FOAID 2024 unites india’s architecture & interior design community

foaid: the festival oF architecture and interior designing 2024

The Festival of Architecture and Interior Designing (FOAID) 2024 marks its 11th year as a cornerstone event uniting India‘s vibrant design community. With a footfall of over 10,000 attendees across its two-city journey, FOAID lit up the design world with editions held in New Delhi on 22–23 November at the NSIC Grounds and in Mumbai on 20–21 December at the Jio World Convention Center. In partnership with CNBC TV18, the event brought together architects, designers, students, celebrities, influencers, and innovators to celebrate creativity, collaboration, and forward-thinking ideas.

Both cities came alive with architectural conferences, competitions, hands-on workshops, and exhibits that not only showcased the latest trends but also addressed key design challenges. International icons like Ernesto Bedmar and Studio Fuksas joined Indian visionaries including Sandeep Khosla, Kamal Sagar, the five principals of Studio Lotus, Aswin Alva, and Gurjit Singh Matharoo. From poetic minimalism to sustainable innovation, their sessions tackled themes such as biophilic design, luxury, and large-scale projects – amplifying conversations that shape the future of our built environment.

FOAID 2024: celebrating creativity in architecture and design | all images courtesy of FOAID

FOAID celebrates creativity with conferences and workshops

FOAID 2024 is committed to showcasing ‘Creativity Worth Celebrating’ with over 50 international and national speakers participating in various sessions, including solo presentations and panel discussions. Attendees of the architecture and design festival can look forward to competitions, dynamic exhibitions, and interactive installations, with over 50 product displays from leading brands and a strong focus on emerging technologies and sustainable practices.

Panel debates such as ‘Is Delhi heading towards ecological destruction?’ and presentation series like Mumbai’s ‘Soul of India’ – featuring architects like Akshay Heranjal, Gayathri Shetty, Arjun Malik, Deepak Gugarii and Bijoy Ramachandran, among others – offered deep dives into how design can honor tradition while embracing change. The festival also underscored its global outlook by fostering cross-cultural dialogues with speakers from Coop Himmelb(l)au, UNStudio Middle East, and Lucio Muniain of Mexico City, among others, enriching the event’s international perspective.

Ernesto Bedmar delivers an inspiring keynote presentation, sharing his insights and vision

In addition to thought-provoking panels, fun and energetic formats like the design trivia ‘Naqshaybaaz’ – hosted by Manish Gulati of M:OFA Studio – added a lively rhythm to the experience. Meanwhile, initiatives like ‘ICA Creative Minds Next’ and ‘Expressions,’ empowered students and young professionals with mentorship and networking opportunities to help foster the next generation of design thinkers.

Mumbai: a Grand Finale – Lucio Muniain from Mexico presents on the art of sculptural architecture

vox architecture ideas steps into its 10th year

In 2024, the 10th anniversary of the VOX Architecture Ideas competition, an initiative by FOAID highlights young design professionals alongside industry leaders, gaining notable press recognition for nurturing the future generation of design innovators over the past decade. For its anniversary, it introduced a new ‘Most Innovative Use of VOX Ceilings’ category, with the grand prize—a Mahindra XUV 500—awarded to Anand Maroo, Arpit Khandelwal & Pratik Gupta of SPAN Architects. Other awards included an iPad for first place, a Taj hotel voucher for second, and a Dolby sound system for third.

The competition continued to be a vibrant platform for showcasing original ideas across categories, fostering experimentation and cross-generational exchange within India’s design ecosystem. For more details about the competition and full list of winners, visit FOAID India.

Arjan Pit of UNStudio talks about inclusive spaces at FOAID: Mumbai 2024