GET TO KNOW THE JURORS

TRENDS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

- AVNI RAUT

Neesha Alwani

DESIGN PRINCIPAL, NS A ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIORS

It was a trip to New York structures there, that really sparked Neesha's interest in built forms. Being technically inclined, the skyscrapers of the city intrigued her with respect to their engineering aspects and this curiosity eventually led to her pursuing architecture as a profession. Neesha completed her Bachelors of Architecture from Kamla Raheja Vidhyanidhi Institute of Architecture in Mumbai and then went on to work with architect Nozer Wadia who was an important influence in the early stages of her career. It was here that Neesha met Shruti Jalan, whom she would eventually go on to set up their firm ns*a Architecture and Interiors with.

The duo has shaped their practice on their strong beliefs, individualistic strengths, and thought processes that are perfectly in sync with each other. "We both put our heads together and design; our design philosophy is the same and we think in the same direction. It's very strange, I'll start drawing something and she will complete it, and vice versa," she says.

Neesha's perceptive nature enables her to minutely break down and interpret client briefs, identify the eventual objective and translate the intangibles into stimulating spatial experiences for the end-users, be it designing commercial spaces where aspects like branding are a governing factor or residential projects where the homeowners' preferences take precedence. She places a keen emphasis on functionality, seamlessly integrating aesthetics into the equation, and deems collaborations an important part of projects to explore newer possibilities in spatial design.