Arthur Mamou-Mani on Sustainable Architecture and Innovation
In this episode of Be All You Can, we are joined by internationally acclaimed architect Arthur Mamou-Mani, known for pushing the boundaries of architecture through technology, sustainability and parametric design.
Arthur shares his perspective on how design, digital fabrication and new materials are reshaping the future of built environments. From experimental structures to large-scale installations, the conversation explores how architects today are rethinking the relationship between nature, technology and human experience.
Tune in for a fascinating discussion on creativity, sustainability and the future of architecture.
- Other episodes
- Transcript
Off the grid: Travel, terrain and truths ft. Zurvan Marolia
Mar 31, 2026 Aishwarya Sridhar on Wildlife Conservation and Personal Growth
Mar 26, 2026 Medha Sahi on the Power of Singing Together
Mar 14, 2026 Bittu Sahgal on purpose, planet, and persistence
Feb 20, 2026 Liza Goldberg on climate purpose, NASA innovation, and leadership for business growth
Feb 9, 20260:02: I think there's a lot of greenwashing when it comes to environmental design.
0:07: You're being told something is environmental because it's got bamboo, but then it's filled up with epoxy.
0:12: You're being told that this tower is incredibly sustainable,
0:19: and people don't have the tools to measure this against.
0:24: Hi, my name is Henry Skupnevich, and I'm the head of Godrej's Design Lab.
0:28: Hi, I'm Arthur Mamou-Mani. I'm an architect, I'm a teacher, and I have a digital fabrication lab called FabPub.
0:33: Thank you for joining us, Arthur.
0:35: It's excellent for you to be with us here on Godrej's campus at Conscious Collective
0:41: and having a great conversation about design, sustainability, fabrication, and computational design.
0:48: Now, we realize that we share a similar past from an education perspective.
0:54: But one question that I'm asked a lot, and I'm sure that you are, is: what is computational design?
1:00: So maybe I'll start with a misunderstanding — that you need a computer.
1:06: For me, there is computational design in knitting, for example.
1:11: Anything that requires a set of rules that you can modify using simple parameters becomes computational.
1:19: Basically, if the material or the systems that you use have an inherent intelligence
1:24: and you play and iterate with that intelligence, you're doing computational design.
1:29: When it comes to the computer, what it does is deal with that complexity much faster.
1:35: Of course, you can have more data, although reality is often more complex than the computer.
1:39: But you can still simulate things and not necessarily use physical objects.
1:43: So there is a clear link between the act of creating a craft, a system,
1:48: and the act of doing it in the computer.
1:52: So you're talking about simulations as well as physical craft.
1:57: Can you give an example of the connection between the two in maybe a project of yours?
2:01: Yeah, of course.
2:02: For example, the Temple Galaxia that we worked on,
2:06: we created a space that starts at a human scale and then twists itself up
2:11: like a galaxy being attracted to a black hole.
2:14: That was the kind of thinking.
2:16: Although I say thinking, but really it emerged from my playing with simple loops in the computer.
2:23: But then when it becomes reality — physical things — which is what we do,
2:29: you need to consider the material.
2:30: So you have timber.
2:32: Timber comes in straight lines.
2:34: It comes in different sizes.
2:36: In the U.S., two-by-four, four-by-four inch.
2:39: So computational design becomes very interesting after the form generation
2:43: when you start placing material in relation to forces.
2:47: You could simulate forces, know the number of newtons,
2:51: and adapt the sizes of your components accordingly.
2:54: Okay.
2:55: So there's a conversation between both.
2:57: Computational design, I guess, is the area of design where that expertise lives
3:03: rather than purely aesthetic or habitation.
3:10: For me, technology is only interesting if it has an impact either on people's lives or the environment,
3:17: or reduction of material or circularity.
3:21: Tools are just tools.
3:23: They're here to help you achieve something.
3:25: And it's really the intent that matters.
3:29: We were talking about career journey and finding that intent.
3:34: Could you talk about finding your way as a young designer?
3:45: I grew up in Paris, France, and went to a relatively conventional architecture school.
3:53: Where you're told: this is your site, this is your program, make a building.
3:59: But I couldn't link my background.
4:02: My dad is a computer scientist.
4:06: My mom is an ecologist.
4:07: And none of that was in the way architecture was taught.
4:11: The values they transmitted to me didn't make sense with what I was learning.
4:16: I was being taught outputs, not the process.
4:18: Then I went to London — to the Architectural Association.
4:22: My first exercise was to pick a game.
4:25: I picked baseball.
4:27: And they made me diagram the baseball game.
4:31: I was like — where's the architecture?
4:36: But then I understood that design is everywhere.
4:39: There are no boundaries in thinking about buildings.
4:42: Buildings are just the envelope behind the important stuff.
4:48: The humans, the flows, the parameters guiding design.
4:51: That was my big opening moment.
5:05: You were talking about values.
5:07: At Godrej Enterprises Group we think a lot about values guiding decisions.
5:18: Beyond your work, what drives you at a higher purpose level?
