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Saket Sethi: Name to know

MAY 26, 2016 | By Raisa Tolia
The multifaceted founder of Archilogics dabbles in architecture, interior and product design. He began his education at Mumbai’s Rachna Sansad college after which he went on to obtain a degree in architecture from Woodbury University, Los Angeles. He also studied Digital Design at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, and Interior Design at New York University. Saket who is one of the eight winners of Godrej Design Lab 2016 (a product design competition held in association with ELLE DECOR India) began work in India with the country’s most esteemed firms Talati & Panthaky Design Associates after which he joined Nitin Parulekar as a Senior Architect. His award winning AlCrochet table grabbed a lot of eyeballs, because of its unique texture and the technology behind it.
The subconscious inspiration of using the age old knitting technique was from his 93 year old grandmom. But while looking for fabric with an architectural perspective, fluid jali somewhat like a fishing net, was his first instinct. “The thought later grew into what I preferred as a most tactile and emotionally responsive technique – crochet” he says.  When it was time for production they looked at casting, moulding and even thought of using a robot’s arm to weave threads that could later be baked.
On being asked why they used 3D printing, he said, “It is the future and eliminated redundancies associated with other techniques which are perhaps more suitable for production then for rapid prototyping.” Even though he would have loved to use silver or another metal to create the table, nylon and abs seemed to be the right materials from a commercial point of view.
So how has Godrej Design Lab helped him realise his design dream?  “Godrej provided the perfect platform idea to create a set of “dream” products, without an actual timeline or any constraint. I urge all designers to explore their talent in such a format, it’s always good to have validation for your effort, when a product receives fair recognition.”
Website: www.archilogics.com
Entries for Godrej Design Lab 2017 are now open! Head to www.godrejdesignlab.com for more details
Also read: An Airbnb room that replicates Van Gogh’s painting!