Born in Abu Dhabi, Vinu Daniel founded Wallmakers in 2007. The firm’s name was christened by its first project – a compound wall – and is sometimes referred to fondly as a “vagabond” firm making poetic structures out of brick and mud. Daniel completed his B. Arch in 2005 from The College of Engineering in Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram), and then worked with the Auroville Earth Institute for the United Nations Development Program’s post-tsunami relief efforts in Tamil Nadu. This led to Daniel’s resolve to devote his energies towards the cause of sustainable and cost-effective architecture. Daniel notes that he owes interest in material innovation, design philosophy, and, indeed, his career, to a chance meeting with the pioneering British Indian architect Laurie Baker at his home in Trivandrum at a time when Daniel was considering a different career in music (Baker died in 2007). Daniel’s work was featured in Rahul Mehrotra’s 2011 book Architecture in India Since 1990. Wallmakers was elected by ArchDaily as the only Indian practice in the 20 Young Practices of 2020.
