The premium building materials market is on an upswing in India. Customers are showing a clear preference for modern luxury home solutions that are a few notches above their usual affordability segments. BuildingandInteriors met up with some Architects from well-established architectural firms in different cities to understand their perspective on premium building materials space from their experience. This article aims to bring forth their learnings for the various stakeholders in the architecture industry (residential as well as commercial) and provide some indicators for the road ahead in this segment.
Architect Perspective: Ar. Suny Akber – Chennai
‘I would put it like that – a premium project uses premium products for premium deliverance’, says Ar. Suny Akber. He started with his practice in 2004. In the initial years, he was able to get quality carpenters and contractors to work on his projects. This approach gave his architectural firm, Feel & Bari, the identity of being associated with luxury houses as well as other premium projects in the Southern markets.
Customer preference and the premium building materials market in South India
Ar. Akber states that in his experience, 4 states in the South – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala are not homogenous. Customers in the premium segment in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are more flamboyant. Tamil Nadu and Kerala are more conservative but go for more ‘understated’ solutions.
He further adds, ‘These markets have villas and luxury houses that are very large – ranging between 20,000 to 5,00,000 sq. ft. So, that’s a very real segment, a very premium segment of modern homes. Moreover, it’s not in remote areas or outside the city, they’re at the premium locations, like Boat Club in Chennai.’
Image Source: hansgrohe.com
Things like Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in kitchens, as well as bathrooms, are finding many takers in the South Indian markets. Customers in these markets who are well-traveled are keen to have these solutions in their modern homes. In many cases, such customers also spend top monies on getting their homes on complete automation. Solutions like premium showers where pre-programmed settings ensure hot/cold/combination/massage options are getting increasingly popular with the premium projects.
Following are some of the projects by Ar. Suny Akber using premium building materials:
To get in touch with Ar. Suny Akber, contact on the following details:
- Email: mail@feelandbari.com
- Phone: +91 9884191802
- Website: feel-bari.business.site
Architect Perspective: Ar. Vikas Sheware – Pune
Ar. Vikas Sheware runs his architectural firm Concur Designs in Pune. He says, ‘The purchasing power of the customer has increased by 20-25%. Also, modern day customers have upgraded themselves and intend to use premium products in their homes now. Moreover, this change is happening across categories and brands. People are now aware of what they want and they only suggest premium brands like Hansgrohe, Stiebel Eltron, Geberit, Viega, etc.’
The market for premium building materials and solutions in the Pune region
Ar. Sheware works on premium projects across residential and commercial architecture segments. He feels that in his region, it’s not only the premium project customers who demand premium solutions for their luxury houses but also there’s a strong shift in the mid-segment market as well. His mid-segment customers also demand premium solutions as these offer superior quality and durability. That’s something that is here to stay in the Indian building materials market.
The region has a very good market for premium brands. The German and Italian building material brands are becoming increasingly popular with customers. So, people are opting for these modern products for their homes, flats, bungalows, villas, and other residential and commercial architecture projects.
Image Source: stiebel-eltron.com
Bathrooms are the most usable spaces and every client wants to have good quality, durable as well as aesthetic material there. So, most people do not have any fixed budget for this area in particular. All they want is a good design and beautiful products with maximum features. Therefore, they don’t shy away from spending that bit extra on areas like bathrooms. In addition, kitchens are another area that gets top attention in the premium building materials market.
Following are some of the projects done by Ar. Sheware’s architectural firm:
To get in touch with Ar. Vikas Sheware, contact on the following details:
- Email: arvikas@concurarchitects.com
- Phone: +91 9822315184
- Website: concurarchitects.com
Architect Perspective: Ar. Chetan Limbachiya – Mumbai
Ar. Chetan Limbachiya is based in Mumbai and does both residential and commercial architecture projects. His architectural firm, CLA Architects, continues to work for customers across India as well as abroad primarily focussing on multi-unit residential architecture design and construction, condominiums, and co-operative housing developments using premium building materials. Thus, function, efficiency, beauty, and economy are the keystones of each CLA project.
The premium materials market in Mumbai
Says Ar. Limbachiya, ‘In Mumbai, the demand for premium products is definitely on an upswing. Moreover, premium products definitely help the architects increase the aesthetics and functionality of their project.’
Even in the Mumbai market, bathrooms and kitchens enjoy customer attention. For bathroom fixtures and fittings in luxury houses, the client always looks for premium materials. For modular kitchens, these clients always go with premiums brands. In addition, Ar. Limbachiya feels that doors and windows are another categories that attract the attention of premium customers.
Image Source: villeroy-boch.asia
‘We are observing changes in clients because nowadays, there are a lot of options available for the interiors of luxury houses. For cladding, there are multiple options available ranging from premium stone, WPC as well as other PVC-based materials. Therefore, with the evolving taste of the customer, the market is also evolving.’
Following are some of the projects by Ar. Limbachiya using premium solutions:
To get in touch with Ar. Chetan Limbachiya, contact on the following details:
- Email: claarchitects@gmail.com
- Phone: +91 9967168322
- Website: claarchitects.in
Architect Perspective: Check-list for premium building material brands in India
Here are some points to help the premium brands keep up the momentum seen during the present times:
1. Complete information on the products: Architects are tuned to ‘processing’ the product information with much ease. This community should get regular information on new products via factory visits, training, etc. In addition, the distribution channel, including retailers, should have the most updated information from the brands.
2. Keep your product range up-to-date: Customers of premium building materials are a well-traveled lot. They look for the latest solutions from the brands that they would use in their homes and offices. So, it’s important that the premium brands offer the same solutions to their customers in India as well. Also, the time gap between the international launches and those in India needs to come down.
3. Ease of availability: When an architect gets the clients to zero in on a product, the last thing the client wants to hear is that the product is ‘unavailable’ or has unreasonably high lead times. So, logistically streamlined products should be introduced and promoted.
4. After-sales service: Many times, the brands that operate in this segment of the market offer solutions which are high on technology. Marry to that the fact that the customers for such solutions are demanding. Any lag in the after-sales support puts pressure on the architect since they are the ones recommending/specifying such solutions. So, the more robust the service support, the more confident architect feels.
5. Relationship management: Premium projects are all about relationships. So, the architects work on a relationship with their clients. In many cases, the clients depend solely on the architects’ ability to handle the supplier dynamics. Brands, especially in the premium end of the market should keep working at improving their efficiencies when dealing with the specifier community.
