The Design Forte: Reviving the Garden City One Landscape at a Time

The team approaches each site as a living canvas, uncovering user needs and ecological nuances to craft landscapes where every detail has intention, from thoughtful spatial flow and planting palettes to accessibility and ease of maintenance.

From residential villas to group housing enclaves, corporate campuses, and industrial landscapes, the firm delivers bespoke outdoor environments that strike the perfect balance between aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability, all without compromising on budget or compliance. What truly elevates the experience is The Design Forte’s end-to-end involvement, from crisp design documentation and material curation to contractor coordination and on-site supervision, ensuring seamless translation from concept to completion.

Where Nature Meets Innovation

Powered by innovation, The studio uses advanced digital tools to streamline workflows, decode site data, and bring ideas to life with clarity and precision. But beneath the tech lies something deeper, which is a soulful understanding of the land & the lives it touches.

The team embraces an eco-conscious approach, weaving together the architecture and site dynamics to create landscapes that feel effortless yet alive. From working with natural slopes and sun paths to enhancing views, shade, and spatial rhythms, every green intervention is meaningful. The result? Lush courtyards, pop-up greens, shaded streetscapes, intimate plazas, and tranquil squares, spaces that don’t just serve, but soothe.

This thoughtful design is elevated through smart systems like automated irrigation, sensory lighting, water-wise planting, and elegant water features, making the landscapes not only sustainable, but also effortless to maintain and experience.

This blend of design excellence and environmental responsibility is what that places The Design Forte at the forefront of India’s evolving landscape design movement.

“Our ethos is simple, we design with purpose and deliver with integrity. It’s not just about what looks beautiful today, but what endures, grows, and inspires tomorrow”, says Shanthi.

She has extensive experience in landscape design, master planning & site development of projects under all verticals spanning industrial parks, corporate campuses, data centers, housing developments, healthcare, hospitality, and retail environments. Shanthi brings a sharp eye and a grounded, site-specific sensitivity to every project

Her design DNA is simple, which is to create spaces that respond to climate, respect ecology, and resonate with the people who inhabit them.

At the heart of her practice lies a belief, that the best designs are never forced. They are felt. They are functional, and they remain forever rooted in nature.

The Design Forte isn’t just shaping landscapes. It’s rekindling our connection to the land, one vibrant, purposeful space at a time.

From Passion to Practice

Her passion for the intersection of art, ecology, and innovation led her to start The Design Forte, where architecture and landscape come together to create meaningful spaces. These experiences sharpened her design thinking, team leadership, and ability to handle complexity with grace, qualities that now define The Design Forte’s studio culture.

By staying true to its values of excellence, empathy, and environmental stewardship, the firm has carved a space for itself as a trusted partner for discerning clients, those who seek not just good design but transformative outdoor experiences.

The Road Ahead

Looking forward, The Design Forte is poised to become a benchmark for innovative, sustainable, and people-centric landscape design. With a rapidly expanding portfolio that spans scales and sectors, the firm is scaling its impact while staying true to what makes it special, which is a deeply personalized, hands-on approach rooted in care, craft, and context.

The road forward is paved with innovation. Plans are already in motion to embed smart, climate-resilient technologies into every layer of the design process. From intelligent irrigation and responsive lighting to materials and methods that future-proof spaces against shifting climates and lifestyles. Every project is meticulously aligned with evolving urban bylaws, client aspirations, and environmental responsibility.

Strategic collaborations with expert contractors and consultants will further strengthen the firm’s role in bridging vision and execution, whether it’s crafting soulful spaces for independent homeowners or shaping landmark developments for large-scale clients.

The Design Forte is not just designing landscapes. It’s cultivating a future where nature, technology, and human experience thrive in unison.

A seasoned architect and landscape specialist, Shanthi brings nearly two decades of experience from leadership roles in some of India’s top design firms in the realm of landscape architecture before founding her design studio The Design Forte in 2021. She started her architectural design practice that specializes in Landscape architecture and developed a deep understanding and liking for it. Her journey is one of focus and quiet revolution, choosing to dedicate her practice entirely to landscape architecture and crafting spaces that are as intelligent as they are poetic.

She has extensive experience in landscape design, master planning & site development of projects under all verticals spanning industrial parks, corporate campuses, data centers, housing developments, healthcare, hospitality, and retail environments. Shanthi brings a sharp eye and a grounded, site-specific sensitivity to every project.