Kanan Modi, India: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2022

Kanan Modi Associates, India: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2022

Hyderabad-based Kanan Modi has joined the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2022, our annual list of exciting emerging practices from across the globe. Here, we explore the studio’s beginnings and its latest crafted residence, Sireniti, inspired in equal parts by modernist traditions and Indian lifestyles. 

Who: Kanan Modi Associates

Kanan Modi’s architecture studio was established in Hyderabad in 2013, born out of an existing family business that operated in the realm of building construction. Now, Modi heads her namesake practice (which took on its current name in 2018) with co-director Nirav Pramod Modi, and the young, dynamic office has been rapidly expanding its portfolio, operating also in Mumbai and New Delhi. 

The architect, who was educated in Mumbai, New York and Milan, enjoys blending tradition and modernity in her designs, as well as taking into account critical issues such as climate, materiality, daylight and spatial experience in the development of her architectural solutions. ‘The firm strives to achieve design excellence with architectural interventions that blur boundaries between the indoors and outdoors, with a strong focus on creating energy-efficient, climate-responsive environments. [We strive] to build spaces that encourage dialogue between art and architecture, with daylight playfully bouncing off raw textures and evoking varied emotions throughout the day,’ Modi says. 

Homes are a big part of the energetic studio’s body of work. Key examples include House of Textures, Stack House, and the award-winning Siteniti House (pictured), which scooped a Best Residential Project of the Year national accolade in 2021 – all in Hyderabad. Clean, modern lines, modernist influences and a mix of local and global sources of inspiration help form spaces that feel at once contemporary and of their place. 

What: Sireniti House

Spanning an impressive 21,600 sq ft, set in the leafy and upmarket neighbourhood of Jubilee Hills, this Hyderabad home was created for a private client as a family base. Kanan Modi and her team worked to create a meaningful blend of indoor and outdoor areas that cleverly make the most of and mitigate the region’s hot climate, while maintaining a distinctly 21st-century aesthetic. 

The design is a careful composition of 20th-century modernism and the needs of contemporary living, as well as India’s lifestyle and traditions. Concrete makes up much of the house’s main volumes. The whole appears as a sculptural composition of boxes, some of them closed and some open towards the landscaped gardens (the work of garden designer Kunal Maniar) and open-air patios. A swimming pool area is also open to the elements and is placed next to a shaded terrace that blurs the lines of inside and outside. Hard surfaces are juxtaposed with softer textures and native flora in a fresh take on contemporary Indian residential architecture. 

Why: Architects Directory 2022

Conceived in 2000 as an international index of emerging architectural talent, the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory is our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe. While always championing the best and most promising young studios, over the years, the project has showcased inspiring work with an emphasis on the residential realm. Now including more than 500 alumni, the Architects’ Directory is back for its 22nd edition. Join us as we launch this year’s survey – 20 young studios from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Paraguay, Thailand, the UAE, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam with plenty of promise, ideas and exciting architecture.

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