Dear fellow creators of spaces,
Remember that project in Defence Colony where you called me in after everything else was finalized? The one where water became an afterthought squeezed into whatever space remained? We both know how that turned out.
Now think about that South Delhi residence where we collaborated from day one – where water movement shaped the circulation patterns, where sound transitions guided people through spaces, where reflection and light became fundamental to the experience rather than decorative additions.
The difference wasn’t budget or scale. It was timing and perspective.
After three decades partnering with Delhi’s architectural community, I’ve noticed something fascinating: the most successful water integrations happen when we stop thinking of water as something that gets “added” to architecture and start recognizing it as a form of architecture itself – a medium with its own vocabulary of space, movement, sound, and light.
The Unseen Conversation Between Water and Space
Had a revelation while working with a young architectural team in Greater Kailash recently. They’d shown me beautiful rendered perspectives of their proposed courtyard with a water element. But when we walked the actual space together, something felt off.
“Close your eyes,” I suggested. “Now tell me what you hear.”
The ambient sounds of Delhi filtered through – distant traffic, neighborhood sounds, air conditioners humming. Opening their eyes, the lead architect immediately understood. “The water needs to speak to these existing sounds, not compete with them.”
This conversation – between water and existing space – is happening whether we acknowledge it or not. The question is whether we’re active participants in that dialogue or merely accidental contributors.
I think about a project in Sundar Nagar where an architect insisted on a particular stone for a water wall. Beautiful material, terrible acoustics. After installation, the sound was so harsh that the space – intended for contemplation – became actively unpleasant. Had we tested the acoustic properties of that stone with water before committing, we could have saved months of redesign.
On the flip side, I remember a brilliant solution from a collaborative project in Panchsheel Park. The architect had created a challenging space with multiple hard surfaces that created acoustic problems. Rather than fighting the architecture, we designed a water feature specifically to diffuse and complement the existing sound reflections. The result was transformative – not because we imposed our will on the space, but because we listened to what it needed.
Beyond the Visual: Designing for All Senses
Let’s be honest – renderings can be deceptive when it comes to water. That perfect blue rectangle with idealized ripples looks wonderfully peaceful on screen. But architecture exists in four dimensions, and water is perhaps the most multisensory element we work with.
Was reviewing plans with an architect for a Shanti Niketan project when I asked, “What does this space smell like?” I got a puzzled look in return. Yet anyone who’s experienced poorly designed water features knows they can develop unpleasant odors, while thoughtfully engineered systems can enhance air quality and even introduce subtle, beneficial aromas.
Similarly, the tactile dimension of water often gets overlooked. For a family home in Nizamuddin East, we created a water feature with multiple touching points at different temperatures – cool, smooth stone at water level for hot summer days, and sun-warmed surfaces for winter months. These weren’t fancy technical additions, just thoughtful considerations of how humans physically interact with water throughout the year
I’ve noticed the most forward-thinking architects in Delhi are increasingly approaching water as a dynamic building material rather than a decorative addition. Like understanding how concrete cures or how wood responds to humidity, knowing how water behaves in different contexts becomes fundamental to good design.
A conversation with a senior architect in Lajpat Nagar crystalized this perfectly. “In school,” she told me, “we studied materials science – concrete, steel, glass. But nobody taught us water as a material, with its own properties, behaviors, and requirements. We’re all learning as we go.”
Some of the most successful collaborations I’ve had with Delhi’s architectural community have come from this materials-based perspective – treating water as having specific technical requirements and behavioral characteristics rather than just aesthetic possibilities.
For the architects and designers reading this – I want to propose a shift in how we approach water in our collaborations. Rather than “adding a water feature,” what if we explored “incorporating water as a material” from the earliest conceptual phases?
What if circulation studies included acoustic mapping? What if material boards included water interaction samples? What if lighting plans considered reflection and refraction from day one?
The most visionary architects I’ve worked with in Delhi NCR don’t see water as my domain and buildings as theirs. Instead, they see our collaboration as an integrated exploration of how space, light, sound, and water can work together to create environments that resonate on levels beyond the merely visual.
To those architects who’ve trusted me as a water collaborator over the years – thank you. Your willingness to bring specialized water knowledge into your design process early has resulted in our most successful projects.
And to those considering water for upcoming projects – I’d suggest that when water is treated as fundamental architecture rather than added ornament, the results transcend both our disciplines.
Respectfully,
A fellow creator of experiences
Note: While reflecting actual collaborative experiences with Delhi’s architectural community, specific project details have been modified to protect client confidentiality.
