Kathuria Alok Architect

Alok works under the name Habitat Design Consultant at 24 New Lajpat Nagar. The office is a comfortable enough spot, though we’ve definitely outgrown the shelves we put up a few years ago. New Lajpat Nagar is a nice area, and we’ve been part of the landscape here for quite a while. Our daily routine is pretty predictable. We start early, go through the emails, and then spend several hours either at the drafting board or heading out to various sites to see how the construction is going. It’s a lot of driving around and talking to masons and carpenters. We aren't really into the high-pressure corporate style. We prefer to just sit down with a cup of tea and talk through what someone needs for their building. The office is usually a bit of a mess with blueprints and material samples like bricks or bits of glass scattered around. We think it’s important to see how things actually feel, not just look at them on a screen. Sometimes we stay late because a project is stuck, and we need to figure out a better way to do a staircase or a roof line. It’s just us trying to do a decent job and making sure the buildings are safe and look right. We’ve lived in this city a long time, so we know how the weather and the ground affect what we build.