Ajith Andagere handcrafts homes from his studio in Magadi

Some spaces don’t need to do much to magnetise you to them. Of course, as you get to know architect Ajith Andagere, you realise that statement is the whole philosophy of his practice. But I am meeting the man and visiting his Goa studio for the first time and walking through the Goan lanes of chaos into his studio—it makes complete sense if you know about his work—I am immediately soothed. With his curly mop of hair, dressed in khadi-linen trousers and shirt as Ajith opens the door, fifty percent of the job is done by the wafting fragrance of filter coffee and the signature steel glasses I spot immediately. And the rest, by the airy expanse of his minimal open-plan office.

Ajith started his studio in Goa only two years ago, but Andagere Architects has been working for 22 years—from Hampi to Bengaluru to its latest home Magadi near Bengaluru. “I was done with the city. So, I bought a farm where I could plant my trees and live there for life.” But a chance encounter with his current business partner brought him to Goa in search of newer pastures. “He really connected with my work. And the proposition was tempting because he already had the land, so I don’t have to think about anything except building the houses exactly as I like. It’s like being my own client, the best feeling,” he smiles.

Beautiful Homes: What is the philosophy of your practice?

Ajith Andagere: As architects, we have understood that we play a very important role in society. One is to build appropriately taking care of surrounding nature and the Earth, and the second to give support to the dying crafts. Andagere Architects is a 360 degree-involvement architectural practice. When I say 360 degrees, we don't just act as architect consultants—we, of course design a building, and also get involved in construction management. The philosophy of my practice is that we try to keep it quite simple, minimal and straightforward which definitely finds inspiration from how people used to build earlier. We try to use materials that age well while reducing the usage of industrially produced material. And a lot of work is done by hand, which I believe adds to the soul.

BH: What according to you is minimalism?

AA: We want to simplify the whole process, so we are always in the quest of what not to do rather than what to do. Because what to do is easy today—there are so many ideas and materials available. So, anybody can design a house in that sense. In our observation, the old beautiful houses were built with two or three materials. They've created such beauty using few materials and very little resources. But we are failing today in the 21st century— with so much available material and craftsmanship, we're not able to achieve what they have achieved.

BH: Which materials do you mainly work with in your architecture projects?

AA: So, there are three main materials that people have been using to build beautiful homes traditionally. I don't use cement unless it's really, really required. We use earth, wood and stone, which is available locally. It's not industrially cut, we have a very basic way of cutting the stones and wood. But none of what we're doing was invented by us. It is all time tested—the material, detailing and the thought process is traditional. 

BH: What is the idea behind Kaikale?

AA: Kaikale is located in a village called Gollarapalya, which is close to Magadi town. Magadi is located about 45 kilometers west of Bengaluru. The philosophy behind Kaikale, as its name says, is that it's people-driven more than machine-driven. We use carpenters, blacksmiths, cane weavers, stone cutters and we work with materials like leather, wood and fabric. We do have machines which we utilise to get a bit of speed and precision, which is kind of helping the hands to give a proper shape to the pieces.