Ar. Hiten Sethi is a visionary architect and urban reformer who treats architecture as a public act, not a personal signature—using design to advance people, climate, and civic dignity.
Ar. Hiten Sethi is a visionary architect, thought leader, and urban reformer whose work has transformed the narrative of Indian architecture—from building structures to building civic consciousness. As the CEO and Founder of Hiten Sethi & Associates (HSA), he has spent over three decades shaping India’s urban landscape through design that bridges innovation with empathy, ambition with responsibility, and progress with sustainability.
What distinguishes Ar. Hiten Sethi from many of his contemporaries is his deep human centric approach to architecture. He does not see buildings as objects of admiration but as instruments of public good—spaces that must work as hard for the people who use them as for the cities that host them. For him, design is a moral pursuit: every structure must contribute to social equity, environmental balance, and civic pride. His projects— whether the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Headquarters, the National Cancer Institute in Nagpur, or the National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM)—reflect this rare blend of purpose and precision. They are not just architectural landmarks, but living ecosystems that enable community, dignity, and belonging.
Under his leadership, HSA has become synonymous with context-driven, sustainable urbanism. Their project hold LEED/IGBC Gold and Platinum Certifications. Ar. Sethi treats sustainability as baseline responsibility, yet Ar. Sethi treats sustainability not as a badge of honour but as a baseline responsibility. His designs weave climate responsiveness, material intelligence, and long-term adaptability into the DNA of every building.
Beyond design, Ar. Sethi has been instrumental in shaping India’s environmental policy framework. As a two-term Expert Member of the State Expert Appraisal Committee (2014–2021) under the Government of Maharashtra, he helped bridge the gap between regulation and innovation. He continues to influence sustainable development discourse as Chairman of the Navi Mumbai Chapter of the CII – Indian Green Building (IGBC) and the Indian Plumbing Association (IPA), while also mentoring future architects as member of Adhoc Board of Studies at Sir J.J. College of Architecture.
Globally, he contributes to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) in Chicago, bringing an Indian perspective to international conversations on resilient urban growth. His achievements have earned numerous awards, including the Asia Pacific Property Award for Best Public Services Architecture and recognition at the Autodesk Design & Make Awards.
Currently, Ar. Sethi is leading NAINA (Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area), by Government of Maharashtra—a groundbreaking initiative that redefines how cities of the future can coexist with nature.
What truly sets Ar. Hiten Sethi apart is his unwavering belief is that architecture is a public act, not a personal signature. While others chase form, he pursues impact. While many design to be seen, he designs to be felt—in the comfort of a shaded walkway, in the dignity of a public office, in the optimism of a new city taking shape. His legacy is not defined by the skylines he has drawn, but by the lives his designs continue to elevate.
In an exclusive interview with Society Interiors & Design, architect Hiten Sethi shares his design journey, as we spotlight a curated selection of projects from his extensive portfolio, each reflecting his distinct architectural vision and philosophy.
You’ve been instrumental in shaping Navi Mumbai’s urban identity. How did your journey with the city begin, and what drew you to projects of such civic and urban importance?
My relationship with Navi Mumbai began like most lasting friendships—quietly, almost by accident, and then with a sudden clarity that changed everything. I remember the first time I stood on land that was still being imagined into a city: open fields, salt pans, scattered mangroves, and a horizon that promised possibility rather than constraint. It wasn’t the glamour of an established metropolis that drew me, but the humility of a blank canvas—and the moral clarity of a plan meant to serve many, not a privileged few.
There was one afternoon in those early days that still lives with me. I walked with my wife across a stretch of land earmarked for a neighbourhood. She spoke of long commutes, amenities and lack of soul. Her words were simple, yet they struck me harder than any drawing or brief ever could. That day, I realised architecture had to be civic first—an endeavour that knits daily lives together and heals small injustices through design. From that moment on, my projects in Navi Mumbai were never just commissions; they became obligations to a public I could see, hear, and learn from.
Working in Navi Mumbai taught me to move comfortably between scales. Each scale informed the other—the detail shaping the masterplan, and the masterplan disciplining the detail. The city demanded patience, teaching me to think in decades and to hold both human gestures and infrastructure networks in the same hand.
