easily. However, this turned out to be only

partly true. In the beginning I got small jobs –

the renovation and extension types. Also, I got

good work from established engineers who

outsourced work to architects. I did several

such assignments but unfortunately I could

not stake claim on them publically since I

worked anonymously for these engineers.

I got my first major break in 1986. It was the

Marut Nandan society at Bopal, Ahmedabad’s

fastest developing suburb at that time. Unlike

my previous jobs this one was in my name and

totally my creation. From here onwards I

moved on to better and bigger assignments.

In 1988, my career took another major

upswing after a chance meeting in a bus ride

to Shree Nathdwara where I had a couple of

on-going assignments. Along the way in the

bus I met Madanlal Kabra, owner of

Shreenath travels. As luck would have it he

had a 5000 square yards plot and was looking

out for an architect to design his home. The

eight hour journey to Shree Nathdwara ended

with him awarding me the assignment for

doing his bungalow. This was really big time.

So far I had done bungalows, but they were of

small size; say 200 to 400 square yards.

Once the Madanlal Kabra project was

complete I received several assignments in

Rajasthan. This was due to the fact that

Mr Madanlal Kabra is a very well connected

“Following Vaastu cannot do any harm;

and yet it may do wonders that none else can.”

This month, Vaastuyogam meets Ahmedabad

based Architect Harshad Prajapati.We met

him at his office near Income-Tax char rasta,

Ahmedabad.

Excerpts from the interview:-

When I came to Ahmedabad as an architect, I

came without any references or contacts. My

parents were at our hometown near Mehsana.

I had been warned that, because of my non

architectural background I might not find work

Born in Dholasan in the Mehsana district of

Gujarat Mr Harshad Prajapati went to school

in the nearby village of Ambaliyasan where his

father Mr.Keshavlal was practising as an

Ayurvedic doctor. In 1978, Mr Harshad

Prajapati joined the architecture course at the

Maharaja Sayajirao University , Vadodara.

In 1985, within two years of graduating as an

architect, he started his own firm, KuKe

Associates ( Ku for Kusum his mother and Ke

for Keshavlal his father)

Interestingly, the whole of his family is

involved with architecture. His son Tanmay is

an architect. He graduated from CEPT

School of Architecture, Ahmedabad last year

and works with Mr Harshad Prajapati at KuKe

Associates. Tanmay’s fiancé Mansi is

studying architecture at CEPT School of

Architecture. Mr Harshad Prajapati’s wife

Indira, though a botanist by training, picked

up interest in architecture and is currently – at

the age of 50 – studying interior design at

INIFD and plans to take up architectural

studies later.

Early years

ARCHITECT’S VOICE

- Architect Harshad Prajapati

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Architect Harshad Prajapati

No one wants entrances facing south. What does one do? It would be impossible to accommodate everyone. Yet, I have worked creative solutions to eliminate south entry for flats. I have achieved this by shifting locations of the lifts and sometimes, even the staircases. I can say, with full confidence that almost none of my flats, bungalows and offices have south entrances. The first thing I do when I get a drawing is mark the north and set the entrances before doing anything else.

ku-ke associates logo

ARCHITECT’S VOICE

person and on the day of the Vaastu of his

bungalow all the who’s who of Nathdwara and

nearby regions came to the function . My work

was seen and appreciated by them all. In fact,

I received many contracts from that very

crowd and there has always been work for me

in Rajasthan since then.

Ahmedabad architecture is good by Indian

standards; which is not to say that we don’t

have bad stuff here. One recent trend of the

excessive/indiscriminate use of glass facades

Architecture in Ahmedabad

in commercial buildings is very unsettling. On

the drawing board it looks excellent. After the

building is made it looks

glamorous and posh for the first

year or two. After that, the real –

and sad – part takes over in

most , if not all such buildings.

You see, Ahmedabad is a hot

and dusty city. It is neither

Europe nor U.S.A where you

have low temperatures and so

you need to retain the heat

inside the building. In

Ahmedabad, the excessive

and inappropriate use of glass

only adds to the heat inside the

building.

I am not against the use of glass; in fact I have

used it myself in Shail Mall at Ahmedabad.

Here I have used it in the north , which is the

least sunniest whereas, in the south I have put

a wall to screen off the heat.My point is that

glass is being used unimaginatively and

merely for the sake of using it.

Our design takes into consideration the

physical and perceptual conception of space;

the process oscillates from “inside-out” and

“outside-in” to achieve an architecture that is

On Design

both sensible and interesting. The aesthetics,

whilst consistent in objectives vary depending

on site conditions, the client’s brief and

exploration in new materials.

Like most architects I, too, have not studied

Vaastu in a formal and structured manner.

Whatever I know about Vaastu, I have learned

from the various Vaastu consultants

appointed by the clients on the jobs I have

done for them. The little that I know of Vaastu

has convinced me that the subject needs to be

taken up seriously and not left in the hands of

semi-skilled persons in the field.

