APURVA PURANDARE
Photo credit Jitendra Sawant, 2020
B.Arch. from University of Mumbai and M.Arch. from UCLA | Job Captain at GMPA Architects, Los Angeles.
Apurva Purandare works in Architecture and Planning in Los Angeles, CA. After living and working in LA for the past 6 years, she has had the pleasure of collaborating with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures.
She is a UCLA Architecture and Urban Design, M.Arch. alum and was part of the Surpastudio held by Thom Mayne in 2015. She was a recipient of the JN Tata endowment for higher education in 2013. A licensed Architect in India, she is currently pursuing her licensure in California.
She's particularly skilled in large-scale residential and mixed-use building typologies and currently works as a Job Captain at GMPA Architects. Prior to that, she was involved in commercial and institutional architecture in India and was a volunteer researcher focusing on documentation and study of informal housing sprawl in Mumbai city. She recognizes the acute shortage of affordable housing in Los Angeles and hopes to build experience and advance her efforts as a researcher in social housing.
Shaping of the question is part of the answer
What inspired you to pursue architecture?
I think that it was a process. The inspiration was a result of days of research, pros and cons made by a 19-year old me. It was 2008 in Mumbai and most of my friends were aiming for medical or engineering school. I have admiration for those professions but I knew that it wasn't for me. When I stumbled across architecture, I recall experiencing clarity, it felt like it would be the right fit.
My parents, who have been avid fans of my artwork early on, were excited that I was considering a creative field of study. I attended some lectures on getting into Architecture school and what to expect and I soon realized that it involved a lot of problem solving and I enjoyed that. I think that's what makes the Architecture education so great and versatile, it teaches you how to frame an issue and work on alternatives to address it by design. There is a quote by Piet Hein, a Danish polymath “Art is solving problems that cannot be formulated before they have been solved. The shaping of the question is part of the answer.”
The decision was tough though, I didn’t find that many Architect role models that I could relate with. The final push came from my mom, who has always believed in me. My parents broke barriers to be with each other at the time and that inculcated in us the courage of doing what we love even if it sometimes means going against the tide.
Development Diagrams, GMPA Architects, courtesy of Apurva Purandare. Credits to GMPA Architects.
What is the most important thing that you learned in the past year?
This year, I’ve learned a lot about the interdependence of community and health and that our choices as an individual have a great impact on the welfare of our community.
I’ve also learned some valuable lessons from remote working and I think the most important might be developing systems and designing your living space conducive to it. I think as an Architect, design is part of your training but the reality of our profession is that we often end up with haphazard work hours and don’t have the best reputation when it comes to paying close attention to our own space. But with the sudden demands of this year and working from home, I learnt that having systems for day-to-day and a space that responds to my needs went a long way into making things easier and more productive. I redesigned the layout of my home based on the routine that I wanted to inculcate and it is ultimately what provided a work-life separation during quarantine.
I’m aware that it may sound counterintuitive for a creative professional to talk of routine but on the contrary, I find that not having to think about the banal things just provided more time to focus on my work.
On-going project at GMPA, courtesy of Apurva Purandare. Credits to GMPA Architects.
What are some architectural organizations (or specific person/role model) that helped you learn to overcome an obstacle? How did they?
I am inspired by research organizations that apply architectural thinking to a wide range of disciplines, for example the MIT media lab and AMO.
I have been fortunate to associate with similar such organizations, that includes URBZ (http://urbz.net/) and the Now Institute (https://www.thenowinstitute.org/) where we grappled with various issues including poverty, sustainability, resource scarcity and applied architectural thinking to come up with a range of possibilities. These organizations have taught me that when faced with a hurdle, it helps to pause, reflect and look for inspiration outside of my undertaking. It helps to reset and continue with a fresh perspective.
I believe that architectural organizations play an important role in shaping our profession and the current moment that we are in has inspired me to seek out works from diverse organizations such as yourself, providing a platform to those that don’t necessarily have one. So, thank you for reaching out and I am extremely grateful for the work you do.
Volunteer work conducted for URBZ in 2013, courtesy of Apurva Purandare.
If you were given the opportunity to repeat the year, what is one thing you’d do differently?
I would make my own sourdough starter!
I’d like to explain by evoking a cliche, “to expect the unexpected”. This year has been something very few saw coming and in hindsight, there is so much that I could have done differently but when I look back on this year, I think the lesson to draw is submit with grace and focus on the small victories. If your best laid plans fall through then that's okay as long as you are willing to learn and adapt.
Thom Mayne studio, UCLA, 2015, Courtesy of Apurva Purandare.
As you reflect on the past year, what did you discover as your biggest strengths?
My biggest strength has always been in my family and the people that love and support me and I appreciate their sacrifices more as I grow older.
On an individual level, I think it is to cautiously adapt, evolve and learn from mistakes. This year has been a struggle in all walks of life but we also witnessed some great movements for justice and equality. They have inspired me to embrace my desire to transform, maybe unlearn a few things while checking back with my core values.
I have also found strength in regular meditation. I believe it is a practice and my mother had got me started on it when I was younger but I failed to remain consistent until this year and as I continue to practice each day, I notice positive change in my temperament.
Photos from work days at Building Department visits and
construction site, courtesy of Apurva Purandare
In terms of rising concerns and problems (in the architectural profession) over the past year, what is one change that you wished would happen and it did not? This can be in an educational or work atmosphere.
I think about our profession and I think that it has generally had a hard time keeping up with the speed of innovations in Silicon valley that is rapidly changing our modern world. I'm not sure what's holding us back but it may have something to do with the way Architects operate. Oftentimes perceived as the lone genius in their studio, sketching, drafting, designing and meanwhile the tech world has found ways to collaborate on a globally dispersed scale. When someone writes a successful code and makes it open source it becomes accessible to the entire world.
The construction industry however, has too many limitations and for good reason I suppose but I still think that there can be positive change without compromising the integrity of the profession. The new ways of integrated project delivery method that’s emerging in our industry is a good example of what I see as a positive change. Team members can include Architects, engineers, contractors, suppliers and so forth but everyone is an equal stakeholder, they share the rewards and liabilities to achieve a common goal and that is to deliver a successful project to the client. I think innovation is only possible when we cross boundaries of disciplines and make things accessible to all.
