In the world of architecture and design, innovation and sustainability are essential driving forces that shape the future of the industry. Today, we have the privilege of interviewing Keith Menon, a visionary and one of the co-founders of Spiro Spero, a prominent architectural and design firm based in India.
With a strong commitment to creating sustainable hospitality design, Spiro Spero has been at the forefront of shaping eco-friendly, aesthetically pleasing spaces that cater to the diverse needs of the hospitality sector. In this exclusive interview, Keith Menon will share his insights, experiences, and the firmโs journey towards redefining the landscape of sustainable design within the hospitality industry.
Can you tell us about your journey and what motivated you to co-found spiro spero, a leading architecture and design firm?
Keith Menon: The journey of designing properties started unexpectedly when we stepped in to assist a friend whose architect had left them in a bind and then, something wonderful happened: another person came across our project, fell in love with it, and reached out to us, asking if we could work our design magic on their spaces as well. And the requests just kept coming, one after another.
Our big break came when Hotelier Anjan Chatterjee saw โโThe Little Doorโโ, our first project and which remains one of the best places and then we worked together to create โHoppipolaโ across India for them.ย After that we enjoyed it so much that we continued doing it.
Spiro spero has established itself as a prominent name in the world of architecture and design. What do you believe sets your firm apart from others in the industry?
Keith Menon: I believe what we do differently is that we design for the client. We donโt design for ourselves. We design in a way that is more like conscious design; that is, you are working towards building as ethical a practice as possible.
We make it a point to learn each time and improve from that.ย Not to monetize our business but rather to make sure that we are sustainable in our practices. We are not a money-driven company; rather, we are a conscience-driven company, and we love doing what we do. Because we want to continue what we do, and so we try to do it as sustainably and responsibly as possible.
How do you approach the creative process when working on architectural and design projects? What inspires your design philosophy?
Keith Menon: The creative process actually begins with a detailed conversation with the prospective client, and understanding where they are coming from โ do they have clarity in their vision, what do they actually want to achieve out of this; is this aย hobby project, is it a passion project, is it a business-related project, and how much their budgets are, before we get into the design process.
Because we do realise is that in order to have effective design that everyoneโs happy with, it has to be done within a certain time frame, within a certain budget so that it can be managed effectively.
So our design philosophy first involves getting the details and playing the devilโs advocate with clients, then we get into the active design process which is breaking down what we are trying to achieve, where we are building, what we are building, how we are building it; how can we make sure that what we build becomes part of the culture of that space.
Because we largely build commercial spaces so you want those spaces to exist long after you are gone.ย We want them to be part of the fabric of the location that they are in.ย And after we find ways to integrate all of this, then we start detailing out the design and mixing it up, and converting it into something that when it takes shape and comes together, it looks cohesive and complete, and ideally is within the clientโs budget.ย ย And we would hope to achieve the timeline as well by then.
The architecture and design industry is continually evolving. How does spiro spero stay at the forefront of design trends and innovations?
Keith Menon: We would like to believe that we do not follow trends, we set new trends.
Whether itโs from the first bar we designed like โThe Little Doorโ, where we had community tables, and an all-white bar which is soft in its approach and which targeted women, it didnโt target men. ย ย Till today, with Silly and places like that, we actually made boho popular across the country, we made it the new trend over social media.
So we try and make sure that we are staying ahead of the curve.ย We are doing and creating things here that people find it hard to emulate, but are still inspired to.ย ย The goal is always that in the end, the client comes to you with references that are actually your place but the client doesnโt know.
Or vendors send you quotes etc of things thatย they can achieve to do, but they are actually our references of things that we have done already.
We are always constantly trying to adapt to the clientโs needs, so we are looking for innovative solutions for things to actually happen.ย ย So we are looking for innovative solutions for different things to create for the client, inย a way that is unique in itself, or something that no one hasย done, or if someone has done, then we find ways to adapt that and make it better for the client.
We try avoiding Pinterest as our frame of reference, I mean, we try and sketch things out a lot ourselves, and plan our drawings based on these sketches.ย Then we also keep studying new materials, we go to exhibitions, we see what people are building,ย we read up online to see what new trends are there in different parts of culture.
Itโs not necessarily design, its pop culture, itโs music โ what is trending now.ย ย We understand that and we try & study whatโs going to be the future of the same thing and then accordingly we work.
Sustainability and eco-friendliness have become increasingly important in architecture and design. Can you discuss spiro speroโs commitment to sustainable practices and any notable projects that showcase this commitment?
Keith Menon: Sustainability and eco-friendlinessย means everything to us.ย ย Honestly, in the end, I think itโs acknowledging where the materials, the things that you are using as your mediums, and all your tools, where they come from.ย all the resources you use to build it, whether itโs electricity or anything else.
We are totally committed to sustainable practices across all our projects.
Circle, a 150+ year-old property in Goa, is one of the projects that exemplifies sustainability and showcases Spiro Speroโs commitment to protecting the environment. We undertook the construction using a significant number of reused materials, demonstrating our dedication to eco-friendly practices.
The entire property was constructed using fallen trees from a 2017 storm and stones from the property itself. Any structures that were demolished were repurposed within the property, ensuring that no debris was generated.
These materials were creatively used for boundaries and fencing. We incorporated sustainable features such as solar geysers and responsible water usage. Most of the wood used in the project was sourced locally from fallen trees, contributing to our sustainable design principles.
At Circle, our sustainability efforts extended beyond construction. We implemented various initiatives related to water, electricity, waste disposal, composting, and natural fertilizers. We made a conscious effort to plant native and tropical plants, avoiding species that could pose problems for the local flora and fauna.
We prioritized the preservation of wildlife habitats. This involved leaving ample animal pathways and maintaining sufficient foliage to allow animals to move freely within the property.ย We also strived to preserve as many trees as possible, providing a resource for local wildlife to forage for leaves and fruit.