Some projects became testimonials to my thoughts and evolving vision. In 2014, the NMMC Head Office, the first ever Gold Rated LEED, became an icon and a sense of pride for Navi Mumbaikars, Wonders Park became an excellent example of a debris land to an excellent example for water management and recreation space for all age groups in the neighbourhood. The design of the National Cancer Hospital Institute in Nagpur, brought compassion into built walls and corridors, resonating the basic principle that the complex should not look like a hospital, feel like a hospital or smell like a hospital.In each of these, the official brief was only the starting point. The real brief was listening to vendors, to children, to the elderly who used the spaces at dawn—and translating that listening into plans that felt inevitable once built.
There are moments that define hidden opportunities: a festival evening at Wonders Park, alive with music and woven stalls; an elderly woman pausing on a bench at the Jewel of Navi Mumbai, saying it feels like a piece of home; passing through Seawoods Grand Central, a commuter feels travel shift from endurance to ease. These spontaneous, unplanned acts of belonging are what I chase—prove that design becomes a part of everyday life.
Navi Mumbai remains, for me, an ongoing conversation—between landscape and life, between continuity and change, between ambition and care. I’m still drawn to it because it rewards patience and is generous with opportunities to create meaning through design. To shape a city is to shape futures, and that possibility—the quietly radical act of improving everyday life—is what keeps me working, listening, and returning.
As an architect who’s designed several landmark projects for Navi Mumbai — including civic and administrative icons — how do you approach designing for a city rather than just a building?
A building is never an isolated object but a deliberate stitch in a living fabric. My first question is never “How will this look?” but “How will this be used, felt, and sustained by people across time?” That shift—from object to urban instrument—changes every decision that follows.
When you design for a city, you assume responsibility for futures: for how mornings begin, how joys are celebrated, how grief is handled, how children learn to move, and how strangers meet. That responsibility asks for patience, curiosity, and an ethic that privileges everyday life over fleeting acclaim. For me, that is the essence of civic architecture.
When I approach a project, I start by reading the city’s grain — its streets, horizons, skyline rhythms and the infrastructural lines that give it shape — then place the spaces as a deliberate punctuation in that pattern. Mediating program and context, I calibrate form to circulation, daylight, skyline setbacks, and the trajectories of air and water so each building finds it contextual relevance and place.
I see buildings as urban devices that order public space, frame vistas, and repair broken connections; their massing, plinth, and openings must negotiate scale with neighbouring blocks and stitch into transport and service networks. Vision for me is strategic: a composition that reads clearly from a distance, resolves human-scale moments at the street edge, and anticipates future intensification through adaptable structure and legible service routes. Practically, that means early mapping of thresholds and sightlines, rigorous control of height and façade cadence, and detailing that makes maintenance and future change simple. Ultimately, the architect must be both composer and systems engineer—proposing a spatial idea that uplifts the urban figure while rigorously testing how it will be delivered, operated, and absorbed into the city’s evolving music.
Your work on the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Headquarters is widely recognised as a symbol of civic pride and sustainability. What was your guiding philosophy behind this project?
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Headquarters was never conceived as just a building—it was envisioned as the physical embodiment of a city’s confidence in its own future. For me, it had to be more than an office for governance; it had to be a civic statement—a space where transparency, strength, and sustainability could coexist.
From the beginning, my guiding philosophy was simple yet demanding: to design a building that reflects the values of the institution it houses. A municipal corporation is the closest arm of government to the people— it deals with the most immediate, everyday realities of urban life. The architecture, therefore, had to communicate authority, accessibility, resilience, and empathy. Navi Mumbai finally found its identity as a city of the 21st century.
I wanted the structure to stand as a metaphor for governance itself—rooted, transparent, and inclusive. Its circular form was deliberate; it symbolises unity and equality, reminding everyone who walks in—whether an official or a citizen—that decision-making must be collective and continuous. The solid base reflects the strength and responsibility of those who govern, while the open central atrium floods the heart of the building with light—a constant reminder that governance must always remain open and accountable.
