Oneness Partner #6

Jovan Minic

Italy

Jovan Minic, who designed the architecture of our Bengaluru store, is an Italian architect working across Europe and Asia. He joined this project as a partner at NISHIZAWA ARCHITECTS.

Here is his interview statement:

Living and working between Europe and Asia hasbecome for me a way to explore our relationship with our surroundings. I believe that these seemingly opposing perspectives are actually complementary approaches to our existence in reality. We are the product of the places we inhabit, and the places we inhabit are a reflection of us. I view architecture as tangible evidence of our connection to a place. 

This project is about meeting a new place:
Bengaluru, a city of trees, a city of light, wind, stone, craftsmen, animals, gardens, perfumes, and sounds. My goal is to learn from its culture and resources, uncovering the extraordinary within the ordinary. Working with local resources and thinking of a place as an opportunity, means to me thinking about the project as a process, not as a closed product.

With this project, we aim to provide a space for resting under a tree, gathering around a fire, and sharing a meal. Black oxide surfaces reflect light filtered through the rain tree leaves, inviting it into the space. The building stands alongside the tree, growing within its canopy. Warmth, fragrances, colors, and sounds are shared in a collective experience. I met here an incredible culture shaped by diverse identities, a strong collective arising from individual uniqueness.

My intention is to highlight that diversity is a source of richness and to emphasize that individuals build communities.

I aspire to embrace India through its concept of “Oneness in Diversity,” recognizing complexity within unity.