Form Follows Community

No.102 — Read old posts on Tinyfarmlab.com
Reading Time 5 minutes

At the recent Dehradun Design Circle,
we were invited to share our journey
and the philosophy behind our practice,
along with other earth architects.

It almost felt like being part of the Avengers.

Many have tried to define what form should follow.
Louis Sullivan declared form follows function.
Frank Lloyd Wright argued form and function are one.
Others have said form follows climate, 
or even form follows love.

In this talk, we shared how, for us,
the answer has grown clearer with every project:
Form Follows Community.

When communities take part in making,
the space begins to tell with stories of those who shaped it.

A wall is no longer just a wall.
It creates identity, memory, and belonging.

This belief has guided us in our past and ongoing projects in different ways:

1) Tiny Farm Fort, Rishikesh

It was a self-initiated demonstrator building, where we wanted to test how we can build with a community. More than 100 people from over 18 countries and more than 25 locals worked on the project over time. Many arrived with no knowledge of building. Yet within days, they were sculpting cob walls, raising structures, and every curve of the house became a reminder of their beautiful smiles.

Of course, volunteer-driven projects are harder to replicate when we are hired as consultants because deadlines and budgets shape what is possible. Yet, we continue to find ways to weave community into construction.

2) Kalga Banaras, Varanasi

This project centered around reviving endangered crafts and building capacity locally. With Brown Dot Collaborative, we collaborated with Ajay and his team of artisans to create murals and cob work.

We worked with local craftsmen to showcase crafts such as metal repousse and wood turning craft in a contemporary light. All the artisans take pride in the outcome and have fond memories of building the project together.

3) Community Outhouse, Rishikesh

Here, we built a simple cob bench with the client, their friends, and their family. It wasn’t just furniture. It became a memory they built together.

4) Adobe House, Agra

We trained the farmers’ staff living on the property to renovate an old adobe house. They began with our designs but soon adapted and innovated their own construction methods.

5) Colonial Haveli restoration and adaptive reuse, Rishikesh

We are restoring a 90-year-old colonial haveli with traditional masons from Rajasthan and fresco artisans. Their craftsmanship doesn’t just repair the building; it revives the cultural memory of the place. They bring their own expertise and aesthetics of crafting niches and arches.

6) Ecoresort, Hampi

When café owners in Hampi began building a resort, we trained chefs and café staff to help with the construction. The spaces will carry the touch of those who would later inhabit and care for them.

Across projects,
The outcome is the same:
when people contribute to making,
they carry the place with them.
They see themselves in it.
They belong.

And so, for us,
form follows community.

Love,
Raghav and Ansh

P.S.: If you are on LinkedIn, let’s connect. You can read our latest post here.


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