Architourian Launches ‘Architectural Tourism For The Curious’ to Explore How Built Environments Shape Culture, Identity And Well-Being.

Architourian invites the design savvy or architecturally curious on immersive journeys that go beyond bricks and mortar, revealing how architecture intersects with culture, identity and well-being. Its newly launched tours reframe travel as a quest for deeper human stories behind every building and cityscape.

Founded by Ian Macready, who brings over 30 years of experience as the co-founder of an award-winning London architecture and design studio, Architourian is opening its first tour to the public in November 2025. The inaugural itinerary traverses Northern India, Starting in Lutyens’ Imperial New Delhi to ‘Le Corbusier modernist city’ of Chandigarh, ending in the experimental, handcrafted Amaya, Himalayan resort designed by Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai. “I’ve worked in design for decades and travelled to over 80 countries,” explains Ian Macready.

“One of my last projects was in India in Kasauli at the Amaya resort. It became clear to me during these project visits that the spirit and energy of India’s architectural narrative, from the legacy of empire in New Delhi to the radical modernism of Chandigarh, felt uniquely compelling. Architourian exists to offer the intellectually curious a chance to immerse themselves in these stories.”

Architourian tours have been carefully curated to go beyond surface-level sightseeing, offering guests guided access that engage with cultural, historical, and social contexts. Combining thoughtful organisation and expert guidance, the tours aim to provide an unparalleled travel experience rooted in architectural discourse, all while highlighting local communities’ stories and crafts.

The Architecture of India

India’s built environment is shaped by varied influences: Mughal opulence, British imperial planning, and modernist experiments by pioneers such as the work commissioned by Shah Jahan, or architects Edwin Lutyens, Le Corbusier, Charles Correa and Bijoy Jain. Many travellers may be familiar with key highlights: the Red Fort and the Qutab Minar in Delhi, or centuries-old temples across the subcontinent. But India’s architectural tapestry is far richer and still evolving.

Architourian contends that each building stems from a continual dialogue with history. Its carefully curated itineraries, starting in Lutyens’ imperial imprint in New Delhi to Nehru’s industrial secular ambitions in Chandigarh, and the handmade philosophies of Gandhi somehow coinciding with the exquisite work of Bijoy Jain up in Kasauli, will prompt the ‘curious traveller’ to consider how tradition, modernity, and regional identity coexist, converge and occasionally collide within India’s evolving built environment.

The Social and Political Impact of the Built Environment

Architecture in India is not just a matter of bricks and mortar; it speaks to deep social and political currents. Chandigarh, the post-partition Punjabi capital, remains an emblem of freedom, modernity, and optimism in the mid-20th century. Simultaneously, the Himalayan region around Kasauli, with its centuries-old hill constructions and handcrafted techniques, has been channeled by Bijoy Jain at Amaya into another strand of design: where local knowledge, vernacular building styles, and sustainable materials converge to create humane spaces.

These contrasting legacies prompt the more curious to discuss broader topics:

● Secular India vs. local craft: does new construction successfully integrate contemporary

sensibilities with time-tested material cultures, or risk eclipsing them altogether?

● Colonial planning vs. indigenous voices: did empire-era designs override local expertise,

or can these frameworks be reclaimed for contemporary contexts?

● Luxury and scale: sustainable, handcrafted approaches inspire discussions about how

luxury could be adapted for broader societal use.

By physically experiencing these places, travellers can better understand the tension between

the imposition of global visions and grassroots, handmade processes.

What we can learn from India

Each Architourian journey encourages reflection: how might the handmade of Bijoy Jain’s work unify with contemporary detail in ways that respect the environment and honour cultural identities?

Touring India’s diverse built environments reveals:

● Brutalism and happiness: Chandigarh’s famously raw concrete has created a city often ranked as India’s happiest and highest per capita wealth: can modernism improve quality of life?

● Handmade vs. industrial: Gandhi advocated for handmade production; how can these ideas filter into large-scale projects that are still luxurious yet environmentally sensitive?

● Stewards of tradition: Amaya merges the hill-architecture typology with contemporary methods showing that design can be innovative while connected to vernacular architecture. The Architourian experiences in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Kasauli delve into such questions, inviting travellers to question the role of architecture in shaping society.

Among all the questions, discussions and first-hand experience of the buildings, the trip also offers some indulgence. Everything during the trip is taken care of adeptly for each traveller. The accommodation ranges from 5-star hotels, delightful farm stays and the exquisite Amaya resort, which combines luxury with sustainability, breathtaking views of the Himalayas and one of India’s top-rated restaurants.

The Architourian experiences in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Kasauli delve into such questions, inviting travellers to question the role of architecture in shaping society. Among all the questions, discussions and first-hand experience of the buildings, the trip also offers some indulgence. Everything during the trip is taken care of adeptly for each traveller. The accommodation ranges from 5-star hotels, delightful farm stays and the exquisite Amaya resort, which combines luxury with sustainability, breathtaking views of the Himalayas and one of India’s top-rated restaurants.

The seven-night inaugural tour ‘100 years of Architecture in India—Empire to Village’ is available to book now for 2025 and 2026. The tour costs £3,300—£3,950 per person excluding flights. Book your place via architourian.com