Interview with Architect Alex Jacob, Bangalore
When did you first start your practice and what kind of projects have you been doing? I started my practice in 1991, and have followed a principle laid down in our strictures.”Thou shall not solicit work “; a philosophy that was better off in the sixties. For some strange reason I wish I were an adult in the 60’s than born then, as my taste for music produced in the 60’s and 70’s remains steadfast, as also the kind of Architecture that flourished before the advent of computers. Tell us something about your approach to your projects? My approach to work is that over the years I have found that the really challenging work, the projects where you get infinite freedom are very , very few; but of late I have a few in my bag. Even after twenty odd years of practice, I get projects where I am told what exactly to do, especially when it comes to the appearance of the building. While facades are important, the greater joy lies for me in what lies beyond the doors, much as I admire inner beauty in humans over ostentation. Do you feel architects and designers should be concerned about environmental sustainability? The environment should be our greatest concern. God knows we have damaged it enough. Our work always embodies water conservation and treatment if possible, I use open wells extensively to recharge the soil and advocate solar power to all our recent clients. Greening with trees has been a passion for me, and this is one area where I feel a lot of builders can do much more towards giving back to the soil what they take away. Hard scaping is good to keep clean surroundings, but water must percolate and trees must be planted extensively. Source: Zingy Homes
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