“I believe… that true sustainability comes from compassion and caring concern for everything and everyone. My journey and search in life has nurtured a universe-centric standpoint in me, where I feel myself as an integral, indivisible, miniscule part of this delightful Fullness and Oneness of life.” After graduating from CEPT, Ahmedabad in 1974, Ar. Shirish Beri joined his father and brother in Beri Architects & Engineers Pvt Ltd. Later in 2002, he started his Shirish Beri and Associates. With a focussed approach to sustainability and an innate tendency to achieve an implicit unity between the natural and the man-made, Beri has been at the forefront of Indian architecture; with his designs reflecting his values and concerns in life itself. His body of work spans across varied typologies; but more notable projects are in the sectors of institutional campuses for research, rehabilitation, healthcare and education.

My philosophy of life and architecture – the journey so far :  To me, the basic standpoint that we take towards this life and universe is what tends to decide most of our

thinking and actions in life. With our present anthropocentric (with man as the centre) standpoint, what we see around us is selfish, excessive greed, consumption and exploitation of nature. But, with a universe centric attitude, one experiences a spontaneous restraint and simplicity arising out of contentment that springs out of that feeling of Fullness and Oneness. This also brings about that lovely empathy and compassion for all. 

Actually, just after my graduation from CEPT, my father offered me the money to go to the U.S.A. for my masters. But due to my intense desire to live a simple, solitary, sustainable life amidst Nature, I opted to build, stay and work in a very small, humble cottage on the top edge of the western ghats about 55 kms. from Kolhapur. Another reason why I didn’t take his offer was my belief that good architecture could be learnt as well as practiced through constant unlearning and not through further formal academic courses. 

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