Monday motivation: ‘Hate your heroes to change for the better’

Before he donned the architect’s hat, Akshat Bhatt played the guitar, which made him a metal-head for life. Today, he’s found a link between his architecture practice and his love for the progressive metal genre, djent.

“This form of music is intense and honest. It requires rigour and you cannot fake it. I believe those fundamentals are also true for architecture,” says Delhi-based Bhatt, 45, principal architect and founder of Architecture Discipline, a multi-disciplinary practice behind projects like Mana Hotel in Rajasthan, the Discovery Centre in Bengaluru, and the Make in India Pavilion at the Hannover Messe in Germany.

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In an interview with Lounge, he talks about mentorship and why he encourages collaboration on all his projects. Edited excerpts:

Who do you consider your mentor?

I don’t think I have a mentor; I have many influences. I believe if you have a few influences, you’ll become a derivative of those and if you have hundreds of influences, you’ll become an original. My professional influences started with deconstructivism, which was a progressive modern movement, and then I moved to high modernists in great detail for reverence and for criticism. You must love your heroes, but you also learn to hate them because otherwise you can’t make an evolutionary change.

An insight you worked on with your mentor’s guidance? You have to build for the right reasons and with the right narratives. These narratives keep evolving. Our conversations over the last few years have been revolving around sustainability, but we should also talk about patterns of consumption.

What does being a mentor mean to you?

I encourage collaboration on all projects, both within the design studio and with co-architects, consultants, clients and specialists. The practice fosters young architects and promotes the “Think Tank” philosophy. Weekly design meetings are held every Monday to provide a vital forum for the discussion of current competitions and ongoing projects, and to create a platform for creativity and new solutions appropriate to each design. We work in a completely open-plan office with democratic beliefs. This collegiate approach extends to the broader world with a constitution that consciously brings a moral dimension to our work. This includes a staff sharing scheme and contributions to charity.

Any book or podcast you would recommend about mentorship and growth?

It is important to read about your value systems. Skills can be taught but character takes a long time to build. I would recommend reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, 1984 by George Orwell, and Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

How do you unwind?

I play the guitar at earth shattering volumes to unwind.

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Monday Motivation is a series in which business leaders discuss their mentors and their work ethics.