Sustainability was not an afterthought; it was the moral core of the design. For a civic building to speak of public good, it must first practise it. The NMMC Headquarters was designed as a green building—optimised for natural ventilation, daylighting, water conservation, and energy efficiency. It was one of the first municipal headquarters in India to achieve LEED Gold certification, setting a benchmark for sustainable governance. The idea was that every watt saved, every drop conserved, and every breeze harnessed should echo the city’s larger ecological conscience.
But beyond its systems and symbolism, I wanted the building to feel like Navi Mumbai—to express the optimism, discipline, and inclusiveness of its citizens. It had to be iconic, yes, but not intimidating. Its steps, plazas, and public edges invite people in, transforming a government office into a shared civic ground.
I believe architecture has the power to shape behaviour. When administrators work in a space filled with light, when citizens walk into a hall that feels dignified and open, dialogue changes. The NMMC Headquarters was built to inspire that kind of governance—firm yet compassionate, visionary yet humane.
To me, this building is not just concrete and glass—it’s a living reminder that good design, like good governance, must serve, sustain, and uplift. It stands as a promise that architecture can indeed become the visible form of public trust.
You’re currently working on the NAINA (Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area) project, which is poised to redefine urban development in the region. Could you share your vision for this ambitious initiative?
NAINA, to me, is not just another project—it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine how India builds its future cities. Rarely do architects get a clean canvas of this scale, and even more rarely does that canvas come with the awareness of what must be done differently. Having lived through Navi Mumbai’s evolution—from vision to vibrant reality—I see NAINA as our collective chance to apply every lesson we’ve learned, to create a city that is smarter, kinder, and more sustainable than anything we’ve built before. Naina was conceived in 2013 by CIDCO LTD and faced lot many bottlenecks and challenges over the years.
My vision for NAINA in 2023 began with a simple belief: cities must serve life, not consume it. In this decade, so many urban policies evolved, giving each growth center a peculiar challenge to serve high densities. Our scope of services includes 42 Sq. Km of TPS- 2 to TPS-12. With this we realised, urban growth can no longer come at the expense of the environment or the human spirit. Every decision we take here— land use, mobility, housing, infrastructure—has to be filtered through the lens of sustainability and equity. This is not just about green certifications; it’s about restoring balance between development and nature, between aspiration and responsibility.
NAINA sits at the intersection of possibility and foresight. It will be the living extension of Navi Mumbai’s legacy—a city shaped by intention, not by accident. The airport will no doubt become its economic engine, but the soul of NAINA must be its people and its landscapes. I envision a city that breathes: one where every neighbourhood is walkable, every water body protected, every public space inclusive. Where architecture doesn’t dominate the land but grows out of it.
We now know what unchecked urbanisation costs us—floods, heat islands, social segregation, loss of identity. NAINA gives us the privilege to correct those mistakes. To plan not for congestion but for coexistence. To build infrastructure that respects natural systems. To make a city resilient to climate change, yet rich in human connection.
For me, this project is both a responsibility and a privilege—to help shape an urban model that could guide the next century of Indian development. It’s a rare chance to prove that progress and preservation can walk hand in hand.
If Navi Mumbai was about creating order from the marshes, then NAINA is about creating harmony from ambition. My dream is that decades from now, people will look at NAINA and see not just a successful city, but a humane one—a city that remembered its duty to the earth even as it reached for the sky.
You are also working with prominent Developers. Can you share insight on some of your ongoing projects?
Yes, alongside our civic and institutional work, we are deeply engaged with some of India’s most forward-thinking developers—partners who share our belief that architecture must not only shape skylines but also enrich lives. Working with developers gives us a different kind of challenge: to balance aspiration with responsibility, aesthetics with performance, and commercial value with social relevance.
There are a number of ongoing projects with L&T, Paradise Group, Regency Group, Moraj, Metro Satyam, Arihant etc. where we’ve been involved in shaping spaces that redefine the idea of mixed-use urban living. These projects are in themselves a living ecosystem that connects wellness, work, leisure, and community in one seamless urban fabric. Our goal is to make projects feel humane, rooted in context, and responsive to the rhythms of the city.
We are also collaborating with several leading developers on large-scale residential and IT park projects across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan, Thane and other MMR areas. In each, our approach is guided by sustainability, wellness, and long-term adaptability. We design homes that breathe, offices that inspire, and communities that endure. It’s about creating architecture that doesn’t age with trends but matures with its inhabitants.
