An Inspired Chat with Amit Upadhye of Scottsdale Airpark

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Amit Upadhye. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Amit, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I love gardening, photography, drumming, sketching, practice Yoga/meditation. I have always derived strength from such activities that calm the agitation of the mind, centers and composes me during tumultuous times. I also like to mountain bike, hike, and read outside of work to keep myself inspired through dispassionate observation of inner and outer.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a licensed professional architect practicing in Scottsdale, Arizona. I have a unique design+build practice where each project is carefully crafted paying attention to the details, embedded in poetic thought and steeped in philosophy. Each project tries to evoke something fundamental and sublime that touches the heart of the experiencer.
My work is formed and informed by the Sun poetically and pragmatically. I am currently building a house called ‘Bars and Bridges House’ as a construction manager which I also designed it for a client in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
Since childhood, I saw my dad working 22 years with sincerity for a company but before that he was in Air Force for 15 years that really shaped his thinking and work ethics. I saw my mom as an ambitious singer, social leader and home maker which inspired me. I learned to play drums for her as accompaniment on stage. I also was exposed to my grandfather’s home library that had rare books like Ouspensky’s Tertium Organum, J Krishnamurti, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Balavatsky’s volumes on Theosophy and much more.
Later, during a curricular internship I met my architecture mentor Prof. Anant Raje, a student of Louis Kahn that changed the course of my life and I started thinking about Architecture more seriously. I learnt a lot about intense work of Architecture from him. It was one of the most intense offices that taught me values that I still carry with me.
In the US I worked with and learned a lot from my Prof. Kramer Woodard, Marwan Al-Sayed, Eddie Jones, Rich Fairbourn, Andy Byrnes to name a few. And lastly worked closely with Thom Mayne at Morphosis in Los Angeles.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I believe every individual faces their own share of challenges in life—and I am no exception. Yet, often it’s the very nature of those challenges that equips us with the strength to overcome them, provided we remain resilient, committed, and focused.
I launched my architectural practice in Scottsdale in 2007, unaware of the onset of 2008 global recession that was just around the corner. Practically overnight, everything came to a screeching halt. My former employers weren’t in a position to rehire me, and all clients froze their projects. The market had collapsed, and so had my fledgling business.

For the next two and a half years, my wife became the pillar of our family, supporting us both financially and emotionally. During that time, I closed my practice and took on the role of a stay-at-home dad, caring for our daughter. Eventually, I made the difficult decision to return to my roots in Singapore, setting aside my dream of independent practice.

In Singapore, I joined Aedas, and after three years, received an opportunity to work with Morphosis in Los Angeles. That experience eventually led me back to Phoenix with the support of Gensler—until 2017, when that chapter, too, came to an end. With no new projects on the horizon, I decided it was time to revive my practice. But with limited options, I began driving for Uber just to keep things moving. Just a week into it, I received a call from a realtor introducing me to a client looking to remodel their home. That project marked the rebirth of my practice.

It’s been eight years since that turning point, and I haven’t looked back. The journey has been anything but easy—but with perseverance and a bit of luck, I’m still here, doing what I love. Touch wood!

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Sustainability was never a major concern until the rise of industrialization. With the advent of machines and mass production, driven by a rapidly growing global population, the dynamics of supply and demand shifted dramatically. Initially intended to meet human needs, this industrial growth eventually spiraled into excess as capitalism prioritized profit over balance. Somewhere along the way, humanity crossed a critical line—driven not by necessity, but by greed.
We began to exploit the planet at an unsustainable rate, and today, we have already consumed more than 40% of the elements from the Periodic Table. Society has gradually transformed into a consumerist machine, addicted to a certain way of life that now feels irreversible.

While the rhetoric around sustainability has become widespread, much of it is driven by vested interests aiming to capitalize on the crisis rather than solve it. The true motive often lies not in protecting the Earth, but in finding new ways to profit under the guise of environmental concern. The consequences of global warming are already upon us, yet we continue to maintain the illusion of sustainability—a convenient facade behind which humanity hides, all while continuing to deplete the planet’s resources.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
That which can be consciously said, done, not done, described, in-described, or attempted…….all effort, inaction and action,…..the whole gamut is part of the destiny. There is no escape from “it”. There cannot be an individual existence separate from existence since the infinite reality is an unbroken whole from nearest blade of grass to the farthest star. So any beginning or end within the infinity must be an illusion. Could there be an individual to have the freewill? Mathematically, there cannot be anything outside of infinity. So a wave cannot united with the ocean nor can it be separated from the ocean despite all efforts. Therefore, pursing “it” is the fallacy of understanding “it”. There is only, if at all, existence which could be dispassionately witnessed by the Being. Only the Being is real and rest all is fades away with time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.architecture.yoga
• Instagram: amit_upadhye_architect
• Linkedin: Amit Upadhye AIA
• Facebook: Amit Upadhye, Architect

Image Credits
Matt Winquist