Know More | Otherworlds

About Us

Otherworlds is an amorphous practice working across architecture, interior design and arts, based in Goa, India.

While still becoming, the work is produced somewhere between laughing over a serious obsession with an otherwise insignificant (in the larger context) cornice detail, and endlessly redrawing the same plan or section in multiple ways and forms until some sense of meaning begins to surface.

Each project is an object or entity with its own set of values and rules. Each begins with an idea, which then develops into form and spawns other ideas along the way. Every entity — whether a house, a small kiosk, or an art installation, regardless of scale or urgency — is given equal care and attention.

Drawing and representation techniques are a very crucial and enjoyable part of the process. They give life to a project before it is built and later offer deeper meaning as a form of study.

What drives and motivates ? To be able to draw a new project, a new detail, every other day. To go to site to check a window just freshly casted. To be able to inhabit a space that was previously imagined on paper. To be a little irrational and stubborn on the idea or a vision. To realize and be grateful, that we get to do what we love.

An arch or a buttress, or any architectural object, conveys emotions and symbolism as much as a human or their actions would.

Always caught between project briefs that seek to appropriate different cultures and the search for a trustworthy client.

Nothing but a collage of our heroes, mentors, friends, obsessions and shared passions.

Always collecting, copying, drawing and re-drawing.

Still in the process of learning and unlearning, and somewhere along the path to making sense of it all.

Services

architectural solutions
interior design
exhibition design
spatial/art installation design
experimental art projects

People of the Studio

Arko Saha

Graduated in architecture at PIADS, Nagpur, 2016. Worked at Cadence Architects (2014), Abin Design Studio (2017), Busride Design Studio (2017-2022). Started the practice Otherworlds in Goa, India, circa 2022.

Mandar Pounikar

Mandar joined the practice during its formative years, bringing his expertise in architectural renovation and project management to several nascent projects. He is currently the founding partner of Infinity Plus One, based in Goa.
Project Credits: Como Agua, Urrak

Lionel Afonso

Graduated from Goa College of Architecture in 2022, Lionel joined the studio as a junior architect and worked with us until 2025. He was an invaluable member of the team, contributing to a wide range of projects. He is currently based in Goa, working on independent and collaborative projects.
Project Credits: Susegado Microbrewery, Susegado Lounge, The Foundry, Little Bloom, Cuebebar, Nakhra.

Oum Kuvelkar

Oum joined the studio as a fresher and worked with us until the summer of 2025. A graduate of the Goa College of Architecture, he brought a strong interest in 3D printing and a hands-on approach to our design projects.
Project credits: Little Bloom, Seed Library (Exhibition Design), The Foundry.

Mentors, Friends & Collaborators

Ayaz and Zameer Basrai

More like friends than mentors, these former bosses have been a crucial and integral part of the foundation of this practice. The safest and most fun working experiences post graduation were at this studio, eventually becoming a learning guide toward establishing an independent design practice.

Sohil Soni

A dearest friend and collaborator, Sohil has been part mentor and part brother. An extremely kind and talented individual, he shines across his written, drawn, and designed endeavours. He is currently running his independent practice, Open Fields, in Bombay/Goa.

Varun Mehta

Varun has been a long-time friend, brother, and drawing partner. He has always been an inspiration with many shared interests. We have worked and collaborated on multiple projects during and after our time at the same studio. He currently practices architecture, interior, product, and graphic design through his independent studio, Various. He is also a partner at Urban Monkey.

Aashna Shah

Aashna is a dear friend and a fellow practioner from Bombay. A team leader and a hard worker, she is a tour de force. She is currently running Rad.Co.Lab with her partner in Bombay.

Apoorva Joshi

Apoorva has been a constant support and friend from college. Always curious and forever ready to learn and work together, she is currently a fellow practitioner. She runs Clayscape Architects along with another mutual friend Priyanka, between Delhi and Mhow.