What excites me most about working with developers today is the shift I’m witnessing—a growing willingness to invest in sustainability, resilience, and good urban citizenship. We’re moving past the era of façades and floorplates, and into one of purpose-driven design.
For me, each project—whether civic or commercial—is a chance to tell the same story in different languages: that architecture, when done with integrity and empathy, can be both profitable and profoundly humane. The developers we work with understand that good design is not an indulgence—it’s an investment in the city’s future. And that alignment of values is what keeps me inspired me every single day.
What continues to inspire you — personally and professionally — as you work on projects that define cityscapes and impact millions of lives?
What continues to inspire me, both personally and professionally, is the quiet yet powerful idea that architecture can make everyday life better. I have always believed that design is not about creating monuments— it’s about creating meaning. Every project, whether it’s a humble public space or a major civic landmark, carries within it the potential to touch lives, to offer dignity, to make someone’s day just a little easier or more beautiful. That possibility is what keeps me going.
Personally, I draw inspiration from people—their resilience, their stories, their ability to find joy even in imperfect cities. When I walk through a park we’ve designed and see children running freely, or watch a commuter pause under a shaded corridor we planned years ago, I’m reminded that architecture’s truest success lies in these uncelebrated, human moments.
Professionally, I’m inspired by the evolving dialogue between cities and sustainability. We are at a defining moment in human history—where every design decision carries ecological weight. This awareness fuels me to think harder, to design smarter, and to ensure that our work doesn’t just respond to the present but safeguards the future. I see sustainability not as a checklist but as a moral responsibility—an act of respect toward the planet and the generations that will inherit our cities.
And then there’s the city itself—Navi Mumbai continues to be my greatest teacher. Its evolution reminds me that urban design is never complete; it’s an ongoing conversation between people, policy, and place. To be part of that dialogue, to contribute even a small line to the city’s story, is both humbling and exhilarating.
Ultimately, what inspires me is purpose. Architecture, when rooted in empathy and integrity, becomes a form of public service. The thought that our drawings can shape not just buildings but lives—that keeps my passion alive every single day.
What advice would you give to young designers entering the industry today?
To the young designers stepping into this profession today, I want to say this with conviction: you are not just designing buildings— you are designing the future of India. The choices you make, the values you uphold, and the vision you bring to your work will define how our cities breathe, how our people live, and how our nation stands in the world.
India is on the threshold of becoming a global superpower—not just economically, but culturally and creatively. As architects and designers, we hold a rare responsibility in that journey. We are the storytellers of this transformation. The cities we build will reflect our collective ambition, our ethics, and our compassion. Design, therefore, is not a Design, therefore, is a way of shaping the future we want to live in.
My advice to you is simple but urgent:
Design with purpose. Don’t chase trends; chase meaning. Let every line you draw respond to real human needs—to climate, to culture, to community. The world does not need more glittering façades; it needs ideas that heal, empower, and sustain.
Embrace sustainability as patriotism. The strength of a superpower will be measured not just in GDP, but in how gently it treads on the planet. Every watt saved, every drop harvested, every breath of clean air your design allows—that is your contribution to India’s future strength.
Be fearless innovators, but grounded dreamers. Use technology, AI, data, and materials in ways that serve humanity, not just spectacle. Marry the wisdom of our traditions with the intelligence of the new age. The India you will design must be both timeless and ahead of its time.
And finally, design for the many, not the few. True progress is not when our cities grow taller, but when they grow fairer. When public spaces feel safe, when affordable housing feels dignified, when a child in a village school feels the same pride as one in a global campus—that is when your architecture will have done its duty.
You are the generation that will script the physical and moral landscape of a rising India. Carry that responsibility with pride, humility, and courage. Design not for applause, but for legacy—because the world is watching how we build the India of tomorrow.
NAINA: A Planned City for a Better Tomorrow
NAINA represents a new model of urban growth, a thoughtfully planned city around the Navi Mumbai Airport influenced area, that seeks to balance sustainability, innovation, and community wellbeing. Envisioned as a catalyst for economic and social development, NAINA is guided by the core principles of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) responsibility, ensuring long-term resilience and infrastructure strength. Designed to adapt to fast-paced urban growth, the city integrates innovation and technology as key drivers of progress.
