Over the course of 5 years, I have worked with some of the best practices in India. These years have been a strong footing for my current practice.At PMA madhushala and Artha studio, I worked as a site architect for the project Sanatan Siddhashram in Shantiniketan, West Bengal. This project is both an Ashram and a Gurukul, a space to receive learning from the Guru. The design is a collaboration between Artha studio and PMA Madhushala, Pune. The site is on the outskirts of Shantiniketan in the vicinity of Santhal villages. The local architecture comprises of mud houses with thatched roofs. This created an opportunity for us to design using local techniques and materials and merge them with the architectural language that we were envisioning for the ashram.As the initial construction phase started, we noticed that the local contractor was unable to decipher the drawings easily and control the quality of work on-site. Hence, for smooth sailing of the project, there was a need for an architect to stay on site for material exploration, training the masons and laborers for the work, procurment of materails and constantly updating the architectural details on-site.I was given an opportunity to work for phase-1 which was just a month long, after which I decided to continue working on-site for the next two phases as well (for over a year), completing the main practice hall- Kalari, Parvathyji’s residence, Narayani Kutir and Kitchen- part block.I joined DCOOP when the execution for VIT-Bhopal Boys’ Hostel, Madhya Pradesh was just about to start. My journey has been an exhilerating one. VIT-Bhopal Boys’ Hostel is an on-going DCOOP project comprising of 4 blocks of Hostel buildings along with amenities such as dining block, gymnasium, swimming pool, running track and playground in the developing campus of VIT-Bhopal.The hostel site is divided into nine equal parts. Each part houses either a hostel building or an amenity. The voids between the hostel blocks and amenities are designed as landscaped courtyards. Connecting each and every every block (on the divisional grids) are double level walkways. As a site architect, my role was of a connecting bridge between DCOOP and the client. This included regular site visits, co-ordination with the clients and contractors, explaining them the drawings, ensuring quality control in execution and off course designing and issuing drawings all along. Over the years of my experience, I have learnt that good detailed drawings, constant reporting and tight communication is the key to a successful project.