OUR STORY…
On a cold December night, sitting in the small hut of ‘Cuckoo Forest School,’ seeds of Akarmaa were sown. One of the interpretations of ‘Akarmaa’ is ‘Selfless Action’ where both the doer and done cease to exist. ‘Akarmaa’ also means to ‘unlearn.’
Akarmaa is a multi-disciplinary organization. It has been working as a collective for the past ten years towards developing design and advocacy in the fields of heritage, environment and education.
Akarmaa believes in sustainable practices for newly built spaces and of the old spaces that have shown resilience through time. Akarmaa also believes in the process of doing while constantly reflecting and making efforts to design, restore and build context sensitive, cost-effective spaces for people from different socio-economic backgrounds; and approach conservation with an intent to preserve values that need to be carried forward from the past while introducing aspects to support modern functional needs.
Illustration credits: Kairav A.K.
Fellowships
“Try! You want something, go try.
What could happen at its maximum is ‘nothing’.”
– Doshi,
2017, in a conversation with Kaushik and Arunima at Sangath, Ahmedabad.
We would love to share our stories and explorations. Most of our works are in continumm in research, all are welcome to be a part of it.
Participations
“Conversation is the image of the mind”
– Publilius Syrus
20220212 Workshop, ISOLA, UNBUILT Landscapes
20220112 Presentation, Arugu, IIA AP Chapter
Children of Landscape
CITY unFOLDED
Over the years…
Media
“I believe that if it were left to the artists to choose their own labels, most would choose none.”
– Ben Shahn
We are humbled by the acknowledgements received by sharing of Akarmaa’s work.
Exhibitions
“Step 1: Wonder at something.
Step 2: Invite others to wonder with you.”
– Austin Kleon
Exhibits are…
Workshops | Seminars | Interactions
“I’m beginning to look less and less at a work of architecture as being an object. It is a phenomenon; its a transitional phasein a kind of continual transformation between many kinds of selves.”
– Prof.Neelkanth Chhaya
Book, Listening to Stillness Volume II : On Architecture
Vocational Center
Thathagata
Mars Dog Shelter
43 Brick house
Residence at Kulithalai
Iskcon Center For Value Education
Dusi
To explore learning of architecture as a way of life,
to be able to see daily life as a source of knowledge towards development of architecture.
To work with people, understand the patterns of life and the spaces that support life;
To understand being conscious of our lifestyle and its inter-dependency on the environment;
Akarmaa interacts and shares practices from our journey through interactions in the form of workshops and seminars. Attributing to Akarmaa’s belief in learning by doing, multiple initiatives and collaborations are possible.
Work is underway for exploring further…
See ALL Workshops
Publication
“If you give away everything you have, you are left with nothing.
This forces you to look, to be aware, to replenish…
Somehow the more you give away, the more comes back to you.”
– Paul Arden
…
People
“In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen- really seen.”
– Brene Brown
Akarmaa belongs to everyone who has crossed paths, including you…
CONNECT : Intern | Work | Collaborate
You are unique,
just like i am, just like anybody and everybody else.
Like the different strokes of lines that come together to form meaning,
Akarmaa believes in the possibilities of meaningful work being done together.
Each one of us bringing to the table our thoughts and skill sets, adding value to a project.
We strongly believe that the process of doing the work, is the process of our own becoming.
Skills can be learnt while character and attitude towards learning, sharing and collectively growing is a personal trait. For all who believe in the joy of exploring and in the power of being truthful to oneself, Akarmaa is open to knowing you and we can together explore options of working for each other’s fulfilment.
We work in different places across the country; with studio space in
Thiruvannamalai | Hyderabad | Chennai
Akarmaa Designs works in the area of architecture, conservation and other allied professional practices. You can send your portfolio and most importantly write to us at akarmaadesigns@gmail.com
One can be pursuing their field of study or work while wanting to contribute to in terms of thoughts or action. Akarmaa is also open to the idea of volunteering on projects that might be of interest to one.
Akarmaa Foundation is a work from the heart for fellow beings in the realm of education, heritage and environment. If you wish to be a part of the different projects you can write about yourself to akarmaafoundation@gmail.com