Earthen Hive Architects

Our workspace is at number 37 in Malleswaram West, specifically New Thippasandra. Malleswaram has that old-city feel that we really like. The office itself is in a building that’s seen some years, and it has a bit of character. We’ve filled the place with wooden shelves and a lot of samples of natural materials. There’s usually a bit of dust from the stone samples we keep around. We spend a lot of time discussing things like lime plaster or how to use mud bricks in a modern way. It’s not a high-tech looking place, though we do use our fair share of software. Most of the work involves sketching out ideas and then trying to see how they fit into the local landscape. We have a small balcony where we sometimes go to clear our heads when the drawings get too complicated. The neighborhood is quiet enough that we can actually hear the birds, which is a nice change from the main roads. We don't have a big marketing team or anyone like that. We just answer the phone ourselves and talk through whatever project is on the table. It's a slow, steady kind of work style here. We focus on the textures and the way things feel when you touch them, and that takes up most of our time at the studio.