Nature holds immense importance for Cook. For him, architecture should lend itself to gardens and vegetation, while being lightweight. “It should be able to look at new configurations rather than being in the “boxed-up” style. At times, one needs to work into the ground. For instance, buildings can be by and also into the water. Some of my drawings look at towers as carriers rather than stationary units,” says Cook, who is so soft-spoken that one often has to bend forward to catch every word that he says.

He rates Archigram as a huge influence on his later work. “It affected the way one looked at the domestic unit. It inspired the use of mobility, the use of meditation,” he says. When asked if there are any chances of reviving the group, he laughs: “Two of the original members are dead. Moreover, I work with a much younger group now. Also, my work has become more lyrical than the earlier days.”

Cook’s association with India is not limited to this exhibition. He and his team from CRAB, or the Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau, co-founded by him and Gavin Robotham, are working on a recreation centre in Mumbai for the Oberoi group. “It will have sculptural rest areas, a funky area for kids to get into wonderland and straight places where people can play volleyball, and so on,” says Cook, hoping that the project will be completed in 18 months.

Architects and art enthusiasts are of the opinion that exhibitions such as this one are critical to highlight the importance of architecture in urban development. “We need to showcase architecture that makes sense to people and not the kind that only makes sense to bankers and engineers. And that’s why this exhibition is significant,” says [architect MN Ashish] Ganju.

“Sir Peter Cook: Drawings from 1960’s-2000’s” will be on display at Gallery Espace, New Delhi, till September 20, 2015