NAINA’s land use strategy reflects a well-balanced urban vision, comprising 42 percent residential areas, 14 percent public spaces, 12 percent commercial zones, 6 percent green parks, 1 percent industrial areas, 20 percent non-developable regions, and 5 percent social facilities such as schools and hospitals. It is envisioned to accommodate 3.2 million population.
Connectivity
With a commitment to becoming a Net Zero City, NAINA strives for carbon neutrality through efficient resource management, resilient infrastructure, and an integrated connectivity framework. Connectivity, both physical and digital, serves as a key enabler in reducing emissions and optimizing urban efficiency. The city’s planning approach emphasizes multimodal mobility, ensuring seamless integration of public transport, pedestrian networks, and non-motorised transport corridors. Last-mile connectivity is a central component, enhancing access between transit nodes and neighbourhoods through welldesigned walkways, cycling infrastructure, and shared mobility options. By integrating metro systems, dedicated bus routes, pedestrian and cycle tracks, taxi pods, and major structures such as bridges, flyovers, and interchanges, the plan ensures smooth connectivity across the region, reducing traffic congestion. This system is further strengthened by smart infrastructure that enables real-time monitoring and efficient resource use. Together, these elements foster a compact, connected, and sustainable urban form that supports low-carbon living while enhancing accessibility, inclusivity, and overall urban resilience.
Urban Character
The city’s design emphasizes placemaking by integrating iconic landmarks and vibrant green spaces that enrich everyday life. Growth centres within the city promote economic vitality through the creation of mixed-use, highly connected zones that support innovation, business growth, and efficient land utilization. These growth centres are strategically clustered and linked through a network of major roads, ensuring lastmile connectivity within a ten-minute walk.
NAINA prioritizes inclusivity, accessibility, and social cohesion by creating welcoming public spaces where communities can connect, grow, and flourish, reflecting a city built for its people. Each town planning scheme provides accessible green spaces within a ten-minute walk from residential areas. Public spaces, green corridors, and recreational areas enhance mental, physical, and social well-being, while social infrastructure is strategically located for convenient access. The city’s land use strategy also includes areas for EWS housing, fulfilling the region’s commitment to providing homes for all. Each Town Planning Scheme defines a sustainable, inclusive, and economically viable future for the region.
Landscape/Urban Greens
NAINA envisions a green city plan that connects the urban fabric through waterfront developments, environmental conservation, and green trails in non-development areas. The city will feature an Integrated Flood Management plan that treats surface water and groundwater as linked resources, using floodplains to support natural recharge and exploring innovative methods to enhance groundwater replenishment. The plan also coordinates land use and water systems, employing parks, floodplains, and drainage networks to manage flooding, support groundwater recharge, and create a safer, more sustainable urban environment.
Sustainability
NAINA aims to be a climate-smart and livable city by integrating comprehensive urban climate action strategies into its development. The city plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality through the electrification of public transport, low-emission zones, and strict monitoring of polluting vehicles. Energyefficient buildings and smart metering systems will lower operational emissions, while clean energy integration in public infrastructure and renewable energy adoption will support a sustainable power transition. NAINA also promotes active mobility by designing safe walking and cycling networks, green corridors, and accessible public spaces, ensuring that climate action enhances health, wellbeing, and long-term urban resilience.
Conserving Nature and Heritage in NAINA
NAINA’s development strategy emphasizes the preservation and promotion of ecological, historical, and cultural sites. Within the city, initiatives such as biodiversity conservation, eco-tourism, and educational interpretive centers will protect habitats and raise awareness. In areas along the edge of eco sensitive sites like Matheran Hills and Karnala Bird Sanctuary, sustainable tourism, strengthened conservation efforts, and improved ecofriendly connectivity will be prioritized. Buffer zones, protected areas, and habitat restoration programs will safeguard forests, water bodies, mangroves, and sanctuaries near the project boundary, while community engagement and scientific research will guide long-term ecosystem management. Together, these measures will aim to balance urban growth with the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, ensuring a resilient and sustainable future for NAINA.
