(“Text as taken from the website”)
Ambrish Arora
Design Principal
Ambrish Arora is founder of and Design Principal at Studio Lotus, a New Delhi-based multi-disciplinary design practice. Spanning the domains of Master Planning, Architecture & Interior Design the work of the award-winning practice, is grounded on the principles of Conscious Design – an inclusive approach that focusses on a rigorous process as much as the end result. Presently, Ambrish plays the role of Chief Mentor to the team. Through his practice, Ambrish has also campaigned for the revival of crafts and the integration of vernacular wisdom and artisanal skillsets in modern building practices, as a means to achieve cultural, social as well as environmental sustainability often through frugal and passive means relevant to the sub continent. Ambrish has been a part of several National advisories and Juries on Design & Architecture and has extensivley lectured internationally and within India and has a keen interest in building design leadership as a catalyst of change.
Sidhartha Talwar
Design Principal
Design Principal at Studio Lotus, Sidhartha is an Architect with a domain experience of over 20 years. He founded Studio Lotus in 2002 along with Ambrish Arora & Ankur Choksi. Across a span of two decades, he has headed and worked on diverse projects including Exhibitions, Retail and Corporate Interiors, and Thematic events; taking them from concept to execution. Sidhartha’s core strengths and passion lie in articulating space, project detailing, and implementation. At Studio Lotus, he has developed various architectural, interiors, and master planning projects largely in the fields of hospitality/ resorts, public buildings, and residences. Sidhartha has also won the National Architectural Design Competition held for the National Police Memorial, Shanti Path, New Delhi in October 2011. An Architect from TVB School of Habitat Studies, Delhi, Sidhartha started his career with architect Gautam Bhatia in 1996. He gained interest in exploring other mediums of spatial expression that led him to work with Exhibition Design firm Oriole in 1998 and subsequently as a Senior Design Associate at Design Habit. He has been a visiting faculty member at the TVB School of Habitat Studies. Sidhartha has also been part of visiting juries at the Sushant School of Architecture and other colleges.
Ankur Choksi
Design Principal
As Design Principal of Studio Lotus, Ankur adds over 19 years of in-depth experience to the practice. He founded Studio Lotus in 2002 along with Ambrish Arora & Sidhartha Talwar. A Graduate in Design from the National Institute of Design at Ahmedabad, Ankur trained and worked as a Graphic and Exhibition Designer, exploring multiple media at various design firms at the early stages of his career, before moving to Interior and Architectural Design. Ankur’s passion for stretching the conceptual possibilities of a project till its last detail is reflected in his diverse repertoire of Narrative-based Experiential Design that includes Retail and Hospitality Environments, Workspaces and Brand Experiences.
Ankur has an active interest in Design for Brands and Experiences, Design Education and impacting change in Evolving Communities through Design. He has spoken at various national design forums like FOAID and has served as visiting faculty and juror at prestigious institutions including NID and CEPT in Ahmedabad and NIFT in Delhi.
Practice Ideology
Founded in 2002 by Ambrish Arora, Ankur Choksi and Sidhartha Talwar, Studio Lotus is acknowledged as a thought leader in the country for its work in the domain of Architecture and Spatial Design. Our work is grounded on the principles of Conscious design, an approach that celebrates local resources, cultural influences, a keen attention to detail and an inclusive process. We follow an iterative and incremental methodology of innovation and root our learning in history and local context. We aim to craft benchmark solutions that address society’s changing ways of living and working. We explore ways to engage the user, the way they move through the space. We like taking design to an extremely conceptual stage. We find inspiration in ordinary things, everyday events and chance encounters. The firm takes a deeply contextual approach to its work and combines this with a strong focus on the tactile and sensory qualities of the space. Our design process looks at sustainability through the multiple lenses of cultural, social and environmental impact. There is an active engagement in integrating localised skills and resources with state-of-the art materials and technologies.
