Architecture has more often been seen as an extremely male-dominated field. However, with changing times, more and more female architects are changing the industry and are also working to ensure that young female architects feel inspired to keep going, keep dreaming and to not be afraid to forge their own journeys in the field of architecture. One such expert architect is Ar. Milana MV, Founder and Principal Architect at Vivospace Architects. Based out of Bangalore, Vivospace Architects was established by Milana in 2014 with an intention of delivering design excellence in the field of architecture.

Through Vivospace Architects, Milana is handling a wide portfolio of projects including luxury residences, apartments, commercial buildings, schools and institutions. The key value of Vivospace is to realize a bonding between the user and the built space, thus, 'Bringing life to spaces'.

In a recent interaction with Women Entrepreneur magazine, Ar. Milana MV shares more about the founding story of Vivospace Architects and how she turned her passion into a profession.

Tell Us About Your Educational Journey And Prior Industry Experience. What Is It That Motivated You Into Establishing Vivospace Architects?

My understanding of buildings was never just restricted to clear divisions, in fact since my school days itself, I believed there is always more to a structure. Being the curious one to learn, I was always interested in learning the art of planning spaces and was always fascinated by how much difference exists between buildings that are designed sensitively to reverent parameters and buildings that are just built. The way different spaces interact with people has always been of interest to me. I believe that architecture connects to an individual’s emotions and mind, and the way spaces speak to us emotionally, like an unknown, unexplored language, has always caught my attention.

Addressing my need to explore and master the fascinating language of architecture, I joined BMS College of Engineering, and followed a more exploratory and research-based approach to architectural design. I remember going through book after book trying to explore architectural design. This approach exposed me to various forms and expressions of architecture from which I could draw inspiration. This experience helped me shape my understanding of architecture in my own terms.

To add to my inspirations, I would like to thank my faculty for providing a strong frame work and teaching me the fundamentals and correcting me where I'm wrong. There were days when we had upto six design submissions, days when we had to make models all night and draft all day. Today, I understand that training in multitasking and handling pressure is what made me who I am today.

Driven by my fascination towards architecture and equipped with the tools to actually practice architecture, I was quick to apply for a COA license as I was eager to make my mark in this field. Soon after I graduated, I was willing to start designing, planning spaces and explore this language and expression of architecture, hence, I decided that I needed to work in a firm to understand the two sides of this profession, design and business in a more holistic way. I started working as an architect for a year, and soon felt the need for complete design freedom. In my head and heart, I knew I was ready and that was when I started Vivospace Architects.

Throw Some Light On The Roles And Responsibilities That You Currently Shoulder At Vivospace Architects? Tell Us About Some Of The Challenging Aspects Of Your Role And How Did You Overcome Them?

At Vivospace, my primary role is to preserve and protect our firm’s design principles. I am in a way, the custodian of the design thought that goes into every space of every project. However, we at Vivospace, are united as a team which comprises of expert architects, interior designers, visualizers, designers, civil engineers, mechanical engineers and MBAs.

And, as a Director of the firm my role is to nurture and guide new talent. Speaking of challenges, one of the main challenge which every architect comes across is to balance his or her design expressions with the client expectations of ideal design. I think communication, mainly communication via visualizations go a long way in this regard. Another challenge which we come across is to stay abreast with the risk and reward of possibilities.

"Architecture is a language in a way. An architect can communicate with one’s emotion through the way they design or use the built space"

By possibilities, I mean possibilities in design, material, vendors, build method, choice of location, and so on. And then, clubbing these possibilities to the projects on hand. In this regard, I feel it's an architect’s job to educate and guide the client to make informed and logical decisions.

Tell Us More About The Expertise That You Bring Forth As An Architect. What Are Some Of The Unique Design Philosophies And Ideologies That One Can Expect From Your Designs? How Do You Keep Vivospace Architects Well Aligned With Changes In Industry?

Architecture is a language in a way. An architect can communicate with one’s emotion through the way they design or use the built space. At Vivospace Architects, our design philosophy is to leap beyond the concept of form follows function and to create synergy between the two so as to realize a bonding between the user and the built space, thus, 'Bringing life to spaces'.

The capability of a space to influence a person’s feelings, emotion, passion and efficiency has been one of our key interest and focus in the firm’s general design thought. This new dimension enables Vivospace to design spaces that are not equipped to perform functionally but also on an emotional level which adds character to the built space. This language and the amazing possibilities is what fuels our passion to chase excellence in what we do.

When it comes to staying abreast with the changes in the industry, we keep track of evolutions which take place in the end user’s environment, lifestyle changes, business process changes, changes in colours, trends, styles, and connect these evolutions and draw incites out of them which we use in our design process to provide a differentiated solution.

What Have Been The Most Significant Milestones That You Have Achieved So Far In Your Professional Journey? What Is Your Guiding Leadership Philosophy?

With architecture being my passion, I have successfully designed more than 20 lakh SF and the diverse portfolio of ongoing projects that we are handling at Vivospace, I feel it is my most significant milestone. When it comes to leadership philosophy, with architecture being a multi-disciplinary field, the success of the intent is dependent on multiple entities both within and outside of Vivospace. My most followed leadership philosophy is to create a long-lasting enterprise, and for it to sustain for a long time, I have to enhance the creative capacity of the organization and the ecosystem.

"Society has evolved enough to recognize the potential of an individual and can see through gender"

Creating while nurturing the talent, I believe is one of the most important quality of any leader. As a director and custodian of the Vivospace’s design philosophy, I feel, there is a continuous need to create and nurture an ecosystem which is constantly enhancing its creative capability, and this is what enables us to push the envelope of design. Leading a young firm, I always promote a culture of learning and sharing amongst us. We believe to educate, enable and empower a diverse talent pool which results in a group or team which is greater than the sum of its parts.

As A Successful Entrepreneur What Would Your Advice Be To Young Women And Girls Aspiring To Become Business Leaders And Entrepreneurs In The Future?

I think we live in privileged times, and I say this because we don’t face the same difficulties in terms of gender bias or indifferences as those of our previous generations or even as per that of our seniors for that matter. Society has evolved enough to recognize the potential of an individual and can see through gender.

I do fundamentally believe that today, an architects’ work speaks the loudest. Having said that, my advice for young women aspiring to become business leaders or anyone aspiring to become business leaders for that matter, is to first Believe in yourself– you can move mountains. And when you believe in yourself, you have the confidence to take on the world.

Expect the unexpected– no journey, whether you want to work, whether you are in your own firm as a designer, architect or engineer, nothing is certain, but be aware that it is no different than any other choice that you make. Always plan, the plan may change as often as appropriate, but there must be a plan. Always answer two questions to yourself- where do I play and how do I win- win against my own goals and objectives.