Introduction: ASIT MANDAL, Founder and Principal Architect of Amlab Studio, has spent 15 years designing hospitality and resort environments that are as technically rigorous as they are experientially rich. Trained at Arizona State University and the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, he brings an international perspective to a practice deeply rooted in the Indian landscape, from hill stations in Darjeeling and Mussoorie to riverside sites in Banaras and the edges of Manas National Park. In this conversation with SSMB, he speaks on steel’s role in rational architecture, its quiet power in ecologically sensitive locations, and why understanding how a steel building is put together changes everything about how you design one.
You describe your studio’s philosophy as rational architecture, where form follows function. Where does steel fit into that philosophy when a hotel or resort is usually expected to feel warm and inviting rather than industrial?
At Amlab Studio, we see steel not simply as a structural material, but as an enabler of better architecture. Rational architecture is about finding the most intelligent response to a project’s context, programme and constraints, and steel often gives us greater freedom to do exactly that. In hospitality, guests rarely remember the structure itself, they remember generous spaces, uninterrupted views, abundant natural light and a seamless connection with the landscape. Steel makes many of these experiences possible through longer spans, slimmer structural members, cantilevers and greater planning flexibility, allowing architecture to feel lighter and more open without compromising efficiency.
Its high strength-to-weight ratio also enables us to respond more sensitively to difficult sites, reducing unnecessary intervention and allowing the building to adapt to its surroundings rather than forcing the surroundings to adapt to the building. Steel simply gives us the freedom to achieve that with greater precision.
“Warmth is not created by the structural material alone. It emerges from how structure, materials, light and landscape come together to shape memorable hospitality experiences.”
Your hospitality projects span hill stations like Mussoorie and Darjeeling, riverside locations like Banaras and even a site near Manas National Park. How does the choice to use steel change when you move from a city site to a remote or ecologically sensitive location?
The role of steel changes significantly once the site becomes the primary constraint. In urban projects, steel often helps us achieve larger spans, faster construction and greater planning flexibility. In remote or environmentally sensitive locations, however, it becomes a way of reducing our physical impact on the site. Our Darjeeling project is a good example. Instead of relying on extensive excavation and retaining walls, we used a lightweight RCC-steel system that allowed the building to engage selectively with the mountain. Steel reduced dead load, enabled modular construction, and allowed members to be transported through narrow hill roads before being assembled on site. In such locations, steel is not simply a construction material but becomes a means of building with the landscape rather than against it.
Hospitality design has very specific demands, large column-free banquet and dining spaces, rooftop areas and sweeping views. How often does steel become the deciding factor in achieving those kinds of spaces?
Very often. Large banquet halls, open dining spaces, rooftop venues and guestrooms overlooking a landscape all benefit from longer spans and slimmer structural members. Steel gives us the flexibility to organise these spaces without allowing a rigid structural grid to dictate the architecture. It also allows different parts of a hotel to respond differently to their individual functional requirements instead of forcing every space into the same structural logic. For hospitality architecture, that freedom is extremely valuable because guest experience and operational efficiency must work together.
What is one misconception hospitality clients commonly have about steel, whether around cost, maintenance or aesthetics, that you find yourself correcting early in a project?
The most common misconception is that steel should be judged only by its initial material cost. In reality, the value of steel is better understood over the entire lifecycle of a project. Depending on the site, it can reduce foundation requirements, shorten construction time, simplify logistics and improve future adaptability. Those benefits are often overlooked when comparisons focus only on material rates. There is also a perception that steel architecture must look industrial. That has never been our experience.
“Hospitality is ultimately about experience, and structure has a direct influence on that experience.”
Your studio uses BIM to bring architects, structural engineers and MEP consultants together early in the design process. How does that collaborative approach change the way steel gets specified compared to a more traditional sequence?
Steel performs best when it is considered from the earliest stages of design rather than introduced after the architectural concept has been completed. Using BIM allows architects, structural engineers and MEP consultants to work on a coordinated model from the beginning. Structural spans, service integration, fabrication constraints, connection details and construction sequencing can all be evaluated simultaneously. This results in better coordination, fewer site conflicts and a structure that becomes an integral part of the architectural solution instead of something that is adjusted later to make the building work.
You studied in the United States as well as in India. Did your time there change how you think about steel compared to how it is typically used and perceived in Indian hospitality design?
It changed the way I perceived steel, not simply as a structural material, but as an architectural one. I was fascinated by the honesty with which steel was used. It wasn’t always concealed behind finishes or treated as something that needed to disappear. Instead, it was often celebrated alongside concrete, timber and glass, each material expressing its own character. There was a certain poetry in that honesty. That experience stayed with me. Today, I don’t see steel as something that must be exposed in every project, nor something that must always be hidden.
The decision depends on the architecture. But I do believe that when used thoughtfully, steel can contribute not only to structural efficiency but also to the character and expression of a building. It taught me that structure itself can become part of the architectural narrative.
If a young architect wanted to specialise in hospitality and resort design the way you have, what is one steel related skill or piece of knowledge you wish you had learned earlier in your career?
I would encourage young architects to understand how steel buildings are actually put together. Many graduates understand structural theory but have limited exposure to fabrication, transportation, connection detailing, erection sequences and construction tolerances. Yet these practical considerations have a profound influence on architecture. That leads to buildings that are not only more ambitious, but also more economical, buildable and enduring.
“When architects understand how a steel building is fabricated and assembled, they begin designing systems instead of isolated forms.”
