Starting as an off-shoot from architects Amit and Reshma Sukhthankar’s joint passion for design, Urban Concepts has grown from strength to strength in pursuit of architectural perfection.
By ANNA FERNANDES
Since 2000, the architectural and design firm MSS Design under Amit and Reshma Sukhthankar has been providing the whole package in terms of architectural projects, interior design, project management and turnkey solutions. The practice has executed projects all over India ranging from housing, residential, commercial, institutional, etc. Some of their marquee projects include the Goa Secretariat, swimming pool complex at Sanquelim, interiors for district courts at Spaces, as well as residential housing complexes for several developers in Goa.
Architect Amit served as chairman of the Indian Institute of Architects (Goa Chapter) for the term 2012-14. He is currently serving on the advisory committee of the Goa College of Architecture and on the Executive Committee of The Charles Correa Foundation in Goa. Amit was also featured among the 50 promising young architects of the country by Architect and Interiors India. As a partner in the firm, Reshma has successfully guided the interior design practice since inception. Under her, the firm has handled interior design and turnkey projects from residential, retail and institutional sectors. With a meticulous eye for detail and an in-depth understanding of textiles and timber, she has taken along traditional artisans to a level of reinvention in the contemporary context. She is also a member of Indian Institute of Architects and Institute of Indian Interior Designers.
According to them, “At MSS Design, our endeavour is to enhance the built environment around us so as to enrich our living experience. As an architectural and design firm, we wanted to explore the next step. There is a lot of synergy between architecture and real estate.” With a belief that architecture and real estate are inseparable, the firm diversified into their real estate arm – Urban Concepts, a natural progression of their joint passion for design. The real estate company has since then grown from strength to strength in pursuit of architectural perfection.
“Our main focus has always been design. And our projects, under Urban Concepts, can be distinguished from typical real estate projects simply on the basis of their design.” Presently, the company’s portfolio comprises of three niche real estate projects – Urban Avana in 2010, Urban Retreat in 2012, and Urban Space in 2018 – that embody modern luxury and stylish elegance.
What Urban Concepts offers is a selection of generously-styled apartments, duplexes and penthouses, embodying simple class and unparalleled luxury – living spaces with a vital simplicity that results from a precise melding of form and function. Urban Concepts’ success can be defined by the collective ambition and commitment to the art of design. As a result, Urban Concepts strives to discover new ways to incorporate design using a progressive approach, by transforming spaces into dynamic and liveable environments and delivering designs that boldly embrace new construction techniques and environment-friendly designs.
Poised in the picturesque and prime real estate property of Dona Paula, Urban Concepts offers a bold new interpretation of urban and elite living today. Through Urban Avana and Urban Retreat, the company introduced new concepts to the real estate market of Goa that have today become an order of the day. What Urban Concepts delivers is architecturally-striking lifestyle apartments of superior design and modern distinction where one can live peacefully and comfortably.
Exuding elegance and poise, the apartments stands as a stunning example of aesthetics, spaciousness, luminosity and liveability – with wooden-floor finishes, open-kitchens, walk-in wardrobes, larger rooms and more. The apartments are designed in such a way that one can easily move in, in a day’s time, without the hassle of rectifying the interiors. The apartments are also equipped with servants’ quarters and service areas. What Urban Concepts’ strives to offer is the complete product and armed with the expertise of its founders in interior design, these apartments can come fully furnished with customised interior design solutions keeping their end user in mind.
“It’s a complete lifestyle solution,” says Reshma, “one where you can get the complete amenities of a villa, with the advantages of an apartment which work well for modern day living”.
For Amit, Urban Concepts’ has truly been an enriching experience. “As architects, it is indeed fulfilling to create a project, execute it and see it through. It is a learning curve, a workshop where efficiency of design is ultimately put to test. Our constant endeavour is to better ourselves, and we have done so through our projects – Urban Avana, Urban Retreat and Urban Space, and the response has been tremendous, so it gives us that validation. In our latest project ‘Urban Space’, for instance, the endeavour was to maintain a low-rise residential scale without compromising on real estate efficiencies, which we have achieved with great success.”
Looking ahead, Amit and Reshma have new exciting ventures in the pipeline. In a bid to continually and consistently provide urban lifestyle solutions, the Sukhthankars have indeed sketched out a blueprint for success
