“An industrial site, long left to stillness. The machines sold off, its workers long gone and the walls survived, albeit a bit overgrown. Here, the past lingers in these quiet remnants,” said architect Mansi Mistry, the former co-founder at IKSOI studio and partner at Studio Saransh at present, describing the project Mana in the press release.

Designed as IKSOI’s workspace in Ahmedabad, India, by Mansi and her sibling, late Dhawal Mistry, the adaptive reuse project transformed an abandoned 800 sqm factory that belonged to Mansi and Dhawal’s father into an ‘in-between space’ that doesn't 'prescribe a singular way of moving or working'.

In a conversation with STIR, Mansi Mistry reflects on the spirit of the project and the idea of crafting a space that is constantly evolving yet is layered with memory, humour and curiosity. Following are edited excerpts from the interview.

Bansari Paghdar: Mana exists in the in-between, in "neither preservation of the past nor imposition of the new". How did you decide which parts of the factory’s past were to be kept and where one needed to exercise interventions?

Mansi Mistry: Our approach began with a kind of editing exercise, identifying what carried emotional and spatial weight and what could be altered to unlock a new experience. The original footprint, the proportions of the factory block and the rough material palette were things we chose to retain because they carried the memory of our father’s workshop and the lives that had unfolded here.

But we also wanted to shift perception without overwriting history. That is where interventions came in: raising the ground, altering scale and transforming the austere greys into a warm pink. These moves allowed us to create something contemporary, while still letting the traces of the past breathe within it.

Bansari: Raising the ground level transformed doors into windows and shifted the way one navigates the site. What drew you to this act of reconfiguration and what kind of experience were you seeking to create?

Mansi: The decision to raise the ground was both pragmatic and poetic. On one hand, it helped us re-establish the building’s scale within the new industrial context around it. On the other hand, it created an uncanny inversion, where doors became windows, proportions were altered and suddenly the familiar felt unfamiliar. We wanted people entering the site to feel slightly unsettled at first, to sense that they were stepping into a place where the past had been re-framed. That shift in perception sets the tone for Mana: a space of discovery rather than mere occupation.

Bansari: From the pink lime-plastered walls to playful gargoyles and repurposed Danish chairs, Mana balances spatial gravitas with elements of surprise. How do these details shape the way people encounter and inhabit the space?

Mansi: Details were crucial in striking a balance between solemnity and delight. The pink lime plaster gives the monolithic walls an unexpected warmth, while the granite floors ground the space in seriousness. Then there are moments of pause, such as a Danish chair sourced from Alang, a gargoyle shaped like a cat or a monkey. These gestures gently disarm you. They ensure that the studio is not read as a monument, but as a lived space, layered with memory, humour and curiosity. They invite people to slow down, to notice and to form their own associations with the architecture.

Bansari: The design resists establishing a single axis for circulation and the spaces unfold through organic discovery. Why was this sense of exploration essential for the workplace and how does it influence daily practice?

Mansi: We didn’t want Mana to prescribe a singular way of moving or working. Instead, the site unfolds gradually; paths reveal themselves, entries are concealed, courtyards appear unexpectedly. This sense of exploration mirrors the design process itself: open-ended, iterative and full of discovery. For us as a studio, it means that arriving at work is never a static experience; there is always an element of surprise. It keeps the daily routine from becoming mechanical and allows the space to remain a source of inspiration.

Bansari: A section in the press statement talks about founder Dhawal's passing and his legacy. Can you shed light on his involvement in the project?

Mansi: We began conceiving Mana together around 2020, developing its core ideas and defining the design parameters: what to keep, what to shift and how to let memory guide the intervention. Due to the pandemic, the execution was delayed, yet the two of us continued designing the studio through it. IKSOI moved in here around early 2024 while the smaller parts of the execution were still going on. Dhawal passed away in August 2024. His presence is deeply embedded in the space: in the gestures we decided upon together, in the chair he chose, in the wall he loved. Mana is not just a studio, but also a living tribute to him.

Project Details

Name: Mana
Location: Ahmedabad, India
Architects: IKSOI
Site area: 800 sqm
Built-up area: 190 sqm
Year of Completion: 2024