Design to Define Bhubaneswar: Shaping New-Age Luxury And Future Homes

• February 14, 2026
• By: Sanyukta Baijal
• NEWS

The temple city of Bhubaneswar turned into a buzzing hub of design conversations as Building Material Reporter hosted the latest edition of Design to Define at Vivanta by Taj. The event which was held on January 30th, brought together architects, interior designers, developers, and industry leaders under one roof. With a strong focus on contemporary challenges, regional opportunities, and future-ready design thinking, the Bhubaneswar edition of Design to Define continued the platform’s tradition of fostering meaningful dialogue.

Curated by Prof SS Ray and powered by Havells India, this special gathering turned out to be a vibrant platform for conversations that explored the innovations in the building material industry. The evening included insightful note by the curator, panel discussions, and the much-anticipated launch of Havells’ premium Apogee switch range. 

Highlights of the Event

Let’s take a look at the key moments and standout discussions that shaped the Design to Define Bhubaneswar edition.

Prof SS Ray- Curator's Speech

Curator SS Ray, Director General, KIIT University kickstarted the evening by congratulating Havells and Building Material Reporter for initiating a conversation on luxury living and redefining it as an experience. He emphasised that true luxury is not about extravagance or display, but about creating calm, simple, and spacious designs where architecture becomes an experience rather than just a built form. He said, "luxury to me is a person creating or aspiring to live a space of his own imagination without any external manifestations."
 
Professor Ray also compared architecture to a living, breathing entity rooted in context and identity. "If you want to do a building, don't think building is a dead entity, think it is alive. Like, it's winter, we need extra clothes, we feel cold, we put on a jacket. It's summer, we don't need. So let building be a living entity, never think it is a monument of concrete brick or dead elements. Let it be life and connect to space, take its form. Let it be very fluid in terms of its ambience, life and things," he said.

He expressed concern over Indian cities losing their regional character and becoming visually uniform, unlike places abroad such as Bali. Stressing the need to reconnect with art, culture, and sustainability, he called for more honest, locally rooted, and thoughtfully curated design experiences.

Partha Karmakar- Welcome note 

Partha Karmakar, Vice President – Professional Lighting at Havells India Limited, welcomed the gathering and re-established Havells’ intent to use Design to Define as a meaningful exchange platform between architects, designers and construction industry. He noted, “we are very keen to look at all the topics being discussed in the panel discussion” and that the brand aims to “capture all the thought processes and the design thinking and take it back to the drawing board.” 

Emphasising a deeper view of design, he added, “design is much more than use of different materials, it is also about purpose, emotion and intelligence,” and concluded by sharing that the evening would also see the unveiling of a new premium switch range, calling it “a new statement rewritten in the area of luxury, without compromising performance and aesthetics.”

Panel discussion 1- Redefining Exclusivity: Personalisation as the New Luxury

Moderated by Namrata Prasad, the session explored how luxury is shifting from materialistic approach to a more meaningful and personalised experience. She said, “Till decades, I think traditional definition of luxury was to have something which is extravagant. And with time it has changed. Everything changes with time. And now it has shifted from material excess and scarcity to personalisation, which will have more purpose and a well emotional resonance to it.”

The panel included, Ar. Deepak Panda, Ar. Krishnendu Nandy, Prof. Partha P Karmakar, Ar. Debiprasad Sahu, Ar. Atulya Sahu and Ms. Himani Gupta of Havells. The candid discussion was about heritage, identity, and storytelling, to underline the value of timeless design rooted in context. Ar. Deepak Panda said that people's homes and cities are losing the heritage value and everything has started to look the same. "The places where we stay used to have a courtyard, verandahs and all these architectural elements would speak to us. People celebrated festivals, get-togethers in such spaces. So the community gets bound by all these heritage values. But now everything is being designed the similar way, there's no uniqueness left to a particular region," he mentioned.

Meanwhile, Ar. Krishnendu Nandy highlighted that luxury is not in replicating the foreign designs but valuing our own culture. He said, "luxury means different things to different people. Heritage and identity are the core defining criteria of any civilisation. For decades, we have built monuments to wealth. Now, it's time now we should build monuments to our intent. Now, what are we doing right now? We are just replicating things what we are seeing abroad." He further added, "luxury is not found in expensive catalogues. Luxury is something that realisation when you walk into a room and you know that why you are here, the purpose you are here, the people know why you are here. That is what luxury is."

The discussion even highlighted time, purpose, and emotional connect as the new markers of luxury while making apt use of minimalism and technology. Speakers agreed that true exclusivity today lies in creating spaces that reflect individuality, respect local character, and prioritise experience over scale or spectacle.

Prashant Gulati- Apogee Launch

This one was clearly the highlight of the event where Prashant Gulati, Senior Vice President at Havells, introduced Apogee as Havells' most premium switch range. He called it the true pinnacle of switch design in India while showcasing its standout features from metallic plates and handcrafted finishes to ultra-quiet switches that are 60–70% softer than Havells' competitors. The range spans across satin, metal, real wood, glass, and even artisan-crafted zinc plates.

Gulati also unveiled the Apogee Smart Series, for seamless home automation without rewiring. Apart from the new product, he featured Havells’ Made-in-India legacy with pride where he termed strong manufacturing and evolving engagement with the architecture community as their 'backbone'.

Panel Discussion 2- Designing for the Next Decade: The Evolution of Future-Ready Homes

Moderated by architect and urban planner, Rajkunwar Nayak the second panel focused on how homes of the future must balance technology, sustainability, and human well-being while remaining adaptable and affordable. She said, "We would be now be going from the niche area of luxury discussion to a more wider and a more futuristic area that is vision 2050." 

The discussion included Ar. Sabyasachi Mohanty, Ar. Bhakti P Mahapatra, Ar. Swopnadutta Mohanty, Ar. Debendra Parida, Ar. Sangram Mohanty, Ar. Girdhar Agrawal and Ar. Sanjeeb Guru. The entire conversation highlighted future-ready design as a blend of smart yet understated technology, flexible and modular spaces, and a strong emphasis on natural light, ventilation, and biophilic elements to support healthier living. 

Panellists also stressed the growing importance of mass housing, prefab and modular construction, and the role of AI and digital tools in improving efficiency and reducing waste. The session concluded with a shared view that adaptability, resilience, and affordability will be the key pillars shaping future-ready homes in the coming decade.

Also read: Design To Define Noida: Dialogues On Luxury, Living And The Homes Of Tomorrow

Also read: Design To Define Lucknow: Inside The City’s Design Gathering

Also read: Ar. Dipen Gada On His Journey As An Accidental Architect