Building Grounded: Anjali Mangalgiri on a Hands-On Practice, Ambition, and Empowering Girls

By Julia Gamolina

Born and raised in Delhi, Anjali is the Founder and Pricipal Architect of Grounded, an architecture and development practice based in Singapore and Goa, India, and which focuses on integrating sound architectural and sustainability practices with an economically viable business model of development. Trained in architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, Anjali has a Master in City Planning from MIT and a Master in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.

In her conversation with Julia Gamolina, Anjali speaks about starting her practice to focus on the things she loves most, advising those just starting their careers to remember that their first job is not their last job.

JG: How did your interest in architecture first develop?

AM: While growing up, my mother would take me and my brother to play on the mountains of sand at construction sites. She believed that playing with our hands would enhance our creativity, and construction sites were the only sand pits available in the urban chaos of New Delhi, where I grew up.

It is interesting for me to now look back and see that I have now gone full circle - becoming an architect and builder and returning to similar construction sites and practicing the creative skills that somewhere had their beginnings at the same place.

House with Three Pavilions. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

What did you learn about yourself in studying architecture?

At one time, during a design theory class in undergrad, we were asked to share one unique thing about ourselves. I said without thinking that I needed to be better than everyone else. That day I realized that I was an ambitious and a competitive person, I had never articulated that to myself before. As most girls, especially so in conservative societies, I was raised to believe that being ambitious, competitive, and self-confident are negative qualities. So in architecture school is where I learned that I would always struggle to fit into my family’s world if I stayed true to my own ambitions.

How did you get your start in the field?

My journey in architecture began with my undergraduate education at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi. It is the premier institute for architecture in India and it helped lay a very strong foundation in design practice for me.

During my undergrad, I undertook a 4-month internship at the Earth Institute at Auroville in India. During this time, I got to build mud bricks from scratch, build arches and domes using mud bricks and walls using straw bales, while also cycling barefoot on forest paths and eating at the communal kitchen at this experimental township in the South of India. This is where my love for nature took root. I began to recognize the beauty in all forms of nature and my commitment to preserve the same became a strong driving force in my architecture practice and way of life.

“I was often frustrated when good design ideas and sustainable practices were not implemented for reasons of budgets or process efficiencies - my reason to return to school and to study real estate development, was the desire to be the decision maker in the room.”

What did you first do out of college?

I was a pretty good student and got a job working closely with a famous architect in India right out of school. But I had a thirst for knowledge – and again, ambition - and I set my sights on going to the best university out there, MIT, to study urban planning. I got in and moved to the US.

Western schools treasure their students, and that has gone a long way in developing my individual voice in life and in the field of architecture and planning. MIT also has a culture of open dissemination of knowledge across departments. I heard from the likes of Amartya Sen, Noam Chomsky, Nobel prize winners, and astronomers who had been to space. This was invigorating and the best start to my career that I could have hoped for. After graduating from MIT, I got my first job as an urban designer at HOK in New York.

Tell me about your time in New York.

My love affair with New York began as soon as I moved. I adore that city and consider it my home, and know that I must return to it sooner or later.

In 2007, I began a Master’s in Real Estate Development program at Columbia University. While practicing at HOK, I was often frustrated when good design ideas and sustainable practices were not implemented for reasons of budgets or process efficiencies - my reason to return to school and to study real estate development, was the desire to be the decision maker in the room.

Front porch of Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Pool view of Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Vertical Hall of Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

How did Grounded come about? How has studying real estate development informed your practice?

While in the US, I also missed the hands-on practice of design that is directly influenced by the earth and soil, a practice that had left a deep impression on me during my architectural internship at Auroville. This is why, in 2010, I moved to India and started Grounded.

The real estate background comes in in that Grounded follows a unique architect-developer model, where we source land, get permits, design and build second homes in Goa in India. Clients purchase our homes and get involved in the design process either at the beginning of the project or at the beginning of the interiors phase.

Each home is unique and built as a response to the site’s natural features. Sustainability is a key driver in our design process, and we have committed to achieving a green certification for all our projects. Grounded is a culmination of my love and respect for nature and for architecture. I enjoy balancing my design practice with the constraints of project economics and budgeting, and the challenges of efficient project management and quality control that come with playing the role of the developer too.

