Among the firm’s major projects have been the Rumtek Monastery in New Delhi (1990), built for the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa; Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida (2015); Vallabh Bhawan Secretariat in Bhopal (2018); and the India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai (that was shifted to 2021-22 because of the pandemic).

Kukreja’s next step, along with his wife, has been the “Deciphering Designs with Dikshu” series in collaboration with a TV news channel. “I have always felt that design is something which is more closely engaged with society than we are able to perceive. Sadly, design in modern times has been classified into silos and strangely enough, rather than coming together as one experiential journey, it gets bifurcated into different fields. Even in the built environment one distinguishes between architectural design, structural engineering, landscape design, interior design etc,” he explained.

For him, design “has always been an all-encompassing and integrated experience” and having expanded the boundaries beyond just architecture, “the idea for the series was to engage with society and bring about the realization that design is an all-pervasive entity that surrounds us all around our life - from the bed we sleep on, to the cup of tea we pick up, to the streets we walk in, the transport that takes us from our workplace to restaurants and our home, is all connected with the single thread of design,” he added.

“We should cherish this beautiful and creative journey that has a significant impact on our moods, well-being and life,” Kukreja concluded.