5:33: I think you find yourself through mistakes and your path.
5:39: I worked a bit at Zaha Hadid Architects.
5:42: When I joined, I wasn't sure what brought us together.
5:45: I liked the curves and flowing forms.
5:53: But was there something deeper?
5:58: When I started my own practice, people joined from all over the world.
6:05: I realized cultural differences are hard to unite.
6:08: So I wrote down what I thought we stood for.
6:11: A set of values.
6:14: Being the change. Letting design grow.
6:17: Something we could refer back to.
6:21: And challenge ourselves with.
6:33: About biomaterials.
6:42: When I was in London it was the rise of Fab Labs and parametric design.
6:49: Those two movements converged.
6:55: I was fascinated by that.
6:58: The idea that anyone could be a designer.
7:05: A democratization of design.
7:14: I thought — this revolution is too big not to participate in.
7:20: So I started my practice.
7:25: I separated an architecture studio and a fabrication company.
7:31: Then I started asking — what is this material we’re printing?
7:32: It smelled like popcorn.
7:34: Turns out printers use PLA.
7:39: Polylactic acid — made from sugar and starch.
7:45: We used it in an installation for COS fashion brand.
7:47: I started researching whether it was actually environmental.
7:55: And the more I studied it, the more it seemed like a good middle ground.
8:01: Durable, yet degradable.
8:15: The big question today is:
8:18: We need to make things.
8:21: But how long should things last?
8:28: Fashion changes.
8:33: But if materials are compostable, the pressure reduces.
8:55: Durability and sustainability often get confused.
9:05: People think if something lasts forever, it’s sustainable.
9:09: But that’s what created concrete and plastics.
9:16: In reality, very little lasts forever.
9:19: Architects dream of building the next Parthenon.
9:26: But then we must understand the material deeply.
9:31: Self-repairing concrete, for example.
9:32: Our approach is to use the right material for the right situation.
9:39: And build systems around what we claim.
9:46: We even have a take-back scheme.
9:49: When printed pieces finish their lifecycle, we reclaim them.
9:56: Permanent structure.
10:01: Impermanent cladding.
10:04: Which can be renewed every five to ten years.
10:08: It creates excitement and community participation.
10:30: When you start from material, design becomes richer.
10:39: Materials have intelligence.
10:42: Pine bends in a specific radius.
10:49: Instead of designing a curve in software first,
10:52: ask the material what it can do.
10:59: Then design accordingly.
11:04: You save time, money, and gain material logic.
11:11: Another big shift in architecture is sharing computational tools.
11:26: Designers now share code libraries.
11:30: I love Grasshopper for that reason.
11:38: The community shares tools openly.
12:11: Sometimes tools create happy accidents.
12:16: The machine behaves unexpectedly.
12:24: If you adjust temperature or speed, the material behaves differently.
12:31: Those imperfections can create beauty.
12:35: Innovation often comes from mistakes.
13:05: Managing a team is another challenge.
13:18: Designers are opinionated.
13:35: My team is international — including people from India.
13:41: I don't think of it as management.
13:43: It's a dialogue.
13:47: We try to break hierarchy.
13:56: Architecture is never made by one person.
14:18: We also have traditions.
14:26: Every Friday we clean the lab together.
14:34: It reconnects us with the physical world.
14:46: Otherwise it's easy to stay at the computer.
15:29: Architects design for fabricators.
15:41: But many have never fabricated anything.
15:45: That's a contradiction.
16:04: India is a land of patterns.
16:16: My first investor was passionate about Vastu.
16:22: The sacred science of spatial arrangement.
16:31: He asked me to build a digital tool for it.
16:35: That led me to explore Indian temple mathematics.
16:47: Their fractal nature is extremely computational.
16:55: As you approach a temple, you see increasing levels of detail.
18:02: Our design language often comes from our tools.
18:13: 3D printers don't like sharp 90-degree turns.
18:18: So curves become efficient.
18:31: Cost, speed, and fabrication constraints shape aesthetics.
18:56: Quick questions.
19:04: Any young design voices inspiring you?
19:15: Many of my students are doing fascinating things.
19:22: Some became developers.
19:31: They're combining entrepreneurship with architecture.
19:50: Any book that influenced you?
20:00: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.
20:10: It explores humanity from origins to modern civilization.
20:20: It connects cities, temples, and culture.
20:48: One thing designers and the public should remember about sustainability?
21:05: Ask questions about materials.
21:09: There is a lot of greenwashing.
21:15: Bamboo filled with epoxy isn't truly sustainable.
21:28: We need metrics and lifecycle thinking.
21:42: Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow explains this well.
21:50: Our world thinks too fast now.
21:55: Environmental design requires slow thinking.
22:05: You must understand supply chains and lifecycle impacts.
22:19: Sometimes that makes you uncomfortable.
22:26: But you must ask those questions.
22:30: Be a nice problem maker.
22:32: People usually have good intentions.
22:39: They just need the tools to act responsibly.
22:40: Arthur, thank you so much.
22:42: It's been an absolute pleasure.
22:45: My pleasure.