Building dreams

If you are looking to take up a career in architecture, then you probably aspire to do as well as architects like Hafeez Contractor. He s...

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If you are looking to take up a career in architecture, then you probably aspire to do as well as architects like Hafeez Contractor. He started working with his uncle T S Kareghat while he was studying architecture, which was a seven-year course at that time. His Bachelor in Architecture degree won him a Tata scholarship and he went to Columbia University to pursue an MS degree in Architecture.

The stint with his uncle earned Hafeez a lot of contacts and he did a couple of designs for some builders. It’s not easy to get people to accept you over somebody else’s, so he worked for free! Those were the starting blocks. One of his first success stories was the Vastu building at Worli Seaface. He then bagged projects in Pune for Karia Builders and a lot of residential buildings. Now, 15 years later, Architect HC (his firm’s name) designs mostly institutional buildings (like those for Citibank, Procter and Gamble), five-star hotels and hospitals.

Hafeez is able to adapt to the needs of any of his customers. “The idea is not to thrust your own aesthetics down the customer’s throat but to express his needs through your capability.” The only thing you find common in his work is his flamboyance. “He’ll never do something that is plain and dull,” says Tanishka who has been working in Architect HC for five years now.

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Hafeez has architects under him with 10-15 years of experience. These associates earn a percentage of whatever Hafeez is paid – it may be anything from 10-25 per cent of the total fees. Under these associates, there are other junior architects, design consultants and draftsmen.

What inherent qualities should a prospective trainee possess? “Creativity is the first criterion. Many people join architecture without the basic knowledge of sketching only to wind up totally disillusioned. You must be willing to work, work and work. That’s the only thing that pays.”

Which brings us to money. Your income depends on how good you are. “A good barber will earn much more than a mediocre architect,” says Hafeez. When it comes to rating schools, he feels that, “All architecture schools are the same. It all depends on the way you absorb and apply the information you get.” Aspiring architects should be aware of the problems. An architect first has to find a client, who in turn, has a specific budget. Space constraints and building by-laws have to be kept in mind.

It is also important to cultivate your creativity. Be aware of what is happening in the world. Make your own formula to develop your creativity.