In January I served on a design jury of Kerala-based Vanitha Veedu Architecture Awards run by the local namesake magazine. The competition, intended for architects practising in the state attracted hundreds of entries, mostly freestanding single-family houses. Over one hundred of the submitted projects were presented by the competing architects in person in front of the live jury and audience. In the Young Architects category, the gold medal went to Prabhul Mathew, the founder of Mindspark Architects. Three of his houses—Buoyant Hue, Hedge and Wedge, all built in Kerala—attested to the architect’s maturity, coherence and great originality. Most of all, this series of works stood out for its recognisable authorship. It revealed a confident hand, not merely stylistically but through rigorous mastery of concrete architecture and steel, and how these materials interact with landscape, sunlight and the human body.

After coming back from India I spoke to Mathew over Zoom. He told me, “Sites speak to me; they tell me what kind of a building needs to be built there. I am just a good listener. Some sites are more feminine. In other words, they are welcoming. Other sites are more masculine; they are more defensive.” This young architect prefers to take on housing projects, not commercial ones. Most are houses and now he is working on a retirement home. He dreams about designing a hospital. He said without hesitation, "I believe that if I were to achieve it, it could become something truly remarkable. My understanding, inspired by the teachings of American architect Louis Kahn, suggests that spaces possess the potential to nurture and heal."

Mathew was born in 1991, in Kottayam, Kerala. He grew up in the family of a civil engineer who worked for the government. Mathew received his Bachelor’s degree at Salem School of Architecture in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The school, a small department within a large institution, no longer operates. As a student, Mathew apprenticed to his school’s dean, who would only hire practising architects to teach, which is unusual in India. He loved the experience. In the last year of his studies, he completed his very first independent project, a small house back in Kerala. His father helped him engineer it. Immediately after graduation in 2013, the architect worked on designing hospitals for half a year at Murali Architects in Chennai. Mindspark Architects was started in Mathew’s native Kottayam the following year when the house designed in his student days was built and published; it helped to attract clients from the outset.

Mindspark Architects functions as a compact architectural firm with a small team of several architects, junior assistants and artisans. Mathew’s wife, an associate architect, became part of the firm in 2021. In our conversation we spoke about resisting working on more than one project at a time, believing that each site holds the essence of design, getting emotional from the work of Kahn and learning the most important lesson from Indian architect Charles Correa—how to select the right client.

Vladimir Belogolovsky: You founded Mindspark shortly after your graduation. How so soon?

Prabhul Mathew: After graduating, the recognition for the building I designed during my studies opened up a few opportunities. These opportunities gave me a chance to start my own practice. My internship at Murali Architects in Chennai significantly strengthened my skills and provided me with the momentum needed to kickstart my independent career.

VB: What was Mindspark’s first project?

PM: The Wedge, a house located in Chengannur, Alleppey (also known as Alappuzha), Kerala. At the outset, we dedicated ourselves solely to this project. It took us six months to design and eight months to complete the construction. This experience proved to be invaluable for us.

VB: Your website details Mindspark Architects “are architects envisioning better architecture based on site, climate, and client requirements to achieve comfort.” What else?

PM: Comfort is the priority; that’s true. When I refer to comfort, what I mean is not only the physical satisfaction of our clients but also their state of inner being. That is achieved through the use of space, materials, sunlight and, of course, the landscape. 

VB: When you talk about your work you use words such as craft, seamless, invisibility, flowless, floating and lightness. How else would you describe your work and what kind of architecture do you try to achieve?

PM: I would argue that I don’t get driven by a particular vision. I see what needs to be done after I see the site and speak to the client. I believe that the site itself holds the essence of design. I can’t draw something in opposition to what the site needs and I never rush this process. It usually takes me at least three to four months to complete my design.

VB: What is your design process like?

PM: Design comes in a spark. That’s why I called it Mindspark. Every design comes to me as a spark. It could be a section, a plan, or even a small detail. The project unfolds from there. The plan usually comes last, when I solve all other puzzles. Then everything falls into place. It is a mystery to me how this works. Once I have a spark, I need just a week to complete the project but for that to happen I need to explore many ideas first.

The most important aspect of design is to define the brief, which is done after multiple meetings with clients and analysing the site. Then we proceed to developing details and we render every space from multiple angles showing every part of the building in renderings. It is a very rigorous process and we study what materials could be used for each project. We typically use exposed concrete for the main structure.

The design process is also what I go over with my interns here. I discuss how I think. When I draw a line, I take responsibility. Each line is costly. If you follow it on the construction site, you cannot change it later.

VB: In some of your presentations you quote German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and the British-born Indian architect Laurie Baker. What are some of your other inspirations?

PM: If I had to pick my favourite architect it would be Louis Kahn. Whenever I think about his projects, I get very emotional. If he were alive, I would do anything to work for him. He is my hero. He is my inspiration. To me, he mastered architecture from every aspect. There is a powerful silence that I feel in his work. It is beyond words. I visited the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad designed by him; I would love to visit his great works in America, particularly the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

VB: Your architecture is very much hands-on. Could you touch on how you work directly with craftsmen?

PM: We work with many people and with some we collaborate on multiple projects. Our steel fabricator is unique and very skilful. Our discussions with him effect our designs directly. He is very knowledgeable. If I show my ideas and details to other fabricators, they will tell me that it is not going to work. But he will make it work. I know it. Execution of our projects is callous. We have to work very closely with our workers. Many don’t have the kind of experience that’s necessary. So, we have to educate them and once they become skilled, we will likely collaborate on our other projects.  

VB: There is a tradition in India to walk barefoot inside homes. How does that affect your designs?

PM: It is important to keep in mind that during the monsoons that last up to six months here, many surfaces are going to be wet. So, we need to be aware of that and so we always specify rough materials such as sandstone and other natural stone flooring. What is very important in our climate is to keep the building open to the weather. We can’t close our buildings entirely. Many of our houses don’t have windows. In a way, our buildings have lungs. They are designed around many courtyards and verandahs. Correa is our model for that strategy. He developed the right design approach for buildings here in India. What is important for me to mention is that I see architecture as a selfless act. I care about every detail. Buildings need to be seamless and integrated well into their contexts. And I particularly try to preserve nature as much as possible around each building I design.

VB: What did you learn most from Charles Correa?

PM: For me, it is about how to select the right client. He believed that the reason he was able to design his greatest projects was the wonderful clients he had. So, it is important to find the right client. Here in India, that is our biggest challenge. Once you have a good client the project is easy. A good client enjoys the design process and is an active part of it, yet, without telling explicitly what needs to be done and how. For example, our client for the Buoyant Hue House asked me to design the mezzanine floor without a column. And we found an elegant solution for that. When you see the space from underneath it looks like the mezzanine is floating. When it was built, I stood under it, so the family could see that it was safe. [Laughs.]