Championing the use of natural materials in the construction of buildings, Anshu chose his own path to design buildings in such a way that they cause little or no harm to the environment.

Anshu Ahuja is a trained architect who practices sustainable building and construction.

Anshu hails from Karnal, a city in Haryana. He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Besides, he has also done a masters in landscape urbanism.

Recalling his childhood, Anshu says that his mother was a government teacher and was posted in a village. During his summer vacations, he used to go to live with his mother and it gave him exposure and experience of rural life, he says.

Anshu says that during his bachelors when he was studying architecture, he realized that modern architecture is not environmentally sustainable and causes harm to the ecology of the environment. That’s when he decided to shift his focus toward an alternative stream of architecture. He did a masters in landscape urbanism after completing his bachelors to learn about environmentally sustainable architectural practices.

Anshu says that he worked with Biome Environmental Solutions, a design firm focused on ecology, architecture, and water conservation. There, he learned how to do permanent construction using environmentally friendly methods. Thereafter, he worked for the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and the Indian Trust for Rural Heritage Development. Recently, he started his own practice and has been working on different projects since then.

Talking about the challenges he faced, Anshu says that he has faced numerous challenges in his journey as an architect thus far. He had to face friction from his own family when he chose to follow his own path. Besides, being able to get the right set of people to work for him was also a challenge for him. Furthermore, sourcing natural materials for the design work that he does was also a challenge for him.

To aspiring architects, Anshu advises them to put their needs above all else. Besides, he advises them to maximize the use of natural materials in the building design work that they do. Furthermore, he advises them to make designs in such a way that they cause little or no harm to nature.

In his spare time, Anshu likes to cook and go on drives.