SAI WORLD EMPIRE, KHARGHAR – A Modern Architectural Ode to Global Royalty
Spanning 18 acres in the heart of Kharghar, Sai World Empire rises as a modern architectural symphony inspired by the world’s greatest civilizations. Conceptualized and designed by Hiten Sethi & Associates (HSA), the project transforms royal grandeur into contemporary living—creating a place where history, design, and luxury converge to redefine urban excellence.
For Ar. Hiten Sethi, Sai World Empire is not just about opulence—it is about storytelling through architecture. Each of the six towers celebrates a legendary empire—Roman, Greek, French, Egyptian, Spanish, and British—translating their timeless architectural vocabularies into the verticality of modern towers. The result is a skyline that evokes heritage yet speaks to the aspirations of a global India.
The project’s concept was to craft a modern kingdom—a community that embodies strength, beauty, and harmony. Every tower, rising up to 166.95 meters, blends neoclassical proportion with contemporary precision, achieving a balance of scale and serenity that defines true architectural luxury.
Residents are greeted by the Arch-de-Triumph Entrance, a French-inspired gateway symbolizing majestic arrival. The Broadway Amphitheatre celebrates performance and public gathering in the spirit of British culture, while the Athena Clubhouse offers Greek-inspired leisure in an atmosphere of calm elegance.
Each elevation is rich in classical detailing—Corinthian columns, arched windows, ornate cornices, and domed crowns—crafted with modern materials and engineering finesse. A smooth beige-ivory façade, enhanced by ambient lighting, transforms the towers into luminous icons against the city skyline. Inside, double-height lobbies, art lounges, private theatres, and sun-decks extend the royal narrative, merging grandeur with modern comfort.
True to Hiten Sethi’s philosophy of holistic living, the landscape is designed as a series of curated experiences—a Flower Boulevard, Mirror Maze Gardens, and Espana Kids Park coexist with serene lawns, water features, and sculptural art. The Aswan Spa, Wave Pool, and Floating Bar add layers of leisure and community, turning the development into a living resort where every corner evokes joy and discovery.
The integrated Sai World Empire Retail Mall continues the architectural rhythm with a unified façade, generous proportions, and thoughtful circulation. It ensures the convenience of modern life within the same design vocabulary of elegance and order.
With Sai World Empire, Hiten Sethi & Associates has created more than a residential enclave—it is a testament to India’s design confidence on the global stage. It stands as a celebration of civilization, culture, and craftsmanship—a place where modern architecture meets the soul of history.
For Ar. Hiten Sethi, this project is not merely an architectural feat; it is a statement—that modern India can craft spaces as timeless as its heritage, as forward-looking as its dreams. Sai World Empire is, therefore, not just a home—it is a living museum of global legacies, shaped by an architect who believes that design, at its best, is both art and aspiration made real.
ICICI Radiation Oncology Centre, IROC ACTREC Kharghar – Where Science, Care and Architecture Heal Together
The IROC at ACTREC is conceived as a national instrument of care — a purpose built centre where advanced oncology, rigorous science and human dignity converge. Our design philosophy begins with a simple demand: architecture must heal. Every decision is calibrated to create a life affirming environment that supports clinical excellence, eases patient journeys and reduces operational friction while honouring the sensitivity of cancer care.
Arrival and circulation are designed as compassionate choreography. A generous, welcoming entrance and clear hierarchical wayfinding dissolve stress; colour coded floors, outside views and art nodes orient patients gently. Clinical adjacencies and 12 LINAC bunkers are organised around streamlined pathways so treatment workflows are efficient, exposure risks are controlled and staff collaboration is intuitive. Service floors and a rationalised service block keep maintenance invisible and systems accessible, enabling scalability and an extra load provision for future growth.
The interior language privileges comfort and calm. Daylight, framed views to green courtyards and translucent skylights reduce institutional austerity and support circadian well being. Waiting areas read like living rooms rather than clinics: ledge seating, soft palettes, tactile finishes and accessible greenery create spaces that feel homely and restorative. Top floors house academic, simulation and multipurpose labs where teaching, research and teleconsulting sit alongside staff focused amenities — proximity that fosters knowledge exchange and operational resilience.