Where are you in your career today?

I am in a good place. I feel that running my own practice for the last ten years, I have won recognition in the industry. That has manifested itself in the quality of clients that have come my way, the awards, and the publications that have chosen to highlight our work. I have the realization now that I do not need to please everyone, something I struggled with in my younger years. This is a very liberating phase to be at, in my journey. I am hoping to be more fearless, less rule-bound and more out-of-the-box.

“Once you are a mother, raising responsible global citizens starts to figure quite high in your list of priorities.”

How does motherhood play into your career, and vice versa?

Motherhood and work are not easy to balance. In 2016, when my first daughter Zoe was born, I returned to work 15 days post-delivery. I have my own practice, hence on-going projects and clients cannot be paused for a longer break. I also had a much smaller team then and I was hungrier, work- wise, at that time. This was tough. Among other things, I regret not being ‘present’ for my elder daughter’s baby years and not being able to breastfeed beyond four months. I gave birth to my second child Ila at the beginning of this year.

Once you are a mother, raising responsible global citizens starts to figure quite high in your list of priorities. I feel that this helps in a desire for a better work-life balance and a push and pull with always ‘too many balls in the air’. Architecture is a tough profession for mothers - I mean how does one breastfeed or pump at construction sites?

On the bright side, I love it when now my 4-year old daughter proudly points at construction sites and says things like, ‘Mummy that looks like your construction site where you tell everyone what to do!’ I hope that watching me work and running my own practice will empower my daughters and contribute to their ability to follow their dreams as they grow up.

Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges?

Dealing with bullies. They can come to you as clients or as family or plain acquaintances.

I think we’ve all been there. On the flip side, what have been the highlights?

Setting up my own practice, Grounded with a unique business model has been one of the most important milestones in my career. First, because I found the courage to go out on my own and then because of the freedom that allows me to create on my own terms. My first time on the TEDx stage was certainly another highlight. Awards are always a validation of the work we create and we have received a number of them.

On the personal front, touching the age of forty feels incredible. Getting older and embracing the wisdom and self-awareness that comes with it is a very valuable milestone.

Who are you admiring right now?

Currently, I am really enjoying following Mary Jo Hoffman and her ‘Still’ blog. I really appreciate her ability to see the beauty in the seemingly non-descript; the weeds, stones, and other lovely things that she gathers. I love her ability to stay away from the noise of objects and be able to focus on one thing at a time. This is so critical in the information frenzy age that we live in today. I find her blog meditative and instructive. It reminds me of my desire to focus on the key fundamentals in design and stay away from unnecessary bells and whistles.

The second is not a person, but I really admire the craft of natural dyeing and pottery.

What is the impact you’d like to have on the world?

I have started thinking of this in the last year or two. I think that this is a part of growing up. As I turn forty this year, I find myself dwelling on how I wish to craft my life and how that aligns with my purpose in this world. I find that I feel strongly about two things, first to reduce the manmade waste on this planet and second to empower young girls to be more self-confident to follow their ambitions.

“Your first job is not your last job.”

Both my missions start at home. We compost our food waste and use it in our garden, we use cloth bags, reusable water bottles, steel and bamboo straws. I am trying cloth diapering and have sworn off wipes. In addition, I also try to grow at least some greens in my balcony garden. At present, I have basil, curry leaves, aloe vera and spinach thriving in pots. At work, we are committed to building in a sustainable manner. Sustainability is a key driving factor behind our approach to design, material choices and construction methodology. When it comes to empowering girls, again my journey has begun at home with my daughters. I hope to give them the tools to thrive in a world run primarily by men.

Finally, what do you wish you knew when starting out that you know now? What advice do you have for those starting their career?

Professor Dennis Frenchman, my advisor at MIT, counselled me at graduation that, “Your first job is not your last job.” This is very relevant to me now as I grow in my career, because it helps to not obsess over each project and each detail in a good way. Perfectionism is great, but at some point we as designers must learn to let go. This helps in reducing stress levels and that results in better processes and products in the long run.