While Shabbir H Lilamwala has adapted to changing needs in these times when maximising FSI is what counts, he is concerned that there is little scope to design buildings that impact our lifestyle and culture.
After graduating from Rachana Sansad in 1982, Shabbir H Lilamwala spent four years as an intern with Architect
Hafeez Contractor and then started his firm, Homework, at Chembur in 1986, which later
became Homework Designs.
No one was talking about redevelopment in those days, but Mr Lilamwala became a pioneer of greenfield projects in the newly developing space across the creek. As a designer working with developers, he was involved with multiple building projects at Navi Mumbai.
Following India’s economic liberalisation in 1991, Mumbai’s real estate sector saw increased private developer involvement, shifting from public-led to private-led redevelopment. The focus was on redeveloping slums, old chawls, and dilapidated buildings to address housing shortages in the city. When the 1991 Development Control Regulations liberalised FSI and TDR, the firm, which is based in Chembur, had the opportunity to be involved in designing many buildings in the area. Chembur originally had an FSI of 0.75.
The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), established in 1995, aimed to redevelop slums by offering developers higher Floor Space Index (FSI) (up to 2.5–4) and Transferable Development Rights (TDR) to build high-rise towers while providing free housing to slum dwellers. They even completed a few SRA projects in Mumbai. By 2005-2010 the redevelopment of old housing societies gained momentum, as these projects involved fewer stakeholders and were easier to manage compared to slums.
Homework Designs offered, and continues to provide, every service that a developer, or redeveloper, would need— architectural design, project planning, urban design, landscape design interior design, structural integrity, seismic analysis, mechanical/ electrical engineering, plumbing, and much more.
Mr Lilamwala’s son, Murtaza, who has studied Environmental Design in Nottingham, and Fiona Silvapinto, a senior architect in the firm for over 23 years, point out that Vastu is a science and that a country’s geography and its relation to the northern and southern hemispheres make all the difference in terms of impact to a project. “When we look at the scientific concepts involved, they all are mentioned in the principles of Vastu,” she says. She adds: “People think of Vastu as positive and negative energies that need corrections, but that is not how we look at it. Most of the points mentioned in Vastu have something to do with the climate of the country.”
Mr Lilamwala has an impressive portfolio with projects in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Noida, Raipur, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Raichur, and even internationally—in Dubai, UK, Iraq, New Zealand, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Designs works with developers to offer design guidance at all stages, beginning with the initial designs they suggest to builders who then pitch for projects with housing societies. Homework Designs also advises on internal planning, light,ventilation, room layouts and more. As Murtaza Lilamwala puts it, “The end user must be satisfied when they walk into the house.” Fiona adds: “As we do not know who the end user will be, no matter what, that person must always bless you for giving them a good, well-designed home.”
Murtaza Lilamwala, who works with developers in the Western suburbs, has found in his interactions with housing societies that they are well-educated and aware of even the most technical aspects of redevelopment. “People who used to live in one-bedroom flats now require two, and sometimes even three or four bedrooms,” he explains. In locations like Andheri, Dahisar, and Vasai, he has found housing societies challenging developers on issues such as how much FSI they would get, as well as the developer’s feasibility and costs.
“Tenants are very well informed of the byelaws, what FSI the builder can get and offer them, and what the architect does. They will do background searches of the developer and go into detail so that they do not get stuck later,” Murtaza says. He has represented developers to explain their design concepts at society meetings. “You need to give them a walkthrough. You need to make them actually feel how their end product will be, to convince them because they are so aware.” Today, housing society members are even well-versed with technicalities such as the different kinds of FSI—basic FSI, premium FSI, incentive FSI, fungible FSI and so on—and how they can get a better deal, if, say, the developer has plans to build a Permanent Transit Camp (PTC) on the plot. By 2025, Mumbai had over 25,000 buildings over 30 years old or classified as dilapidated, eligible for redevelopment under Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) regulations. . Redevelopment in suburbs like Borivali, Kandivali, Ghatkopar and Mulund is driven by demand for larger, modern homes.
TDR Defined
Transferable Development Rights (TDR) means an award specifying the Built-Up Area (BUA) an owner of a site or plot can either sell or utilise - in-situ / elsewhere, in lieu of the land foregone on account of surrendering / gifting land free of cost to the ULB’s (Municipal Body, Urban Improvement Trust, Urban Development Authority), required to be set apart for public purpose as per the Master Plan or for road widening, recreational use zone, etc. The award is in the form of a TDR Certificate issued by the Competent Authority. The TDR Certificate inter-alia should mention the area surrendered and the cost of that area as per the circle rate. These certificates are regulated under the building Bye-Laws or in conjunction with TDR guidelines framed by State Governments from time-to-time.
Source:TransferableDevelopmentRights”GuidelinesforImplementationofTDRToolforAchievingUrbanInfrastructure Transition in India (NITI Aayog, September 2020)
Bhendi Bazaar’s redevelopment is another example of an ongoing cluster project in which the firm is undertaking the redevelopment of Cluster .The redevelopment model, heavily reliant on FSI and TDR incentives, has been criticised as developer-centric, leading to super-dense towers without adequate infrastructure (roads, water, sanitation).
Mumbai tops India’s list of stalled projects (over 2,000), with delays due to complex regulations across multiple departments, funding issues, and stakeholder disputes over flat sizes and relocation terms.
Redevelopment involves management, planning, execution, political, environmental, and legal risks. Projects can take four to five years, and mismanagement often leads to litigation, causing hardship for residents. The focus on high-end housing has made Mumbai less affordable for the working and middle classes, particularly after mill land redevelopments.
Slum dwellers often receive substandard tenements, perpetuating unhealthy living conditions.
Shabbir Lilamwala finds, “The language of architecture has softened.” He points out that under the new regulations, buildings have less character, thus affecting the entire fabric and aesthetics of the city.
“There is no vision for a skyline for Mumbai,” he says. “It’s all oriented towards the consumption of FSI. People are also not so concerned about how a project looks; they just want to know what is inside, and utility is what matters.”
He rues the fact that this holistic vision is missing even in the design of public buildings and bridges. “Wherever you go, Mumbai is being crowded with bridges and flyovers, and the government is least interested in design. At most, they will put some plants there and paint the underside. Nobody is looking at the architectural language; it is all from an engineering perspective. When we had architects like Charles Correa, they had vision. But bureaucracy killed it somewhere. Architecture today is all babu-driven!” Shabbir Lilamwala sighs. Redevelopment remains a critical but contentious strategy. While it addresses ageing infrastructure and housing demand, systemic issues like regulatory delays, inequitable outcomes, and infrastructure strain persist. A more balanced approach, with streamlined approvals and resident-focused policies, is needed for sustainable progress.