Building a Collective Practice: The Story Behind TCP Studio
Updated: Jul 21
Every practice has a beginning. Ours did not start with a business plan or a grand vision, but with conversations, complementary experiences, and a shared belief that architecture is strongest when practised collectively.
Independent Beginnings
Like many architectural practices, our journey began independently.
Amol Wanjari and Ekta Sonarghare had established their own studios, each developing expertise in distinct yet complementary areas of practice. Ekta's experience lay in designing and delivering residential interiors through turnkey execution, where careful detailing, material selection, and on-site coordination shaped every project. Amol, on the other hand, was working on large-scale public infrastructure assignments, leading lakefront development projects involving Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), administrative approvals, project management consultancy (PMC), and coordination between multiple stakeholders.
Although their projects differed significantly in scale, they shared a common understanding: architecture required both thoughtful design and disciplined execution. Each recognised the strengths that the other brought to practice. By combining their complementary skills, they believed they could undertake projects more comprehensively than either could alone.
This conviction led to the establishment of The Collective Praxis, later formalised as Collective Praxis DPM LLP, creating a structured foundation for undertaking larger and more complex commissions.
At the same time, another collaborative journey was unfolding.
Shivani Sharma was working extensively in heritage conservation, documentation, and projects associated with the Archaeological Survey of India. Many of these assignments required close collaboration with Devesh Chindhe and Shurayu Rahate, whose expertise in architecture, documentation, and technical coordination complemented conservation work. Through these collaborations, they discovered that heritage projects demanded far more than individual expertise—they required multiple disciplines working together towards a common objective.
Although these two groups were pursuing different kinds of work, both had arrived at the same conclusion independently: meaningful architecture is rarely the product of a single discipline.
A Conversation That Changed Everything
The turning point arrived unexpectedly.
A meeting had been arranged to discuss the working of an alumni association. Ironically, the intended agenda barely surfaced. Instead, the conversation quickly shifted towards practice—how each of us worked, the limitations of practising independently, and the possibilities that could emerge through collaboration.
Within a matter of hours, a simple discussion transformed into a shared vision.
Rather than operating as separate studios with overlapping capabilities, why not build a multidisciplinary practice where architecture, interior design, urban design, heritage conservation, planning, documentation, technical consultancy, and project management could exist under one roof?
The answer felt remarkably simple.
That conversation became the foundation of what is today TCP Studio.
Why "The Collective Praxis"?
The name was never chosen for its uniqueness alone.
It represented the philosophy we wanted our practice to embody.
Collective reflects the coming together of different people, experiences, disciplines, and perspectives. It acknowledges that every project benefits from collaboration, where knowledge is shared rather than isolated.
Praxis refers to the application of knowledge through action. For us, ideas gain meaning only when they are tested through design, documentation, construction, conservation, and lived experience.
Research informs practice, and practice continually refines research.
Together, these two words define how we approach every project—not as individual authors, but as collaborators working towards thoughtful and enduring outcomes.
Building More Than a Practice
Before the multidisciplinary partnership formally took shape, Amol and Ekta had already established
The Collective Praxis Studio, creating a workspace that reflected their design values of openness, simplicity, and collaboration. The studio itself became an early expression of the practice and was later featured by The Architect's Diary, marking one of its first public recognitions.
As Shivani and Devesh joined the partnership, the practice quickly outgrew this original workspace.
Instead of adapting an existing office, we chose to create a new one.
Coming from modest backgrounds, this decision represented one of the most significant investments we had ever made—not just financially, but emotionally. The studio would become our first project as a collective.
Every aspect of the space was designed, debated, detailed, and built together. From planning the layout to selecting materials and overseeing construction, the process became an exercise in understanding one another's working styles, priorities, and perspectives.
The completed studio became far more than a workplace.
It became the physical embodiment of the values upon which the practice had been founded.
The Project That Validated the Idea
Around the same time, work commenced on the long-awaited Area Development Project at the Markanda Temple, following the resolution of prolonged administrative delays.
For the newly formed practice, the project represented much more than another commission.
It became the first major opportunity to apply our multidisciplinary philosophy in practice. Heritage conservation, architecture, urban planning, technical documentation, project management, stakeholder coordination, and execution all converged within a single project, with each partner contributing specialised knowledge while working towards a shared objective.
The project reinforced something we had already begun to believe—that complex projects benefit most when different disciplines inform one another rather than operate independently.
It also demonstrated how collective thinking could create stronger, more integrated outcomes than isolated expertise alone.
Growing Together
The first year of practising together shaped our studio in ways no strategic plan could have anticipated.
Working closely across projects, design reviews, site visits, challenges, and decisions built a level of trust that extended beyond professional collaboration. We discovered not only complementary expertise but also shared values—curiosity, accountability, openness to dialogue, and a commitment to continual learning.
Like every evolving practice, our journey also involved change. During the studio's formative years, Shurayu chose to pursue a different professional path. His contributions remain an important part of our early story, helping establish the multidisciplinary foundation upon which the practice continues to grow.
Where We Are Today
Today, TCP Studio is the design practice of Collective Praxis DPM LLP, led by four partners and working across architecture, interior design, urban design, heritage conservation, planning, project management, and technical consultancy.
Our work ranges from private residences and workplaces to public infrastructure, historic monuments, cultural landscapes, and urban environments. Regardless of scale or typology, we approach every project through research, contextual understanding, technical rigour, and collaborative thinking.
The Collective Praxis was never conceived as a collection of individual practices under one roof. It was founded on the belief that architecture is strongest when knowledge is shared, disciplines intersect, and ideas are transformed into meaningful places through practice.
That belief continues to shape every project we undertake—and every place we aspire to create.
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