Cost effective planning has become an important and popular approach to architectural design. With the rising working class and an increase in urban population, it has become imperative for every city to have affordable and modern housing solutions. This design approach and method does not stop at residential projects, it is also used to construct large scale institutional buildings.

Cost effective planning features many factors such low first cost structure, design keeping in mind low operating and maintaining costs, sustainability and longevity of the building or structure, most productive and efficient facilities and the most profitable and great return on investment. At DFI a ‘cost-effective’ project is likely to have all of the above attributes and parameters.  The firm keeps in mind that a building design is considered to be cost-effective if it is more profitable and advantageous to those of alternative designs and has a lower whole life cost which includes the initial design and construction cost, on-going operations and maintenance, parts replacement, disposal cost or salvage value, and of course the useful life of the system or building. DFI staunchly believes in energy efficiency and keeping environmentally friendly. These attributes play a significant role in cost-effectiveness by the use of natural light, solar energy, natural ventilation systems in buildings and keeping the aesthetic value by ensuring greenery and sustainable building materials in the construction of the structures.

At Design Forum International, one of the main objectives of subsidised housing projects is to develop high-quality buildings in addition to social, architectural, ecological and economic values and to do that the team does extensive analysis of various cost-relevant design and planning parameters while understanding the crucial connection between ‘quality and quantity’ criteria for subsidized housing or institutional projects. They realize that most cost-effective solution to any design is the one that fits every user’s needs. The firm aims that the final designed structure should not only be cost effective but also be of the highest quality, efficiency, sustainability and aesthetic value.

Design Forum International is a young-old organization with almost 25 years of experience that has quickly set the right foot to be one of the best architecture firms in India. The firm is a vibrant mix of young and experienced professionals bounded by a common thread: the passion to design. An active contributor to the Nation Building drive and the Indian infrastructural boom, DFI holds vast industry experience in both national and international projects with millions of square feet of construction in a varied range of typology like Affordable Housing, Master planning, Mixed use & Retail, Institutional as well as Healthcare. Some of DFI’s notable projects include the famous Select Citywalk mall, and the recently inaugurated New Courts Block of Delhi High Court., the ITO Skywalk, Delhi and the Dakshineshwar Skywalk in Kolkata. The Guwahati International Airport in Assam, designed by DFI is also under completion and is scheduled for completion in 2021.