Sabu Francis & Associates (SFA for short) was founded on March 1, 1987. We have done over 3000000 (3 million) square feet of architectural works mainly in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. We also develop software tools for the AEC industry ...

SFA has carried out projects for some demanding clients such as Konkan Railway Corporation and Great Eastern Shipping. Navi Mumbai is a new city that has sprung up over the last thirty years or so literally from the marshes across the creek beyond Mumbai, the commercial hub of India. Designing and executing works in such an atmosphere has made us into a practical, result oriented design firm. At the same time we do not compromise on the theoretical side of architecture.

Sabu Francis graduated from IIT Kharagpur in 1984. Sabu has always been a consistent and excellent performer right through his academic years and into practice. As per the guidelines laid down in the book Inquiry by Design by John Zeisel which was a big influence on him, he setup a practice that was constantly asking questions regarding the theoretical side of his practice.

He used the taxonomy he had developed (Refer the Awards Section) to write a software for designing architecture using some unique AI (Artificial Intelligence) principles. It was developed in the computer language Prolog. Today, he is also known internationally for his focused tutorials on Prolog.

He subsequently went on to be skilled in many of the required tools for ensuring that his practice has the sharp edge required to deliver professional services. He has done several research projects with IIT Bombay; one of the foremost institute in India, where his team successfully developed an application for calculation of heat energy in buildings. As a bye-product of such endeavors, the firm branched off into developing and selling software. Some thought that the direction that the company was taking was away from architecture. But no. Software can only be tools, albeit important ones. And the development and the skill in usage of these tools cannot be mistaken for knowledge. We believe that we had perforce to take a detour to develop such tools for the sake of the muse of architecture. Architectural designing and practice have too many complexities in them. Archaic skills and tools can no longer cope. The events that are happening all over the world corroborates this view-point.

On October 1, 2003; the firm metamorphosed into one that exists mainly over the Internet with a roster of employees who work for the firm via the Net. This ensures that the company remains extremely competitive, fast moving and at the same time deliver results.

• Add new comment