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Shweta Balasubramoni: A Passionate Architect Setting New Benchmarks In Design-Build Approach

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Shweta Balasubramoni,Founder & Managing Director

Shweta Balasubramoni

Founder & Managing Director

You would be amazed witnessing where true passion can take you if you have the right amount of focus. The story of Shweta Balasubramoni the Founder & Managing Director of Vistaar Associates, embraces this elementary fact. While growing up, playing with Lego Blocks and constantly rearranging her room always made more sense to Shweta than any of her peer friends. The thoughts of endless possibilities of design never failed to amaze her childhood.

Cut to the present, Shweta, who incepted Vistaar an architecture & interior design firm in 2008 at the age of 27 today gets to experience the same feeling about designs on a much bigger scale. Under her aegis and over the past decade, Vistaar through its exemplary design-build approach has accomplished demanding projects in the heart of London, the rugged mountains of Ladakh, and the forests of Maharashtra & Kerala, besides a number of projects carried out in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Delhi and even Madhya Pradesh.

Architecture is one of the few industries that involve multi-disciplines simultaneously and demand innovations that entail pushing your limits constantly. Shweta’s passion for design and versatility has always been an ideal combination, helping her deliver projects across the segments ranging from hospitality to commercial, retail, and residential each one having its own nuances and contexts which are as varied as the topography. It’s perfect for someone like her who grew up wanting to do every thing!

“Vistaar was a quest to find rootedness in design. The search for traditionalism in design coupled with a pragmatic approach has been my guiding beacon to evolve a signature style of weaving local themes and craftsmanship with contemporary designs to create chic, sophisticated look with rustic overtures, which is uniquely Vistaar,” elucidates Shweta.

The Road Of Challenges
The beautiful destination of success always takes a strenuous road paved with challenges. Vistaar’s anecdote is no exception. As women, the first challenge is always to be taken seriously. Shweta indeed was taken for roller coaster ride quite early in her journey, despite the strong grip of years of prior experience in the industry. It was only when she plunged into the organization headlong, she discovered that she had neither the budget nor the network, and probably not even the bandwidth to carry her dreams forward! On the other hand, from
haggling with suppliers to demanding work from masons, artisans & carpenters, she had to constantly prove her abilities.

“I learnt quite early that respect is strictly a two way street and I have been willing to learn from the men at the sites with the same spirit that I shoot down their refusal to adhere to a drawing detail. It all comes down to the belief in yourself and confidence in your craft,”adjoins Shweta. Her self-belief and desire to create aesthetics and touch lives helped her focus solely on the sustainable model of Design Build, and it took no time for the rest of it to fall in place. Vistaar gradually found its family a team that shared Shweta’s passion for creativity, perfection and form.

IT all comes down to the belief in yourself and confidence in your craft


Setting New Benchmarks
After a decade and several revolutions in the real estate sector, Vistaarians today conquer success together, setting new benchmarks in design build model. “We ensure that the clients don’t just get fancy drawings, but see to it that their dream space takes shape the way we envisaged. In that sense, we not only create designs but embed stories in them. In fact, most of my clients have also become good friends. Thus in a way, we have been designing not only spaces, but relationships as well,” adds Shweta. Vistaar consolidates this unique approach with its willingness to go the extra mile and undertake projects in any terrain/region. The attention to details in product development is another factor that makes this award-winning company standout in the crowd, enabling it to work with the world’s largest terracotta tile and high pressure laminate(HPL)manufacturers.


In the course of savoring the success of designing privileged residences in gated communities, Shweta’s apathy for conditions outside these plush gated communities is never lost. Indeed it inspires her more to touch even more lives byusing the principles of design on a larger more inclusive canvas which led to the creation of a citizen’s movement called ‘Meri Galli Meri Shaan’(MGMS), which creates more aesthetic and hygienic lanes in Hyderabad. Shweta takes pride in the project’s huge potential towards sanitation and hygiene in the city.

“I am no soothsayer, but I do believe that our journey is far from over as I am convinced that something intrinsically good will stand the test of time. We have moved from extremely humble roots to where we are today, and there is still a long way to go,” adjoins Shweta, who dedicates the credit of this success to her family in her words the bedrock of support that continues to enable her to pursue her dreams.

Shweta Balasubramoni, Founder & Managing Director
Shweta earned her Bachelors’ degree in Architecture from JNTU (Hyderabad). After her initial career experience under world renowned architect B.V.Doshi at VastuShilpa Consultants (Ahmadabad), and further pursuing the nuances of sustainable architecture & interiors at Inspiration (Kochi), she was ready to start her own firm, which held her from completing her Masters'(in Interior Design) till 2010.

Favorites:
Hobbies: A trained classical dancer, Shweta’s primary hobbies are dance and music. She also loves reading and exploring new cuisines and places with her 10-year old son.
Destination: Ladakh in India and Valencia in Spain.