The Gyaan Project

This episode is part of a series called, Engineering The Everyday.In collaboration with Godrej Design LabSummaryWhy do potholes keep returning, and what would it take to build roads that last? Prathap Rao breaks down how roads are actually built, where they fail, and why maintenance is only part of the problem. We also discuss GridMats, recycled plastic, infrastructure innovation, slow adoption, and what India needs to rethink as it builds the next generation of roads.About the guestPrathap Rao is an entrepreneur, infrastructure innovator and founder of PotholeRaja. His work focuses on road safety, recycled materials, GridMats and sustainable infrastructure.Who should listen• Architects, urban designers and planners who want to understand what really makes roads fail and how infrastructure could be designed better.• Engineers and material researchers interested in recycled plastic, GridMats and new approaches to road construction.• Founders and entrepreneurs building physical products who want to understand why infrastructure innovation takes time and what it takes to get new ideas adopted.• Anyone curious about potholes, road quality and why fixing visible problems is often easier than changing the system behind them.Topics discussed in the episode* How did your journey from flying and corporate leadership to potholes, material science and GridMats happen?* When did you realise that potholes are not just a maintenance problem, but also a material and engineering problem?* What actually goes beneath a road, how are the different layers built, and why do potholes and sinkholes form?* Why do Indian roads fail so quickly despite having standards, regulations and large infrastructure budgets?* Why is innovation in infrastructure so slow, and where do contractors, approvals, risk and bureaucracy create the biggest barriers?* What are GridMats, how do they work, and how can recycled polypropylene change the way roads and hard surfaces are built?* Can GridMats move beyond private projects and become part of mainstream public infrastructure and government tenders?* How can recycled materials, GridMats and better road design help reduce carbon impact and improve sustainability in infrastructure?* What new materials and technologies do you think will shape infrastructure over the next five to ten years?* What should young entrepreneurs know before building in infrastructure, material science and physical products, especially when it comes to business models, adoption and scale?Reference links* Prathap Rao on LinkedIn* GridMats* PotholeRaja* Design of Bangalore with Naresh Narasimhan on The Gyaan Project* Indian Roads Congress on Wikipedia* Indian Roads Congress* Ministry of Road Transport and Highways* Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Wikipedia* Road engineering measures by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways* National Highways Authority of India* National Highways Authority of India on Wikipedia* NHAI on Instagram* NHAI on X* National Highways Infra Trust* Public Works Department in India on Wikipedia* Smart Cities Mission on Wikipedia* Smart Cities Mission* Smart Cities Mission and sustainable development goals by UN Habitat* Smart Cities Mission update by Press Information BureauPrathap makes a strong point that the problem is not just potholes, but how roads are designed, built and maintained. What do you think fails most often in India: engineering, execution or the system itself? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegyaanproject.com

Register for The Drawing Board Competition for undergraduate students. Last date of submission is 18th Sept 2026! - https://thedrawingboard.in/SummaryPhillippe Fouché looks at the wall as an instrument of relationship between inside and outside, openness and refuge, people and place. He explores how height, depth, material, glass and light change our experience of space, why walls should serve a purpose, how architecture can respond to historic fabric, and what happens when a wall moves, disappears or becomes something else.This episode concludes The Gyaan Project’s three part series with The Drawing Board, an international architecture competition hosted by Rohan Builders and Mindspace Architects.About the guestPhillippe Fouché is a Principal at SAOTA in South Africa. He joined the practice as a project architect in 2008 and works across residential, urban and commercial architecture. His approach explores the relationship between architecture, context and SAOTA’s principles of light, space and life.Who should listen* Architecture students and young architects interested in how walls shape space, light, movement and experience.* Architects and designers thinking about openness, privacy, shelter and our relationship with the outside world.* People working with historic buildings who are interested in how new architecture can reveal and respond to what already exists.* Anyone curious about how something as simple as the height, depth or material of a wall can completely change how a space feels.Topics discussed in the episode* 00:00 Introduction* 01:35 What does a wall mean to you?* 02:53 Is a wall a surface or a structure?* 03:50 Balancing porosity and safety* 05:46 How does a wall become intimidating?* 08:50 How do beauty and function connect?* 10:02 How do topology and location shape a wall?* 10:55 Balancing openness and privacy* 14:17 Balancing private and public life* 16:02 Can a wall give new life to an old place?* 19:07 How can one small detail change a wall?* 23:12 If walls can move, do we need boundaries?Reference links* The Drawing Board* The Drawing Board 2026 on YouTube* The Drawing Board on Instagram* The Drawing Board 2026 on Facebook* Le Corbusier* Carlo Scarpa* Castelvecchio* Saint Tropez* Berlin Wall* Mandela Rhodes Foundation* Dubrovnik* SAOTA* Phillippe Fouché at SAOTA* Light, Space, Life by SAOTA* Le Pine, Saint Tropez by SAOTAA wall can protect us, open us to the outside, frame what we see or completely change how a space feels.When does a wall make you feel protected, and when does it make you feel confined? Would love to know your thoughts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegyaanproject.com

