With a studio legacy that began in 1960, and a leadership built on the dialogue between Ar. Jamshed Banaji and Ar. Nirmala Banaji, the architectural language has come to understand that multi-generational design leadership is not just about passing the baton; it’s about evolving the language of design without erasing its grammar.
There’s a unique power that comes from building on continuity. The designs are a fusion of decision-making, layering of design voices, perspectives and values. This results in a structure that is more nuanced, more grounded, and more enduring. Our practice philosophy, ‘Simple but Different’, is a product of this balance. We work at the intersection of clarity and craft, where modern needs meet timeless principles.
In one recent home, spatial flow was guided by inherited principles of proportion and natural light. A floating staircase, conceived as structure and sculpture, anchored the space without overpowering it. Materials like travertine, soft-toned marble, and warm wood were selected not for drama, but for their ability to age gracefully, quietly aligning with the rhythms of daily life. Light was curated, not cast, allowing every surface to reveal itself over time.
Elsewhere, in a more immersive retail environment, design decisions were shaped by years of experience and modernity in equal measure. Carved wood, heritage mirror frames, velvet textures, and soft gold lighting offered a setting that felt inherited and intentional. Every element was composed to create a sensory narrative, rooted in tradition but distinctly contemporary in its restraint.
These design responses come from compromise and collaboration across generations. While one voice emphasises architectural precision, the other layers it with emotional texture. Where one draws from heritage, the other refines it with lived experience. It is in this interplay that the most meaningful decisions are made, not just for the project but for the people who inhabit it.
In an industry that often leans toward speed and reinvention, a multi-generational lens brings something far rarer: continuity with consciousness. It is more than what we build; it’s about that we choose to carry forward, reinterpret, and quietly let go.
Perhaps the question isn’t how multi-generational firms differ from the rest. Perhaps it’s how they remind us of what architecture can become when time is treated not as a constraint but as a collaborator!
