A new material. A new technology. A new architectural typology. A new application. A deployment at scale.In the rapidly evolving world of design where expectations from architects are at an unprecedented high, what inspires them to try something new, knowing that their reputation is at stake? CW asked six leading architects for instances when they took a chance with newness, what tilted the scales in favour of innovation, and how they surmounted the challenges.Deploying 3D-printingBy tapping new technologies, architects can take architectural elements to a new level as Team One Architect did in the airport lounge-themed workspace of Ergo Technologies, a technology hub.“We used PETG [polyethylene terephthalate, glycol-modified], an improved thermoplastic over PLA [polylactic acid] used in 3D printing, to develop a seamless sculptural reception table, fabricated as two interlocking 3D printed modules with algorithmically optimised geometry,” explains Hiral Parekh, Workspace Design Head, Team One Architect.The same technology was deployed to print column cladding.For the best outcomes, the team optimised the design. “This helped increase the strength and reduce the weight of the 3D printed architectural element while a modular interlocking geometry printed without visible seams,” she adds.Speaking of the challenges, Parekh says, “Limited market familiarity with PETG posed delivery delays while complexities surrounding the sensitive fabrication process meant that the printed modules needed to be protected from heat, warping and scratches. Compliance with fire-rating and common cleaning chemicals were other concerns that needed to be evaluated.”PETG costs 20-50 per cent more than PLA, so Team One Architect had to factor this higher material and processing cost into the project’s financials. What swung the choice in favour of PETG was its superior aesthetics in a client-facing space; higher durability (impact resistance, ultraviolet stability and better performance in high-touch zones); lightweight and safety, making installation easy; customisability (without mould costs) in terms of complex curves and seamless forms; and the recyclability of the material, which aligned with the brand’s sustainability goals.“We’d definitely use PETG again for sculptural, client-facing pieces where visual impact and detailing matter,” she affirms.Team One Architect also used plant-based PLA biodegradable plastic, a material used in 3D printing, to create visually refined, lightweight props and branded functional aesthetic elements in the same office because the “3D-printed iterations instead of traditional moulding or CNC sped up the fabrication process”, explains Parekh.Heat sensitivity (PLA softens at 55-60°C), lower toughness compared to PETG, chemical sensitivity (especially strong cleaning agents) and the warping of large parts unless printed very carefully posed challenges. But PLA was nonetheless used for its strong sustainability value, excellent detailing (clean edges and matte aesthetic make it suitable for signage and props), very low tooling costs (so great for prototypes, concept elements, custom shapes) and lightweight and safe features, making it easy to install.“We’d use it again for decorative, branded or conceptual elements but not in high-touch, high-heat or structural applications,” says Parekh.Never-seen-before façadesFor Yashobhoomi, an international convention centre in New Delhi, CP Kukreja Architects designed what is now recognised as the world’s largest integrated LED media façade.Explaining how the design came about, Dikshu C Kukreja, Managing Principal, CP Kukreja Architects, says, “A media façade of this scale offered a powerful way to host cultural content, national imagery and programmable art at summits, trade shows and cultural events. Visually dynamic, immersive and future-facing, it allowed the convention centre to adapt its presence for different occasions, making it instantly recognisable on the world map.”Another CP Kukreja project, the India Pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020, introduced a kinetic façade with large-scale aluminium panels mounted on a motorised system, allowing them to rotate and transform the building’s elevation throughout the day.Behind this choice, explains Kukreja, was the belief that the Expo demanded a bold, future-facing architectural statement. “A kinetic façade allowed the building to become ‘alive’, symbolically reflecting a changing India, constantly moving, innovating and redefining itself, and allowing the pavilion to appear different at different times of the day,” he says. “Digitally printed graphics narrating India’s cultural and technological journey enhanced the surfaces.”The combination of kinetic technology and large-format graphic surfaces was unprecedented in an Indian government building.Speaking of the challenges involved in developing a seamless, building-scale digital skin instead of using LED displays as discrete screens, Kukreja says integrating high-resolution LED technology into the geometry of a vast, sloping, perforated roof demanded custom engineering. “The screen had to operate at an international-events standard while remaining energy-efficient and visually coherent with the rest of the architectural language,” he explains.In Dubai, integrating digital printing, Dholpur stone cladding, stainless steel mesh with embedded LEDs (similar to GKD Illumesh), and glass into a unified system proved challenging as did convincing stakeholders to invest in a façade that was dynamic rather than static, at a time when Expo schedules were extremely tight and approvals rigorous, shares Kukreja. “Another challenge was ensuring that the kinetic system remained robust, low-maintenance and safe for public use.”Both these innovative façades needed to be engineered to withstand (Delhi’s/Dubai’s) extreme heat, wind loads, dust and monsoon conditions.For others desirous of using a large-scale media façade, Kukreja says it can be incredibly effective when the building is meant to host global audiences or requires a programmable public identity, as long as it is contextually relevant and robustly engineered. A kinetic system also requires high-quality engineering, but when applied in the right context, it creates a transformational public experience – this is why he is now exploring similar dynamic facades for cultural and institutional projects.Using traditional craft at scale“If an idea strengthens a project, we find a way to make it work through the right mix of materiality, craftsmanship and technology,” says Sonali Rastogi, Founding Partner, Morphogenesis. “Often, the newness lies in how we bring these aspects together to create an outcome that feels right for the place and the people who will use it.”At ITC Sanskriti in Kolkata, Morphogenesis worked with sandstone – an age-old material – but used it at a monumental scale, in a way that was entirely new for the team. “As she explains, the dry-clad stone