Earlier on in my career there were times when

On Vaastu

Shail’s Mall at C.G. Road

I have had a happy experience with Vaastu. In my early days, during the time I was occupying my old office I was very busy , my work was well accepted by my clients yet this did not translate to a deserving monetary result. I was working harder and harder but earning lesser and lesser. Many within my circle of family and well-wishers advised me to change the sitting arrangements in the office. They advised that there was no harm in trying out a Vaastu solution. Finally, I changed my sitting arrangements to a Vaastu ordained one and, believe it or not, my money scenario changed for the better.

Kamla Enclave, Rajasthan

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re-worked Vaastu compliant design actually

looked better than my first design!

For me, there are two sides to Vaastu. One is

my personal view that is based on how Vaastu

has affected me. The second is the

professional view that is based on my

architectural practice.

In my personal life, I have had a happy

experience with Vaastu. In my early days,

during the time I was occupying my old office I

was very busy, my work was well

accepted by my clients yet this

did not translate to a deserving

monetary result. I was working

harder and harder but earning

lesser and lesser. Many within

my circle of family and well-

wishers advised me to change

the sitting arrangements in the

office. They advised that there

was no harm in trying out a

Vaastu solution. Finally, I

c h a n g e d m y s i t t i n g

arrangements to a Vaastu

ordained one and, believe it or

not , my money scenar io

changed for the better.

Over the years, my respect for Vaastu has not

diminished. Right now, I am looking out for a

plot to build my new house and without even a

Vaastu Personal experience v/s Professional

experience

I got thoroughly frustrated by the minute

detailing insisted upon by the Vaastu

consultant. He had no idea about architecture

and nor was he interested in it. His sole

agenda of Vaastu played havoc with the

design process. I must confess that in one

case when I was doing a house in Rajasthan,

the Vaastu “hammering” became so

intolerable that I told my client that either he

get his Vaastu compliant house made from

someone else or he let me do it my way. This

was a turning point. That night, I gave the

matter a longre think.

Finally, I decided to take it up as a challenge. I

said to myself, “Let me forget the Vaastu word.

Let me think of this whole intervention as a

requirement of the client. It is his home. It is his

money. Who am I to be meddling in his life

style? As an architect it is my responsibility to

meet the client’s brief.”

I went about re-working my drawings. It was

serious reshuffling but in the end it brought out

the better side of my design ability. Finally, the

thought I have instinctively rejected all south

facing options though I have been told that not

all south facing plots are necessarily anti-

Vaastu.

As an architect I have seen that Vaastu can be

incorporated into design provided one is

willing to bear some additional costs. Also, the

architect will have to exert himself creatively.

The cost of land is spiralling and for an

architect it becomes important to use the floor

space optimally. Implementing Vaastu makes

this difficult especially in multi-storeyed

buildings with flats/offices.

The current demand is for North, East and

West facing homes. No one wants entrances

facing south. What does one do? It would be

impossible to accommodate everyone. Yet, I

have worked creative solutions to eliminate

ARCHITECT’S VOICE

Girivar Palms at Vastral, Ahmedabad

Our design takes into consideration the physical and perceptual conception of space; the process oscillates from “inside-out” and “outside-in” to achieve an architecture that is both sensible and interesting. The aesthetics, whilst consistent in objectives vary depending on site conditions, the client’s brief and exploration in new materials.

Project at University Road, Ahmedabad

u April 2011 3

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Vaastu has been of

invaluable support to

me in my life. I would

advise people to

accommodate Vaastu

to the maximum extent

possible. I know this

will entail tremendous

commitment from

everyone involved.

ARCHITECT’S VOICE south entry for flats. I have achieved this by

shifting locations of the lifts and sometimes,

even the staircases. I can say, with full

confidence that almost none of my flats,

bungalows and offices have south entrances.

The first thing I do when I get a drawing is mark

the north and set the entrances before doing

anything else. However, this brings in its own

set of new confusions. Apart from the

requirement of a non-south facing entrance

another requirement is of a kitchen in the

south-east.

Now, if you have an entrance door in the north

and you have the kitchen at the far opposite

end in the south-east you end up in a

quandary. Logic says that the kitchen, dining

and drawing room should be clubbed to

optimise circulation. Positioning the kitchen at

the far opposite end necessitates a corridor,

which makes for poor space utilization

Even here, I have experimented with the

corridor size, making them broader to

accommodate a puja room or a computer

workspace. Thus, we do achieve Vaastu

compliance but at the cost of the efficiency of

the carpet area.

I would advise people to accommodate

Vaastu to the maximum extent possible. I

know this will entail tremendous commitment

from everyone involved.

As a devout Hindu, I believe in the power of

the Supreme. Vaastu is part of our Vedic

pantheon and deserves reverence and

following. Vaastu has been of invaluable

support to me in my life. Following Vaastu

cannot do any harm; and yet it may do

wonders that none else can.

Conclusion

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