A Journey Rooted in Intuition and Craft
Celebrated Indian architect Sangeeta Merchant co-founded SPASM Design Architects, a Mumbai-based practice she and Sanjeev Panjabi founded in 1995. After graduating from the Mumbai Academy of Architecture, Merchant has over twenty years of experience creating architectural narratives that are both emotionally and materially honest. Instead of using gaudy adornment, her art relies on the power of constraint to create atmospheres that are both poetic and useful. Her contributions to redefining the Indian residential and contextual design language have been often acknowledged in magazines like Architectural Digest India’s AD100.
Design Philosophy: Architecture as a Living Atmosphere
The basic concept of Merchant’s methodology is that architecture is about creating experiences rather than only creating structures. The experiential clarity, spatial fluidity, and ageability of SPASM’s creations are well-known. Merchant focuses on intuitive design techniques, where the materials, sunshine, and even the feel of the land all play a crucial role in the creative process. While embracing simplicity, her architecture never loses sight of elegance that is based on coziness and genuineness. Her structures, which range from handcrafted brick walls to basalt cliffs, react to both local and global sensibilities while maintaining a timeless elegance.
Signature Projects: Carving Meaning from Material
Under the direction of Sangeeta Merchant, the Brick Kiln House in Alibag, Maharashtra, is among the most famous projects. Blending form, memory, and soil, this home, which was built using locally produced bricks, reimagines the traditional kiln as a living area. The House Cast in Liquid Stone project in Khopoli is another outstanding example. Using local basalt, Merchant and her team created a home that feels like it was created from the natural surroundings. Large stone courtyards and a climate-responsive architecture that strikes a balance between security and tranquility are features of the Black Bastion House in Coimbatore, which takes inspiration from historic forts.
Another notable structure is Ahmedabad’s Secret Gardens House, which is arranged in a cross shape and covered in warm sandstone. Here, individual gardens are synchronized with light, wind, and space to create a breathing retreat. Her most recent building, the Parikrama House in Murud, which spans almost three acres and honors sacred geometry and ceremonial movement, demonstrates a deeper investigation into the circularity of life and architecture.
A Broader Voice in Sustainability and Cultural Dialogue
Sangeeta Merchant’s influence extends beyond private homes. Her work on public installations like “There Is No Planet B”, created for the STIR:ADFF Mumbai pavilion, speaks to her growing engagement with sustainability, climate, and cultural symbolism. Built from bamboo, jute, and clay tiles, the structure frames a sacred peepal tree and offers a contemporary reflection on India’s chaitya spaces. Through such projects, Merchant explores how design can become a language of protest, preservation, and planetary care.
Legacy and Influence
A quiet revolutionary who is redefining what it means to build in India today, Sangeeta Merchant is more than just an architect. Her art envelops, whispers, and draws you in rather than shouting. Every project is an active, living organism that respects the land it is on, the people who live there, and the materials that make it up. She continues to subvert conventions in design and luxury through SPASM Design Architects, creating environments that are both widely relatable and profoundly Indian.
