique hotels.  This brought lessons of understanding the materials, the low-cost approach, high-level of personalisation and insights into different design approaches; resulting in Mozaic seamlessly embarking on institutional projects.  Each project was inwardly driven by relying on local inputs and craftsmanship, innovating to depart from a fixed vocabulary. The use of elements of weather that allow the use of open spaces led to lighter, pavilion-like solutions, which speak of the joy that D’Cruz takes in experimenting with forms and structure.  The Design Centre, Mozaic’s latest creation, actively carries relevant conversations forward through their many initiatives while encouraging an advocacy approach by architects to use their visionary skills to influence change.  D’Cruz encourages fellow creatives to dwell on the outcomes by tuning in to the views of professionals and end users while staying sensitive to the responsibility of the methodology to maintain a low footprint.