Register for The Drawing Board Competition for undergraduate students. Last date of submission is 18th Sept 2026!SummaryChanna Daswatte reflects on what walls really mean and why they matter in architecture and society. From power, control and separation to memory, heritage and sustainability, he looks at how walls shape people and places. The conversation moves from Chikkajala, Hampi and the Berlin Wall to the future, where digital boundaries may become the new walls that control how we connect. The episode is part of The Gyaan Project’s fifth year of collaboration with The Drawing Board, an international architecture competition hosted by Rohan Builders and Mindspace Architects.About the guestChanna Daswatte is a Sri Lankan architect, design critic and writer. He is principal architect and partner at MICD Associates and has authored several books.Who should listen* Architecture students and young architects who want to think beyond plans and sections and understand architecture as lived experience.* Architects and designers interested in how walls shape power, control, movement, memory and human relationships.* People working with heritage, conservation and public space who want to think about how old structures can evolve instead of simply being preserved or demolished.* Anyone curious about how physical and digital boundaries influence society, culture and the way we connect with each other.Topics discussed in the episode* 0:00 Introduction* 1:25 What does a wall mean to you?* 4:07 Is building walls a human thing?* 8:45 Does the physicality of a wall define its function?* 10:15 How can a wall connect two worlds?* 13:58 What can we learn from the history of walls?* 17:40 What should architects understand before drawing?* 22:29 Why do we break walls?* 26:59 What will walls look like 50 years from now?Reference links* The Drawing Board* The Drawing Board 2026 on YouTube* The Drawing Board on Instagram* The Drawing Board 2026 on Facebook* Channa Daswatte on Instagram* Channa Daswatte at Geoffrey Bawa* Channa Daswatte at Barefoot Gallery* MICD Associates* Channa Daswatte in Elle Decor* Channa Daswatte at Bengal Institute* Channa Daswatte on Life Online* Channa Daswatte on YouTube* Channa Daswatte on LinkedIn* Channa Daswatte at Galle Literary FestivalIf a wall has lost the purpose it was built for, should we preserve it, adapt it or leave it alone? Would love to know your thoughts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegyaanproject.com

SummaryPrem Chandavarkar looks at the wall as more than a physical boundary. He speaks about trust, porosity, beauty, public life, inhabitation and the growing divide between physical and digital worlds. The episode is part of The Gyaan Project’s fifth year of collaboration with The Drawing Board, an international architecture competition hosted by Rohan Builders and Mindspace Architects.About the guestArchitect, academic and writer Prem Chandavarkar is managing partner of CnT Architects and former executive director of Srishti Manipal Institute of Art Design & Technology.Who should listen* Architecture students and young architects who want to think beyond form and function, and understand architecture through space, inhabitation and experience.* Architects, urban designers and planners interested in how walls shape trust, safety, public life, exclusion and the way cities are organised.* Designers and creative practitioners interested in beauty, practice, sadhana and the difference between designing something and how people actually experience it.* Anyone thinking about our digital future and what we lose when physical and digital life become increasingly disconnected.Topics discussed in the episode[0:00] Introduction[1:21] What does a wall mean to you?[4:53] How do you see order as a concept?[9:07] What does a wall reveal about society?[11:58] Can making a wall be ethically wrong?[15:02] When is a wall about safety or exclusion?[22:48] Inclusion and exclusion in designing walls[23:48] What happens when a wall outlives its purpose?[24:40] What should students question before they design?[28:05] Does everything need to be utility driven?[37:49] What will walls look like 50 years from now?People mentioned in this episodeErnő Goldfinger, Christopher Alexander, William Cronon, Donald Trump, Rafiq Azam, Jane Jacobs, James Stirling, Mahatma Gandhi, Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela, Joseph Rykwert, Gernot Böhme, Geoffrey Bawa, Frank Lloyd Wright, Carlo Scarpa, Tadao Ando, Luis Barragán, Louis Kahn, Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Manuel Castells, William GibsonReference reading• The Drawing Board website• The Drawing Board on YouTube• The Drawing Board on Instagram• The Drawing Board on Facebook• Prem Chandavarkar on LinkedIn• Prem Chandavarkar on Medium• CnT Architects• Prem Chandavarkar on Instagram• Prem Chandavarkar linksWalls do much more than divide space. They reveal what we value, what we fear and how we choose to live together.Do walls make us safer, or do they reveal how little we trust each other? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegyaanproject.com

SummaryDebbie Millman joins Kedar to talk about what creativity is, why making things matters, and what keeps creative people going. We discuss confidence and courage, personal branding, discipline, design as deliberate differentiation, the responsibility designers have to society, and why reaching the top too quickly may not be the goal. She also reflects on what Design Matters has taught her over time.About the guestDebbie Millman is a designer, writer, educator, brand consultant and host of Design Matters. For over two decades, she has interviewed some of the world’s most creative people.Who should listen• Designers and creative professionals thinking about how to sustain a creative career.• People who keep waiting for confidence before starting something.• Anyone spending more time building a personal brand than building their work.• Creators thinking about discipline, ambition, success and what they want their work to leave behind.Topics discussed in the episode[00:00] Intro [01:22] What is common between a chef and a poet? [02:11] How can one spot commonality? [02:51] What is the essence of creativity? [03:57] How do you connect the dots? [06:25] Three habits and patterns of creative people [08:13] How do you see response and reaction? [09:27] Key lessons from Design Matters [13:31] How has your definition of design changed? [14:40] Short announcement [15:41] Do designers owe anything to society? [17:30] What could incentivise designers to contribute to society? [19:16] How to build a personal brand? [21:44] How to balance consistency and intensity? [24:13] How to create work that outlasts your life? [25:08] How can your work help people 50 years from now?Reference links* Debbie Millman* Design Matters on Apple Podcasts* Design Matters on Spotify* Debbie Millman on Instagram* Debbie Millman on LinkedIn* Debbie Millman on X* Debbie Millman on TED* Debbie Millman at School of Visual Arts* Books by Debbie Millman* Debbie Millman at Type Directors Club* Debbie Millman on Wikipedia* Is the world getting uglier?* Debbie Millman on creativity and leadership* Debbie Millman on creating brands that stand the test of timeWould you rather build a personal brand or a body of work? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegyaanproject.com