THE PRACTICE

SKA (Satish Khanna Associates Pvt Ltd)

SKA’s practice has persevered and evolved through the last four decades, each bringing unique challenges as well as opportunities. Along the way, the practice has assisted numerous clients to conceptualize and build several new landscape types of varying scales and complexities, while also acting as a mentor to countless professionals who subsequently launched their careers or continued working and flourishing with the firm for an extended period. The practice has continued to be a tireless advocate for a holistic and ecological approach to planning and design, starting from an era when these very concepts were unknown or misunderstood. The practice challenged established norms in the 1980s-90s which tended to relegate landscape architects as subservient to architects and engineers, the assumption then being that the landscape field was only good at planting and not much else. Over time, these public perceptions have slowly changed. Clients have started to see value in letting landscape architects take the lead in site planning as well as helping conceptualize a holistic strategy for site infrastructure. From a client’s standpoint, this has started to make sense both aesthetically and economically. The firm strives to harness and retain its leadership in ecological planning and design as well as continually expanding its knowledge of new ways to minimize the use of natural resources, while still creating places of value for the communities it inhabits. SKA is staying abreast with the latest technologies that enable projects to move more smoothly and efficiently – both advances in software as well as construction means and methods.