façade served as an urban canvas for Bengali artwork. The artwork was initially developed in collaboration with local artists and later distilled into a minimalist vocabulary that could be CNC-cut with precision by the team at Morphogenesis.”Thereafter, hand-chiselling on the surface introduced depth and shadow. Wherever the artwork required a deeper, darker tone, the areas were resin-filled.Rastogi describes the key challenge as marrying traditional craft with technology at an architectural scale while ensuring structural performance and retaining the expressive quality of the artwork. What tilted the scale in favour of the idea was the ability to create a durable, climate-responsive façade that also celebrates local identity.Seeing the success of the hybrid process, she says the team would readily incorporate it again.A new typologyFor the Taj Vivanta, Bengaluru, Sonali Bhagwati, President, Designplus Architecture, conceptualised a new architectural typology she calls ‘landscraper’, a horizontal, site-responsive form shaped by a Mobius-like manipulation of the ground plane.“We conceived the podium as a folded, twisted strip, almost a continuous loop, that allowed the landscape to flow into, over, and through the building,” she says. “This geometry created seamless transitions between public and private spaces, and the elevated 200-room block extruded from this surface, lifting into the air.”Bhagwati’s inspiration for the twisting form came from the fluidity of classical Indian dance, but was rooted in the need to address very real constraints. “Low height restrictions combined with high site coverage requirements ruled out the possibility of a vertical tower, and made a landscraper the only plausible approach to create a distinctive architectural statement,” she says.The geometry, structure and detailing that deviated from convention inevitably affected the structure’s cost. But the design’s ability to serve its users and its city and deliver long-term value and contextual intelligence made the innovation both necessary and worthwhile.In particular, Bhagwati was convinced by the typology’s ability to redefine how a hotel can operate socially. “By dissolving the hard boundary between inside and outside, the project broke away from the exclusivity often associated with five-star hotels and, instead, encouraged casual, organic interaction between visitors and the local public realm, turning the property into a contemporary social and cultural interface,” she says Bhagwati said she would use the design again – but only where the site and context demand such a radical response. Justifying sustainabilityThe Canvas, ANJ Group, integrated Shaw Contract’s New Path carpet tiles and Nordic 3.0 LVT commercial flooring (eco-certified, recyclable flooring systems with advanced acoustic materials and tactile flooring) in the office of AXA Pune. “In doing so, we simultaneously achieved environmental performance, sensory comfort and compliance with global ESG benchmarks,” says Sapna Khakaria, Principal Architect.The biggest challenge was ensuring that the new-generation recyclable material would perform in the long term in a high-traffic, large-format corporate environment, essentially, “balancing sustainability with longevity”, as she says. Mock-ups, lifecycle comparisons and engaging directly with the client’s global workplace team helped validate the choice.“We’d absolutely use this suite of materials again,” affirms Khakaria.Oxygen rooms, live-plant, biophilic micro-environments designed to naturally purify air, reduce stress, regulate humidity and offer restorative silence zones were another innovation in the AXA office. “Integrating live planting within a corporate infrastructure, ensuring light, irrigation and maintenance viability without increasing operational load,” was the biggest challenge.AXA’s leadership helped overcome these issues as it wanted a wellness-first, post-pandemic workplace that feels alive, adaptive, and emotionally resonant.“Following AXA, we’ve recommended similar biophilic micro-zones across several upcoming projects because the user response validated their impact on wellness and employee engagement,” shares Khakaria.The Canvas, ANJ Group, justified the incremental cost of both these choices by demonstrating the measurable return from a higher indoor environmental quality, healthier workforce, improved return-to-office sentiment, lower long-term energy load due to biophilic cooling and lower lifecycle waste.Institutionalising earth blocksFor the structural walls of buildings in the Symbiosis International University, Lavale, a high-density campus built on a steep gradient site in the outskirts of Pune, IMK Architects chose compressed stabilised earth blocks, an indigenous, low-carbon stabilised earth material.“We saw compressed stabilised earth blocks as a sustainable, durable solution that could withstand variable weather while integrating seamlessly with the campus aesthetic and addressing modern seismic requirements,” explains Rahul Kadri, Partner and Principal Architect. “Although compressed stabilised earth blocks are more expensive than conventional fired bricks or concrete by 14.69 per cent, they have superior thermal mass aiding passive cooling, and significantly lower embodied carbon compared to conventional fired bricks or concrete, while also aligning with biophilic design principles through site-sourced materials.”With energy simulations showing that the material would deliver a 30 per cent reduction in consumption, Kadri points out that this successful implementation set a new benchmark for sustainable institutional architecture in India and, hence, the firm would confidently use the approach again.QuotesWe’d definitely use PETG again for sculptural, client-facing pieces where visual impact and detailing matter. - Hiral Parekh, Workspace Design Head, Team One ArchitectA media façade of this scale made the Yashobhoomi convention centre instantly recognisable on the world map. - Dikshu C Kukreja, Managing Principal, CP Kukreja ArchitectsIf an idea strengthens a project, we find a way to make it work through the right mix of materiality, craftsmanship and technology. - Sonali Rastogi, Founding Partner, MorphogenesisLow height restrictions combined with high site coverage requirements made a ‘landscraper’ the only plausible approach to create a distinctive architectural statement. - Sonali Bhagwati, President, Designplus ArchitectureWe have recommended biophilic micro-zones across several upcoming projects. - Sapna Khakaria, Principal Architect, The Canvas, ANJ GroupSimulations showed that compressed stabilised earth blocks can deliver a 30 per cent reduction in energy consumption. -  Rahul Kadri, Partner and Principal Architect, IMK ArchitectsQuick Bytes•  Innovation reshaping architectural practice•  New materials unlock design freedom•  Technology scales craft and sustainability•  Context drives bold new typologies•  Performance validates design risk