As Indian architecture emerges through its challenges of identity & contemporary relevance, we see our practice at Dustudio (formerly Buildaur) in Auroville as ever evolving in the international context of Community life while respecting & learning from traditions that keep you rooted in your context. Dustudio is a collaborative practice that takes its inspiration from ancient Indian wisdom & art
of building where form is the creation of the spirit and draws all its meaning and value from the infinite spirit. An attempt to achieve a synthesis between traditional ways of designing and building while responding to the contemporary context that is climatically appropriate, energy efficient & creates a conscious space for artisans to participate in this process of creation. Our practice strives to work joyfully together with a team of professionals, dedicated to the ideal of unending education by various ways of learning, acquiring and sharing knowledge through research, interactions & enquiry. We consciously work with like-minded organisations to create aesthetic, holistic living environment through a rigorous participatory design process with our clients and collaborators, learning from each other’s expertise and widening the base of our knowledge. Extensively exploring & innovating with materials like stabilised rammed earth, terracotta etc, Dustudio attempts to create a contemporary identity for these materials while being rooted in its local context. Working in various parts of the country, this practice has evolved over last two decades with several collaborations & challenges of working in Auroville context. Our explorations have taken us deeper into the issues of sustainability, resilience and restraint in design, redefining minimalism in architecture that is culturally, socially, economically & environmentally sustainable & not just a bye product of a lifestyle statement. We see networking and collaborating as an enriching experience where sharing knowledge builds long lasting working relationships & innovative ways of working together for a larger cause. We believe in India’s possibilities of leading the world of architecture by finding new expressions of its ancient cultural ethos & spirit, while creating new forms that are a blend of its cultural identity as well as contemporary relevance that can create a living culture of sustainability.