Through these sustainable practices, we successfully implemented environmentally consciousย and eco friendly design principles at Circle.
Spiro spero has worked on a diverse range of projects, from residential to commercial and hospitality. How do you tailor your approach to meet the unique needs and aspirations of each client?
Keith Menon: As Spiro Spero, we try and avoid doing residential projects as much as possible.ย On and of, for a friend, we might โฆ.
The only kind of residential projects we work on, are architectural ones where we are designing second home societies or second individual homes.ย ย We donโt like dealing a lot with individual family members and their needs. It becomes quite complex, and need-based things, and require a certain amount of time and patience.
Most homes do not have deadlines, people are really working on making their dream home, so they take their own sweet time.ย We like working on timelinesโฆ
So we focus on commercial projects largely, and in commercial, we focus largely on hospitality.
Weโve done a few occasional projects here and there, like the Poker Stars office in Bombay. We are working on a residential second home project here in Goa.ย ย We steer clear from those.
But how we approach it is, like I said earlier, we make sure we first understand what the client wants, and then based on that, we tailor the whole concept, idea, design, feel, look, everything onto that. So in the end we obviously are never going to go back to that place, but the client goes there every day, so they need to be happy.
Design can significantly impact the well-being of individuals and communities. How do you consider human-centric design principles in your projects?
Keith Menon: So the overall idea is to make sure that whatever we work on, we factor in from the neighbours to the owner to the animals and plants and trees that live in and occupy that space; we try and factor everything in before we step into designing the space. We try to see how much of the natural terrain we can use, how we can avoid disturbing other people, all of those things during the process.
Because we strongly believe that the energy defines how the place will turn out and if we are harming the surroundings or upsetting the neighbours or different people, then we are bringing in negative energy into this place that is not needed.
So we spend an ample amount of time considering several factors before we get into execution and even through the execution process, if we feel that something is going to impact the environment or the neighbours or the owners or the people who are going to work on this project for building it or while operating itโฆ..
If we can find ways to make things better, then we will do that even mid-way through the project.ย ย So I think that focusing on ensuring that positive energy and a positive outlook is what drives the people working on the project, helps to ensure that we are taking into factor, the feelings, emotions, thoughts,ย likes, dislikes of the entire community around us; the ones that can speak for themselves and the ones that canโt.
The other aspect of making sure that we are human-centric is we factor in how the place is going to be used, extensively, before thinking of the design.ย We try and make sure that we are emulating all those processes in our heads,ย the different ways that people can use it:ย your having those discussions,ย your trying to map it out on paper as well as in your head, to make sure that in the end, no one is cursing you because you didnโt consider their needs in the project.
What challenges have you encountered in the architecture and design industry, and how have you overcome them?
Keith Menon: The challenges in the architecture and design industry in India, I mean, one is the limited knowledge of clients themselves which means that it is very hard to convince clients to use alternate materials sometimes, that would work to their benefit.ย ย We are a society thatโs driven by brick and mortar kind of construction.
So anything that is an alternative option or healthier, cleaner, more sustainable option or just even a new innovative option requires a lot of convincing, a lot of back and forth to sell that to people.ย Most people are considerate about the aesthetics but very few give enough consideration to logic.
So all of these things definitely factor in, everyone wants to own the next most beautiful place in the city.
So it is difficult in terms of trying to convince people on how to simplify things, or how to manage that.
The other big aspect is that there is very little happening in architecture in India that is being widely adopted.
There are several architects doing a great job, and finally India and the world is seeing them on a bigger scale.
From the times of B V Doshi and Charles Correa, to right now where Sameep Padora and Vinu Danielย ย โ these kind of architects are workingย โ you can see that finally there is a certain level of internationalism that has come back into this field.
And that little bit allows โ you know when pioneers or different people are leading the way on those fronts and people seeย this is getting famous or popular or getting liked or getting awards, thatโs when people actually start accepting new forms of design.
So that is a challenge that we regularly face.
As co-founders, what is your vision for the future of spiro spero? Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives youโre particularly excited about?
Keith Menon: The vision for Spiro Spero is to largely get into spaces of public design, or public hues in the longer term and not just be limited to hospitality projects.
The goal is to be able to expand on that front, so we are working towards that : onย how people can commute better, how to make public spaces more exciting, how to make urban areas more inhabitable and warm and comforting and co-exist with nature, or how to build water reservoirs and an ecosystem around it, to benefit lay people in drought areas.
So the idea is to be able to get into those kinds of systems, those kinds of designs.ย ย So we are working slowly and steadily towards them.ย These kind of large scale projects require a larger commitment and a lot more resources, unless you are sponsored.ย So that is the agenda.
In terms of upcoming projects, we have a few โ a hotel in Morjim by the beach, we have a bunch of villas coming up. we have a space coming up in Pune, another two in Bombay โ one in Bandra, one in Andheri.
So itโs a busy next couple of months for all of us at Spiro Spero.
Keith Menonโs passion for sustainable design and his dedication to the field of hospitality architecture shine through in our enlightening interview. Spiro Speroโs commitment to creating eco-friendly and aesthetically pleasing spaces is not only impressive but also emblematic of a brighter, more sustainable future for the industry.
Keithโs insights have given us a glimpse into the innovative thinking that drives his firm and their mission to harmonize human needs with the environment. As Spiro Spero continues to pioneer sustainable hospitality design in India and beyond, we can expect exciting developments that will surely set new standards for the architectural and design world.
We extend our gratitude to Keith Menon for sharing his valuable perspectives with us, which have undoubtedly left us inspired and eager to see the ongoing impact of Spiro Spero in the years to come.
Source: SugerMint
