“Design is not just what you shape—it’s what you protect.”
Across Nagaland, Urra Design Studio has come to embody this elegantly simple sentiment. Headed by designer and cultural entrepreneur Aku Zeliang, the studio holds together architecture, artisanship, and cultural continuity—not as separate disciplines, but as a single flowing vocabulary.
This connects to the values explored in our Cultural Continuity, Artisanal, and Design & Innovation pages. Their repeat collaboration with our Craft Tours program forms an ongoing circuit linking living crafts with spatial design across the region.
Form as Inheritance: The Studio’s Interdisciplinary Grounding
Founded in Dimapur in 2014, Urra Design Studio operates across architecture, interiors, sculptural furniture, and public installations. Its method is interdisciplinary—but not eclectic. Instead, it blends:
- Structural Design that respects the vernacular (bamboo, cane, stone)
- Product Craftsmanship that foregrounds traditional materials
- Participatory Co-Creation with village-based artisans
- Circular Economy Logic, where waste and by-product become form
At the centre of this method is Aku Zeliang—not just as designer, but as curator, system-holder, and regional connector. Through Urra and Cane Concept, he bridges the conceptual and the commercial, placing Naga heritage into sustainable circuits of visibility.
Exhibiting Continuity: Global Platforms, Local Roots
Urra’s works have crossed borders, but never left the soil. Recognition includes:
- EDIDA India 2024 (Sustainable Design) – Tekirak Collection, formed from wild-foraged bamboo/rattan.
- Ambiente 2023 (Frankfurt) – Huh Tu Collection, honoring Eastern Naga motifs.
- Homo Faber (Venice) – Sculptural craft-fusion exhibits curated by Michelangelo Foundation.
- India Design Exhibit – Furniture and lighting installations rooted in the Northeast.
Each exhibition frames Urra’s ethos: Design as dialogue, not just display.
Architecture as Custodian: The Heirloom Design Centre
In collaboration with Heirloom Naga Centre, Urra transformed a former warehouse in Sovima, Dimapur into the fully operational Heirloom Naga Centre—a living space that does not impose, but emerges from the materials, pace, and priorities of the region.
What It Holds:
- Gallery, Studio, & Stay Spaces: Hosting residencies and public workshops
- Craft Masterclasses: In weaving, bamboo, and food preparation
- Design Tours: Linking Sovima with Kohima, Wokha, and Zunheboto village clusters
The space is now active, supporting artisan programs, hosting co-creation events, and serving as a regional anchor for heritage-led cultural tourism. (See proffered Expereinces)
Methods of Making: Participatory & Circular by Design
Urra’s process reflects a strong ethical and ecological discipline:
- Co-Design Workshops: Artisans are not suppliers—they are method-makers. Urra’s sessions begin from lived practice, not moodboards.
- Disassembly Logic: Furniture is made to be repaired or repurposed by the same hands that built it.
- Local Sourcing & Byproduct Use: Rattan cutoffs become joinery. Wild bamboo is foraged, not farmed. Nothing travels far.
- Apprenticeship Frameworks: Young designers are embedded within craft communities—not just for learning technique, but cadence.
Craft as Region, Not Cluster
Urra’s reach extends beyond Nagaland and India—not as expansion, but as exchange.
- Nagaland–Assam–Manipur Bamboo Collective: Joint development of hybrid cane composites.
- Apatani–Konyak Skill Exchange: Basket-makers from Ziro and Mon converge through workshops hosted under the HNC umbrella.
Here, design is less about authorship and more about interdependence—a mesh of practice that respects local pace and seasonal logic.
Future as Structure: What Urra Signals
Urra Design Studio does not just build; it binds.
- It binds interiors to ecosystems
- It binds urban exhibitions to rural rhythms
- It binds design to time—not trend
As cultural tourism rises in Nagaland, Urra’s model offers more than aesthetic continuity. It offers structural continuity—where architecture protects craft, and craft reforms space.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Urra Design Studio and what is it recognized for?
Urra Design Studio is a multidisciplinary practice known for integrating spatial design, material practice, and cultural systems. Its work bridges architecture, object‑making, and regional craft knowledge into forms that are both contemporary and deeply place‑aware.
Who is Aku Zeliang and what does he do?
Aku Zeliang is the founder of Urra Design Studio and Cane Concept. His work spans multiple disciplines, with a consistent focus on collaborative, material‑sensitive approaches to design grounded in community practices.
What types of objects are designed at Urra Design Studio?
The studio’s outputs include adaptive furniture, spatial installations, and structural interventions. Much of this work is repair‑friendly and designed for longevity—guided by principles of circularity, locality, and co‑creation.
What is the Heirloom Naga Cultural & Design Centre in Sovima?
Located in Sovima, the Heirloom Naga Cultural & Design Centre is a jointly developed space by Urra Design Studio and Heirloom Naga Centre. It is fully operational and hosts a range of cultural and design experiences—residencies, workshops, co‑creation events, and village‑linked design tours, among other things.
Where does Urra Design Studio work beyond its base location?
The studio collaborates across districts and borders, with craft and design initiatives involving communities in Assam, Manipur, Arunachal, and beyond—anchored in material exchange, design residencies, and ecosystem‑building.
How does Urra Design Studio collaborate with traditional artisans?
Urra’s process centers co‑authorship. Design development is often guided by artisans’ existing methods, tools, and seasonal rhythms. Outputs emerge through shared workshop environments—not as commissions, but as co‑developed systems.
What are the key design methodologies used by Urra Design Studio?
The studio operates through participatory design, circular economy principles, and slow prototyping. Projects often begin from field immersion, local sourcing, and collaborative mapping with craftspeople and material ecologies.
What is Cane Concept and how does it relate to Urra Design Studio?
Cane Concept is one of the platforms through which objects and practices shaped by Urra’s design ethos circulate. Its positioning is aligned with systems of continuity and fair practice, and is embedded in cross‑regional collaborations such as the Heirloom Naga Centre.
What learning opportunities are available at Heirloom Naga Centre?
Among other things, the Centre hosts co‑creation sessions, residencies, hands‑on workshops, and hosted visits. These are framed not as extractive learning models, but as structured exchanges grounded in local time, method, and hospitality.
Can visitors experience Urra Design Studio’s work in person?
Yes. Visitors may encounter design interventions at the Heirloom Naga Centre in Sovima, through curated tours or residencies. Some projects also travel to exhibitions or design showcases, where these regional logics are presented in broader forums.
Are Urra Design Studio’s methods being applied elsewhere in India?
While similar principles exist in other geographies, the system held by Urra is closely attuned to the governance, ecological, and artisanal flows of its context. Its value lies less in replication and more in demonstrating how craft and design can remain relational, not extractive.