Collective Project - Responsible Making: Materials in Practice

Responsible Making: Materials in Practice

CollectiveProject is a design studio founded in Bangalore, India by Cyrus Patell and Eliza Higgins in late 2013. As an approach, the studio believes in responsive design that is considered, personal and unique. Their approach does not begin with preconceived ideas of form/style; instead, it evolves through building on personal stories, material interests/explorations and an understanding of the site and its context. With each new project, the approach is fluid but specific to the place, with a strong focus on detailing and spatial narratives.

The studio's investigations occur at various scales, from private homes, schools and boutique office buildings to furniture and interiors. Material research and development is essential to their process, using regional resources and waste products to create contemporary architectural forms. Explorations include hybrid loadbearing wall construction using granite tile offcuts, wood waste composite panels and a recently completed home in Bangalore built with sun-dried mud concrete blocks using the debris from an existing home on the site that had to be demolished.

The talk will be structured around our journey/learnings as we reflect on our first ten years of practising in India, focusing on our process and experimentation with regional materials/methods and construction/production waste.

Please note this is an in-person only presentation. 

Speakers - Cyrus Patell and Eliza Higgins, Partners, Collective Project

Cyrus D Patell

Nationality: Indian

Born: 1982

B.Arch: RV School of Architecture, Bangalore, India – Class of 2004

M.Arch: Yale School of Architecture, New Haven, CT, USA - Class of 2010

Cyrus Patell is an architect who lives and works in Bangalore, India and is the co-founder of CollectiveProject. He has a BArch from Vishweshwaraya Technical University (RV College of Architecture) in Bangalore and a Master’s from Yale University (Class of 2010). Before transitioning to private practice, Cyrus worked in Mumbai with the office of Rahul Mehrotra and in New York for Kohn Pedersen Fox. In addition to leading the design and execution of many of the studios’ projects, Cyrus enjoys exploring the intersection between digital design and handcrafted production through personal studies of objects and furniture.

Eliza W Higgins

Nationality: American

Born: 1983

B.Arch: Roger Williams University School of Architecture, Bristol, RI, USA  - Class of 2006

M.Arch: Yale School of Architecture, New Haven, CT, USA – Class of 2010

Eliza Higgins co-founded CollectiveProject with partner Cyrus Patell in 2013. Now living full-time in Bangalore. Eliza previously practised as a designer in the offices of Canon Design, Deborah Berke Partners and Diller Scofidio + Renfro on institutional, hospitality and cultural projects. She received her Bachelor of Architecture from Roger Williams University and her Master’s from Yale University (Class of 2010), where she received the David M. Schwarz Architectural Services Award. She has been a guest visiting critic at Yale University, Parsons School of Design, University at Buffalo and Roger Williams University.