Bangalore is a city of contrasts. Quiet leafy suburbs merge unobtrusively with giant tech parks, quaint pensioner’s pads rest in sync with trendy modern buildings. And the magicians who breathe life into this all are the city’s architects, a breed of innovative and talented professionals who have modernised the city’s skyline without disturbing its old-world charm.

Meet Sharukh Mistry and Renu Mistry, the founders of Mistry Architects and the brain behind the granite wave that hit the city in the 1980s. This dynamic husband-wife duo, together with a dedicated squad, brought about a significant change in the city’s landscape by introducing granite to break the monotony of brick housing.

Their workspace at Indiranagar vibrates with ideas and innovations that mirror in all successful ventures, which include private spaces like houses and bungalows, and commercial interiors like industrial buildings and corporate spaces.

All their projects get duly appreciated and awards have become quite a regular feature. The latest feather to the cap is the A+D Spectrum Foundation Award for the design of Rangashankara, the favourite haunt of all the theatre lovers in the city.

Dutta Kannan Architects (DKA) is another award-winning architect and design firm that has left its indelible mark in many residential and commercial interiors. Headed by Indraneel Dutta and Brinda Kannan, two extremely talented professionals in the field of architecture and urban design, DKA gives due importance to the ambience and strives to capture the metaphysical element in the design so that the final creation is a harmony in “frozen music”.

DKA also has an office in Chicago, Hybridarch Design Laboratory, that experiments in urban design, urban landscapes and vernacular design. DKA’s work has been published in the prestigious magazine Indian Architect and Builder, exhibited at the Architecture Gallery, Bangalore and featured at the UIA World Architecture Congress in Istanbul 2005.

So if you are planning to build that dream house or thinking of owning a plush office space, you now know whom to call.