Unconventional ways to rock an architecture degree

As India makes its way through the second wave of the pandemic, social distancing is at an all-time high. The new normal that has compelled us to stay home and not gather outside in groups almost feels unnatural. After all, we human beings were wired for social interactions!

Let’s face it: in the years to come, we will all have to re-align our understanding of physical spaces and find ways to still stay connected with others in a safe way. Especially for learners of architecture who will be designing those spaces.

Meet Akshaya Chittybabu and Nithya Fernandez, co-founders of The Backyard in Chennai, and the ladies behind the idea conception, design of the ‘anti-cafe’ if you will. While Akshaya identifies as the realist, conversationalist and empathetic feminist and Nithya identifies as the daredevil, idealist and free-spriited animal, they are both passionate architects, designers and entrepreneurs with a shared vision.

What is the inspiration behind Backyard? Why was it important for you to introduce the concept of an ‘anti-cafe’ in an already competitive cafe market?

The idea for Backyard first came up during our theses, in the final year of college. Akshaya did her thesis project on ‘Co-ideation and Architecture’ and Nithya worked on ‘Storytelling through Spaces’. We faced a lot of resistance at that time from faculty and externals, which led us to work harder to strengthen our ideas. After graduation, we spoke about the amount of work that went into our thesis projects and didn’t have the heart to leave them as hypothetical projects. That’s because we understood the scope and potential it carried. So we decided to take it forward to build a space which we believed our city desperately needed.

Source: Backyard Clan

Akshaya and Nithya are living proof that believing in your idea, no matter how ‘unrealistic’ it may sound at first - is well worth the effort. While times may be tough at the moment, let the optimists in us believe that there will be an opportunity to build better spaces in a better world.

To have a closer look at the anti-cafe experience of The Backyard, visit their website and read about them on The Hindu and Indian Express. View their lineup of events in the photo gallery and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Cover Image Source: Backyard Clan