(“Text as submitted by architect”)
Malli Saravanan
Malli is passionate about creating holistic environments that form joyful experiences and inspire wellbeing. Beyond setting the vision at MAWI Design as a founding partner, Malli is also a co-founder at Into Design, where he focuses on Design for Advanced Manufacturing. Previously, he was a co-founding partner at WEBE Design Lab, whose team collectively envisioned and realised the international award-winning National War Memorial in New Delhi.
He also co-founded Mana Living, a spatial execution and PMC firm. His focus on driving real human impact has resulted in recognition for his work across national and global platforms. Malli was awarded ‘Young Architect of the Chapter 2022.’
He began his career over 10 years ago as an undergraduate student at the School of Architecture and Planning at Anna University in Chennai.
He further studied Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands, where he specialised in the advanced fabrication of Fibre Reinforced Composite as a form of building construction. Malli’s background intersects at multiple disciplines including human-centricity, architecture and technology. He constantly challenges the status quo that ‘Architecture makes spaces’, advocating a multifaceted approach to architecture through a diverse and global lens.
Kavitha Mohanraj
Kavitha actively explores the intersection of design, technology and manufacturing. As a co-founder at MAWI, she curates an interdisciplinary environment, embracing the values of the digital age and empowering the use of technology in creative industries.
Her multidisciplinary experience industrial design, product development and 3D printing. Kavitha is certified in Rhino3D and Grasshopper Modelling software. Her M.Arch from Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Frankfurt focused on Advanced Architectural Design. Kavitha’s clients include automobile industries, innovative tech businesses, universities, governmental organisations, large corporations and non-profit organisations.
Kavitha is an avid mentor and female leader. She is an Ambassador at Womenin3DPrinting, a global network which promotes, supports and inspires women in additive manufacturing.
Practice Ideology
MAWI Design is a Chennai-based practice working across architecture, interiors, and landscape. The studio focuses on how design can shape the way people experience everyday life.
Every project starts with context – climate, culture, landscape, and patterns of living. These conditions shape how spaces are organised, connected, and experienced, so the design responds equally to its site and to the people who inhabit it.
MAWI pays close attention to behaviour: how people move, gather, pause, interact, and simply spend time. Indoor and outdoor spaces are treated as one continuous experience, with light, scale, material, and privacy calibrated to support both everyday routine and social life. At the core of this is wellbeing. The studio builds spaces that support comfort, connection, and a lasting relationship with the natural world.
