Good Design ultimately boils down to good communication, through drawings, a hand sketch or words (even on paper), whether it is for retail, hospitality, residential projects or hospitals !

Riyaz Bhada, our next pathbreaker, is Head of Design at Levitch Design Australia, a multi-disciplinary design specialist firm that focuses on Healthcare Design related to every specialty—day hospitals, dental clinics, radiology, cardiology, veterinary care, GP practices, allied health—that has a shared purpose of medical wellbeing.

Riyaz talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about how designers and architects are being empowered by tools such as AI that allow them to think broader, faster, and with greater clarity as well as Virtual Reality (VR), enabling clients to walk through their spaces before construction.

For students, be adaptable; every new environment has something to teach. Continue using technology, VR and AI to create meaningful and efficient environments.

Riyaz, can you tell us about your early Life & Foundations?

Born in 1974 in Goa, I grew up in a defence family, moving constantly across the country. By the end of schooling, I had studied in seven different schools, each one exposing me to new cultures, landscapes, and built environments. These experiences planted the first seeds of curiosity about the world of spaces and design.

Although academically an average 65% student, by 8th grade, I had already discovered a sense of purpose: I wanted to become an architect. This goal pushed me to qualify for the science stream, which was essential for pursuing architecture.

Beyond academics, sports shaped my character. I played basketball at the Junior National level, developing confidence, discipline, teamwork, and resilience—traits that guided me throughout my career.

These achievements helped me secure admission to Sir J.J College Of Architecture, Mumbai, setting the foundation for my architectural journey.

What did you study?

I qualified for Sir JJ School of Architecture, Mumbai, standing 4th nationally in the entrance exam. 

I also did my post-graduation while working full-time (as I had a mortgage and a family to support), which was through RIBA Northwest, a course which was part of Leeds University in the UK. It was in project management in Architecture and getting my RIBA Part 3 to become a chartered Architect / register in the UK.

Though I wasn’t among the top students in college, I was determined, hardworking, and committed to improvement.

The turning point came in my 5th year, when I became the first student in my batch to have work( My Thesis) published in the Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA). 

My thesis started as a project to decongest traffic in Mumbai City, where a full study was done on the number of intercity buses that come into the city Centre and park on the roads (reducing the road width). So I developed an intercity bus terminus with a transport interchange Centre. 

This achievement opened doors and strengthened my belief that:

“You don’t need to shine on Day 1—only get better every day.”

What were some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional, and unique career in Architecture?

My career began as a trainee at Banaji & Associates, Mumbai. Just four months later, I was sent to their Muscat, Oman office—my first time leaving the country at the age of 21.

Working abroad taught me independence, professionalism, and confidence. After a year, I returned to India and moved to Chennai, joining a firm focused on hospitality architecture. This field fascinated me for its mix of aesthetics, efficiency, and guest experience.

Meeting Hafeez Contractor was A Defining Moment

In 1991, before entering architecture school, I met Hafeez Contractor for guidance. He asked me only one question:

“Can you draw?”

He handed me a pencil and asked me to draw a portrait. Since I wasn’t good at drawing hair, I drew a bald man—but in perfect proportion.

When he asked why the man was bald, I answered:

“Because I’m not good at drawing hair.”

He smiled and said:

“You are a good problem-solver.”

Nine years later, I joined his firm. Within two years, I became the youngest Associate Architect, leading the massive Indian School of Business (ISB) project in Hyderabad.

I worked on a couple of other projects for different clients, but ISB was my main focus. John Portman & Associates were the main architects and Hafeez contractor was picked to help the international architects with the documentation ( they did the concept, we did the rest, we also developed all the interior drawings). We were hired to complete stage -1, after which the project was completed by a local architect and the ISB team themselves. 

Can you tell us about your career path?

After ISB, I moved to London, where I grew both as an architect and a person. My move to UK was circumstantial – My wife was a British Parsi and missed home, so we decided to move there and start a family in London. 

I worked in retail architecture, presenting feasibility studies to the Tesco Board every fortnight—an experience that honed my strategic thinking and communication.

It was a very different role. It involved helping the land acquisition team and the board members with Site analysis / doing schematics on what kind of store/size and car parking numbers would fit, so they could go ahead to acquire that property. Just an example – Each car space brought in a revenue of 25 pounds/ hour, this was in 2004 (before online shopping came in). Things have changed now. Also, each store size had a ratio of parking, which we had worked out, which helped the team make clear decisions – we did 50-60 sites a month, of which 3-4 would get developed. 

Later, I worked with Ford Motors, becoming the Brand Guardian for Land Rover (South England), ensuring showroom consistency across the region.

As a brand guardian, I took care of Jaguar and headed the team for the whole of the South of England, which included approximately 450 dealerships. We would help these dealerships with architectural support for refurbishing or new builds. I did a couple of ground-up jobs (As the architect) for Ford Motors & Fiat / Mazda in London (These are private dealers), where I was based. 

During my time in the UK, I completed my post-graduation, became a Chartered Architect, and earned membership with RIBA.

London also gave me something priceless—I met my wife there.

In 2008, I moved to Dubai, returning to hospitality with global brands like Intercontinental Hotels and The Rotana Group.

It was purely the project size that was different, and the operators were different – but if you have worked with Intercontinental in India, Dubai would not be different in terms of operations. Another differentiator was I worked on more resorts than business hotels, which was in Ras Al Khaimah .

The region taught me ambition, multicultural coordination, and fast-paced design excellence.