Sustainability is not optional — it is integral. The masterplan protects the campus ecology, conserves water through sensitive landscape strategies, and embeds energy wise measures to meet IGBC Gold aspirations. Podium terraces, a medicinal plants museum and biophilic courtyards are therapeutic tools that reconnect occupants with nature, aid recovery and improve indoor environmental quality. Durable materials and serviceable details are chosen to reduce lifecycle cost and ensure stewardship by future operators.
We insist on design charrettes as a delivery instrument: clinicians, patients, engineers and administrators shape real needs so solutions are evidence based and adoptable. Flexibility and scalability are built into structure and plan so the building can respond to clinical advances without disruption.
IROC is more than a facility; it is a civic promise — to double access to advanced oncology with compassion, to model sustainable, maintainable healthcare, and to create an architectural setting where science, care and human warmth coexist. In this project, architecture becomes an ally of treatment, research and recovery.
Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai — A Campus for Law, Life and Landscape
Set within a sensitive 35-acre greenfield site at Pahadi Village, Goregaon, Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) Mumbai is envisioned as a living campus where pedagogy, public life and ecology converge. Designed by Hiten Sethi & Associates, the masterplan translates the site’s linear geometry and its proximity to Malad Creek and the protected mangrove buffer into a disciplined spatial sequence that progresses from public formality to private repose.
The campus unfolds along an urban spine — the defining organizational axis that connects diverse functions while maintaining a clear hierarchy of spaces. Administrative and Academic Blocks establish the formal institutional edge, while a vibrant central Recreational Zone comprising the auditorium, amphitheatre and cafeteria forms the social heart of the campus. Beyond, residential towers offer panoramic calm and privacy, overlooking the creek and the verdant landscape.
At the core of the design is the Campus Street — a semi-covered pedestrian promenade that seamlessly weaves together governance, learning and daily life. Bathed in daylight and naturally ventilated, it serves both as a functional circulatory system and as a civic realm for dialogue, serendipity and community exchange. Vehicular movement is discreetly segregated with defined 12-metre and 6-metre drives, while an extensive stilt-level parking undercroft connects major blocks, ensuring pedestrian safety and creating weather-protected landscaped surfaces above.
Architecture here is resolved at both human and civic scales. The varied block heights — from the threestorey Exam Block to the nine-storey Academic Block and 24-storey hostels — optimize land use while preserving intimacy and proportion. The Academic Block accommodates moot courts, a triple-height central library, flexible classrooms, seminar rooms and terrace refuges that encourage collaboration and reflection. Incubation hubs, research labs and adaptable seminar spaces foster innovation and dialogue between academia and industry.
The residential towers, housing over 2,500 students, are organized to nurture community and wellbeing, with dedicated entries, recreation zones, healthcare facilities and dining spaces.
Materiality and façade expression are both contextual and contemporary. Terracotta cladding, jaali screens and operable louvers respond to Mumbai’s tropical climate, offering warmth, texture and shading. Buildings are oriented toward the creek to minimize afternoon heat gain and harness gentle north-east light for teaching spaces. Passive cooling, daylighting and natural ventilation strategies are embedded throughout.
Landscape design — conceived as “Waves of Transformation” — uses organic pathways, water bodies, shaded courts and law-themed sculptures to create moments of pause, interaction and introspection.
Sustainability is fundamental, not decorative. The campus follows GRIHA and IGBC principles through rainwater harvesting, a sewage treatment plant, solar arrays, water-wise planting and permeable paving, all of which protect the mangrove ecosystem and restore ecological balance. Structurally, RCC and steel composite systems with post-tensioned and precast elements ensure flexibility, durability and a 50-year design life compliant with NBC and IS standards.
MNLU Mumbai transcends conventional academic infrastructure — it is envisioned as a civic laboratory, where legal education, research and community life are composed with precision, empathy and purpose. It invites curiosity, fosters dialogue, and creates an enduring environment where ideas mature, communities thrive and architecture quietly advances the cause of justice. Through this curated glimpse into Ar. Hiten Sethi’s body of work, one thing becomes clear: his architecture is not defined by a single style, but by a consistent commitment to context, human experience, and responsible design. From large-scale public institutions to nuanced, people-centric spaces, each project reflects a balance of functionality, aesthetics and social relevance. what keeps me inspired every single day.
