Mistress of scale | Sonali Rastogi's 'Morphogenesis'

When Sonali and Manit Rastogi co-founded Morphogenesis in a cramped Delhi garage back in 1996, Indian architecture was effectively invisible on the global stage. Fuelled by a fierce desire to insert Indian design into mainstream international discourse, the duo adidn’t just build a practice, they ignited a paradigm shift. Today, with a powerhouse team of 300 architects and a portfolio that stretches from the monumental Surat Diamond Bourse to high-altitude net-zero retreats, the practice is globally revered for its pioneering S.O.U.L. framework (sustainability, optimisation, uniqueness, livability). Sonali takes us behind the scenes of her design philosophy, fiercely dismantling the clich of ‘vintage’ aesthetics, explaining why she rejects a predictable signature style and revealing how ancient wisdom is actually just building physics in disguise.