In 2010, I worked on a 20-storey hospital connected to a sports arena in Abu Dhabi. This project planted the early seeds of my lifelong passion for healthcare design. It was a conversion of an office building tower, which didn’t do well. Sometimes these projects are more complicated, especially with services and work flow. 

From Dubai, I returned to India. In 2012, I returned to Mumbai to join Mahindra Lifespaces as the Head of Design & Architecture. This was my first time working on the client side, where I: – Evaluated land for acquisitions – Guided large teams – Advised senior management – Developed feasibility studies – Ensured design standards across multiple regions

My early life of moving between schools helped me adapt quickly and embrace new environments—one of the biggest strengths in my journey.

How did you get your 1st break?

London was difficult; I had to start back from the bottom as a junior architect after being an associate in Hafeez, but I proved my worth in 3 months and became a senior architect, which is how I sold myself in the interview. Dubai – I was headhunted, and the opportunity came to me. Australia was the most difficult, as no one wanted someone senior with no local experience. However, being a Chartered architect with the RIBA opened doors and helped me get a senior role from day one, but I still had to prove my worth. In most places, it’s not what you know but who you know that makes a difference. ( and I didn’t know people there in my line of work)

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

In a field that is so competitive and creative and to thrive globally, there will be challenges – Adaptability was my strongest suit, and my childhood, with us moving from school to school, taught me that ( dad being in the defence) I was a quick learner. The biggest challenge for any new environment is the ability and capacity to understand the local regulations that dictate the development approvals/regulations, and how your experience helps to best utilise those rules to provide the best outcome to your client. So it’s not just good design but providing the best financial outcome while keeping in mind the site restraints.  Working in so many countries helped me understand the similarities across them all, whether it be British standards, American standards (Dubai), Indian or Australian – Architecturally, the language is the same ( it just involves a lot more reading) 

Where do you currently work? What do you do?

In 2015, I moved to Sydney with my wife. Australia soon became home.

As I mentioned earlier, Australia wanted people with local experience. Fortunately, the Bathla group was headed by an Indian who I met on a holiday visit to Sydney, who offered me a job to head his design team. ( got me first foot in the door – residential builder/developer) I liked it but still hadn’t settled down ( I realised I had a 3-year itch on my resume), then found Perfect practice.

After designing many building types worldwide, I discovered my true calling: Healthcare Architecture.

Every specialty—day hospitals, dental clinics, radiology, cardiology, veterinary care, GP practices, allied health—comes with a shared purpose:

I design environments that improve lives. We design for clinical systems, human behaviour under stress, and safety-critical environments. Compared to most other architectural sectors (residential, commercial, education, hospitality), healthcare facilities have more regulation, more stakeholders, more technology, and far higher consequences if design fails.

How does your work benefit society?

My mission is to create healthcare spaces that: – Improve staff workflow – Reduce stress – Support healing – Make patients feel safe and cared for – Bring clarity, efficiency, and empathy into the built environment

What are the skills required in your role?

My guiding principle has always been:

“Be your best at what you love doing.”

One of my strengths is conducting live design workshops—sketching with clients, solving problems instantly, and refining ideas in real time. By combining hand sketches with modern tools, what once took hours now takes minutes.

I use Virtual Reality (VR) on all projects, allowing clients to walk through their spaces before construction. This accelerates decision-making and enhances clarity, and the beauty of this is we don’t need to invest additional time in drafting/drawing, as long as one uses a BIM software where everything is drawn in 3D from the start.)

Any memorable project?

There are so many projects and there hasn’t been a single one that has not had challenges. Every project comes with its own problems. At times, smaller projects come with more complexity than larger jobs (this could be because they are not given the same level of attention, importance or have enough time.) Challenges often come through various stages – 1.  approvals (either council, client/owners – financials), its how we as architects navigate through good communication that gets the job done. 2. Consultants/ coordination – As architects, we are the lead consultants and drive what is needed, questioning and challenging the consultants when they say something cannot be done, or they ask us to change the design. 3. Contractual obligation – meeting deadlines and getting paid by clients on time (especially towards the end of a job, getting your final payments is always a task, where clients hesitate), hence contractual law, knowledge and experience play a role (on how we confront these issues)

Tell us about the Role of AI in the Future of Design

AI is becoming one of the most powerful tools in our profession. I see it as an enabler, not a replacement.

AI helps me: – Generate concepts 3d visuals in minutes – Compare multiple design options instantly – Visualise complex workflows – Gain fresh inspiration – Improve decision-making speed (Note: AI cannot do complex floor plans in specialized fields – only residential & commercial offices is where they now work)

AI won’t replace architects—it will amplify our creativity, allowing us to think broader, faster, and with greater clarity.

Lessons for Students

  • You don’t need to start as a topper—clarity and perseverance matter more.
  • Discipline from sports or hobbies stays with you for life.
  • Be adaptable; every new environment has something to teach.
  • Be honest about what you don’t know—problem-solving begins with honesty.
  • Failure teaches more than success—if you get back up.

Future Plans

In the coming years, I hope to : – Mentor young architects and designers – Promote higher standards in healthcare design – Build a Design for Healing Initiative – Inspire the younger generation to see design as a tool for impact – Continue using technology, VR, and AI to create meaningful and efficient environments

Conclusion – A Journey Built on Curiosity, Courage & Purpose

My journey across India, Oman, the UK, Dubai, and Australia has taught me that growth happens outside comfort zones.

From being an average student to finding my calling in healthcare design, my path has always been guided by curiosity, resilience, and a deep desire to improve lives through design.

If there is one message I want young designers to remember, it’s this:

You don’t need to start at the top. You just need to start—with honesty, intention, and courage.