About us

Zero Energy Design Lab is a research-driven architecture and interior design studio based in Delhi, India. Founded in 2009 by Sachin Rastogi and Payal Seth Rastogi, it specializes in net-zero energy buildings. With sustainability at the core of its design process, ZED Lab works towards improving people’s quality of life in symbiosis with the environment through the lens of research, design, and construction. Through its award-winning projects across residential, hospitality, institutional, commercial, and industrial sectors, the studio seeks to push the envelope for zero energy design while devising economically viable building systems.

As vision facilitators, idea generators and design integrators, the team at ZED Lab works collaboratively to formulate strategies that draw inspiration from the Indian vernacular for our present and future needs. ZED Lab’s design approach is informed by a deep and innate understanding and application of age-old bioclimatic wisdom, reinterpreted using cutting-edge computational tools such as parametric design. Through climatic studies, simulation models, custom software, and physical experiments, the studio explores every facet of design that goes on to determine the nature, form, and impact of a project, making it uniquely positioned to deliver long-lasting and resilient solutions.

The studio has been commended for its work and is the recipient of multiple awards such as the Young Architects Award by Indian Architect and Builder, 2019 and the RTF Sustainability Awards, 2017. Its projects have been featured in prominent design publications, including Domus, Architectural Digest, ArchDaily, Dezeen, Elle Décor and Indian Architect and Builder.

OUR TEAM

Sachin Rastogi is the founding director and a principal at ZED Lab, research-driven architecture and interior design studio based in Delhi, India that specializes in net-zero buildings. Rastogi believes in developing an architecture that can simultaneously enhance human experience and minimize resource consumption. His design sensibility is informed by a profound understanding of climate, site context, and a building’s environmental impact. He draws inspiration from the Indian vernacular to develop ideas pertinent to the present and future of living. Rastogi’s design for the hostel block at the St. Andrews Institute of Technology and Management in Gurugram, Haryana has received international acclaim for serving as an exemplar of environmental sustainability, energy conservation, and minimal carbon footprint. Rastogi holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and a Masters in Science in Sustainable Environmental Design from the Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture, London. A diverse educational background, and over ten years of combined international experience in Europe, the Middle East and New Zealand has offered Rastogi extensive exposure, while also establishing strong collaborative bonds with leading international practices. A recipient of various accolades by national and international media, Rastogi’s work is widely acclaimed. In 2019, he won the first prize under the architecture category at the Young Architects Award by Indian Architect and Builder magazine, the second prize at the Delhi Architecture Festival, 2017, and a nomination at the NDTV Design and Architecture Awards 2017.

Sachin Rastogi

Founding Director & Principal
zeroenergydesignlab@gmail.com

Payal Seth Rastogi founded ZED Lab, a Delhi-based research-driven architecture and interior design studio specializing in net-zero energy buildings, with Sachin Rastogi in 2009. Through her design approach, Payal is committed to embracing sustainability as a way of living and creating resilient habitats in harmony with nature. Her work explores how we can assimilate architectural wisdom from our vernacular and leverage modern technology to develop environmentally compatible and economically viable buildings.

Payal graduated in 2006 with a diploma degree in Architecture Design from Indraprastha University, New Delhi. In 2008, she completed her masters in Interior Design from Punjab Technical University. With over a decade of experience in the field, Payal has driven the studio’s growth through residential and institutional design expertise. Under her leadership, several of the studio’s projects have received widespread acclaim. The Boys’ Hostel Block at the St. Andrews Institute of Technology and Management, for instance, has been commended for its focus on sustainability, achieved through meticulous research and use of cutting-edge computational design tools. The project also won a nomination at the NDTV Design and Architecture Awards 2017. In 2019, Payal won the first prize at the Young Architects Award by Indian Architect and Builder magazine under the architecture category and the second prize at the Delhi Architecture Festival 2017, among various other accolades by national and international media.