The hundreds of planes Harsh Boghani made from waste paper as a kid took him places – literally so. His architect father Shailesh Boghani, who has been practising since 1982, recognised and encouraged his son’s inborn passion. After graduating with a gold medal from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology, Gujarat, Harsh worked at Boghani & Associates for six years before setting up its new arm in 2015 when he moved to Spain to pursue his Master’s at IAAC (Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia), Barcelona. While the parent organisation focuses on commercial projects, The Crossboundaries (TCB) works on smaller, bespoke architecture, product design and interiors. The experience he gained with architect Nuru Karim’s Nudes (Mumbai), MAD Architects (Beijing) and RSP (Dubai) helped Harsh lead his team to successfully deliver designs that blur boundaries between the practices of Architecture, Planning, Interiors and Product Design. Apart from projects in Dubai, he is presently working on the first five-star resort in Manali. “Having a renowned art university in town, we try to work closely with artists, visual designers and sculptors. We are a small firm that works out of Baroda, yet we do projects across the globe,” says the architect who believes that innovation is not just software-driven, but goes hand-in-hand with culture and history. Harsh Boghani Founder and Principal Architect, The Crossboundaries “Luxury is something that is bespoke and specially crafted for you” Hemant Purohit remembers always being drawn to architectural plans and layout maps. “Wayfinding, massing or sculpting were interesting topics for me,” he recalls. After completing his B.Arch from the Chandigarh College of Architecture and his Master’s in Urban Design from IAAC Barcelona, he worked in India and Spain with award-winning firms such as Serie Architects (Mumbai) and Guallart Architects (Barcelona). His portfolio spans master planning (residential and education), infrastructure/ transport, luxury residences, and high-end interiors. As co-founder of Note-D, he developed and grew the practice as principal designer and head of architecture and operations. His work has won recognition and awards. As head of education design with Cannon Design, Mumbai, he led projects ranging from large-scale universities to K-12, IB schools across the country. His proposals won national level competitions for the IITs and other institutions. As senior architect, KAPL, he headed master plan design for residential townships like Lodha Palava. Craftsmanship, freshness of design thought and natural materials are on Hemant’s must-have list for creating luxurious spaces. He argues that luxury is the right allocation of resources. “Resources, especially money, are inseparable from luxury – and yet the idea which speaks of the era it belongs to, is also very important,” he believes. “If it mimics the opulence of another time from the past, it cannot belong to the luxury of today.” Hemant Purohit Principal Architect, HPA “LuxeBook is a guide to what’s exclusive – to know, to experience, to have” | 27 | 26
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