Akshat Bhatt highlights architecture as public art shaping urban life, advocating for socially relevant, sustainable, and curiosity-driven design. He stresses the need for optimisation, innovation and a fresh perspective in shaping future cities
Architecture shapes the way people interact with their surroundings, influencing daily experiences and urban life. Thoughtful design can elevate human habitats by fostering sustainability, curiosity, and social relevance. Akshat Bhatt, Principal Architect at Architecture Discipline, emphasised the significance of architecture as public art, stating that it profoundly impacts the urban experience, effectively serving as a canvas that reflects how people live. Bhatt highlighted the need for socially relevant, sustainable, and curiosity-driven design, advocating for innovation and a fresh perspective in building future cities. He emphasised that once constructed, buildings become “pathological monuments” that nurture lives, shaping how people interact with their environment. He described architects as technocrats who guide society toward a new way of living, drawing inspiration from vernacular materials and construction techniques.
Highlighting the urgency of adapting to rapid urbanisation and population growth, he stressed the need to rethink city design to create more sustainable and socially relevant spaces.
Creating A New Perspective Bhatt noted that meaningful discussions about the built environment take time, often leading architects to engage with traditional art and craftsmanship in small but significant ways. He highlighted a projection that by 2030, 90 per cent of humanity will live within 100 kilometre of a city, with urban areas already experiencing a 25 per cent post-pandemic boom.
Emphasising the importance of optimisation in architectural design, Bhatt shared an example from 2012 and said, “We created an auditorium for a new city to mark the germination of a new city, quite literally so. The building is completely naturally ventilated.”
According to Bhatt, what we find in architecture today is that the performance criteria is very high, especially in public spaces where the industry is not being able to cope fast enough, hence the need of exploring new ways of doing things is essential.
He also said that “The study of how human beings behave with buildings, and the ability to predict pattern changes, is an important part of what you do in architecture—leading to the process of using human beings as players in the narrative you want to project.”
Talking about social relevance, Bhatt stated that the only way to thrive in this field is by ensuring that architectural work remains socially relevant. He stated that social relevance has elements to it and these elements drive this domain only to a marginal extent, and hence creativity combined with a set of skills are the main factors for holistic growth in the field of architecture.
Bhatt also said that innovation, excellence and finesse are very important. “Improving quality is done in a modern way. It is essential for quality to be a part of architecture, as that creates intrigue as well as a method of implementing and spreading awareness about this field, which is the way forward for architecture to deal with a very dynamic ecosystem,” Bhatt concluded. Bhatt was speaking at the BW Masterpiece 40 Under 40 and The Art Excellence Conference & Award 2025.