Architect Bhakti Bania came to America for an advanced degree and adventure—then stayed and built what is believed to be the largest woman-owned architecture firm in Columbus. Here, meet the Co-Founder and CEO of BBCO.
Q: Your interest in architecture started as a child in Mumbai. What drew you to the work?
A: My dad had an electrical contracting business, and all of his friends were architects. He would go to his sites on the weekends, and sometimes I would tag along. I started understanding how the design of a space can really impact what the space feels like and how you feel in that space.
Q: You remain incredibly passionate about your work. What keeps you excited?
A: I feel like it’s the exact same thing that made me want to do it in the first place—the idea that any space can influence people within that space. What’s drawn me to the profession is the ability to create spaces that have a positive impact on people. That is the fundamental reason I love it.
Q: You took a fresh approach to what a firm can look like when building BBCO. How so?
A: Architecture can be a very ego-driven profession. Many firms have a star designer in the office, and the office is driven by that person. There’s also this expectation of working long hours, because we love what we do so much. So with BBCO, we set out to build something different. Yes, our team loves what we do. We want to do great work. We want to design great buildings. But we wanted to build and run our firm as a well-structured, sustainable business. That’s why we made our titles CEO, COO and so on—not Principal or other traditional titles. We wanted to be more organized and thoughtful. We wanted to have a better approach toward how we do projects. We’re starting to see some other firms do the same, which is wonderful—and refreshing.
Q: How does that approach ultimately change the work?
A: We schedule projects so that people are not killing themselves to get them done. Everybody’s working hard but not having to work late nights or weekends, which can be detrimental. So here, everybody’s giving their best work, and clients are getting our best work. We have sometimes refused projects because we don’t have the capacity to do them our way. It’s shocked people, but it’s also earned clients’ respect and loyalty. We have a very strong sense of the quality of work we do. We will not compromise quality.
Q: You even offered flexible schedules long before the pandemic, yes?
A: We did. We’ve always had flexible working hours. If you want to come early and leave early, that’s fine. If you want to come late and leave late, that’s fine too. We’re not checking what time you come in or leave. We’re all about the product. Our entire culture is built on trust. As long as you are meeting project goals and deadlines, great. We also have work-from-anywhere days on Mondays and Fridays. As a general company, our attitude is not about working harder, it’s about working smarter.
Q: You’ve designed hundreds of incredible spaces. If you had to name a single favorite project, what would it be?
A: That’s like asking who’s your favorite child! I’m going to pick two for different reasons. The first is a Pre-K center that we just completed in the Hilltop area of Columbus. It’s a very exciting project that is going to provide early childhood educational spaces for 3- and 4-year-old kids in that neighborhood, which kids don’t currently have access to. The impact that building will have on that community is profound. It’s a fun building, too: We focused on the play aspect of learning, so it will hopefully get them excited about going to school. I think people will really be thrilled.
Q: What project is your second favorite child, then?
A: We did a student housing project across from the Ohio State campus. It’s commonly known as The Wendy’s Building. It has a Wendy’s that used to be a freestanding restaurant that is now incorporated into a five-story, mixed-use building with retail and apartments. It was a very challenging and innovative project: That prototype of building had not been done on High Street before. People really liked it. It led to multiple projects for us along that corridor. Now, we’ve built more student housing projects near Ohio State University’s campus along High Street than anyone. So I like that project because it marked a pivotal moment for BBCO.
Q: You moved to the States to earn your master’s degree from Ohio State’s architecture school and ended up building your company and family in Columbus. Why did you decide to stay?
A: When I first moved to Columbus from India, I had no intentions of staying beyond my master’s program. I just wanted to experience the adventure of living somewhere else. I had only ever lived in Mumbai. I was used to a lot of activity and buzz. When I got to Columbus, it was fairly quiet. My husband (Bharat Baste, BBCO Co-Founder and COO) loved it right away. It took me a while to adjust. But once we had kids, it immediately made sense. I love so much about it now. There’s a lot to do, a lot of places to eat, activities, neighborhoods. The city density has grown, the diversity of people has grown. There are interesting things happening, and it’s a great place to be.
Q: Speaking of family, you are married with two children—one at Ohio State and one at Upper Arlington High School. You’ve built a life you love, but you say balance is bunk. How so?
A: Everybody talks about work-life balance. I just find that term terribly annoying, and it’s practically impossible. I strongly believe that it isn’t about balance so much as flow between your personal life and your work life. Sometimes, work will have a bigger push, and other times, you have to give more to your personal life. The key is being fully present and not feeling guilty about what you’re not doing at that moment. Women especially can be really tough on ourselves, and I think we need to cut ourselves some slack and just be in the flow.
Q: Your architecture class included about 50% women, but only a couple of those women have remained in the industry. Why do you think that is?
A: The stats are pretty clear. In school, it’s 50/50, and in the profession, there are far fewer women. Those who get licensed are even fewer. Those in leadership are even fewer still. My guess is the attrition starts to happen when women decide to have kids. The grind expected by most firms is not possible for most mothers. But if women take a break from work, it’s hard to come back into the profession. So one of the things that I’ve been trying to figure out is how do we help women through that phase and not lose them at that point? Maybe it’s by allowing them to work fewer hours or work remotely.
Q: For a while, you didn’t draw attention to the fact you are a woman-owned, minority-owned business. Now you’re leaning into it. Why?
A: When we first started, we just wanted our work to stand on its own, and I didn’t want to fall victim to any conscious or unconscious biases. I’ve long had to lead differently as a woman in a man’s space. But the only thing that seemed to matter to clients was if we were good at the work. Then, L Brands—one of our longtime clients—asked us to get certified as a woman-owned firm. Later, as we evolved into more work for public agencies, being a woman-owned, minority-owned firm became an asset, because there are dollars set aside that allow firms like ours to get a foot in the door where we may not have had one. So now, I’m leaning into it, unapologetically. This is what we do, and this is who we are.
Q: And who you are is the largest woman-owned firm in the city.
A: It’s funny, because I sort of jokingly told someone one day, “I want to be the largest woman-owned architecture firm in Columbus.” And she said, “You probably already are.” Turns out, I am! (laughing) So maybe I need to dream a little bigger now.