Kumar Bahukhandi
Following the success of its first edition, Anant National University hosted the second edition of Open House 2026 on 23-24 May at its Ahmedabad campus. Aspiring designers from more than 40 cities, along with their parents, participated in the two-day immersive experience to explore design in its truest form.
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Open House 2026 at Anant National University Showcases Design Beyond Aesthetics and Decoration
Bringing together participants from diverse cities and academic backgrounds, the second edition was designed to help students understand design not merely as aesthetics or decoration, but as a discipline rooted in critical thinking, systems understanding, innovation and problem-solving. Through direct engagement with Anant’s academic ecosystem, participants experienced how design education can shape meaningful responses to contemporary challenges, for India and the world.
Attended by close to 400 students and parents, the Open House offered students a first-hand understanding of design education at Anant. Through hands-on workshops led by more than 30 Anant faculty, studio walkthroughs and engagement with mentors and peers, participants experienced how ideas evolve and how concepts lead to prototypes and solutions in real-world contexts.
The Open House also offered participants insights into Anant’s flexible, future-focused academic approach, which integrates design with sustainability, technology, research and interdisciplinary learning. Specially curated discussions also helped them understand the various career pathways and career opportunities that design offers.
Parents of the participants, too, engaged enthusiastically throughout the experience, gaining a deeper understanding of the scope, relevance and career potential of design education. By creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue and interaction, the initiative helped families make more informed academic decisions while building greater awareness around the expanding possibilities within the design discipline.
Additionally, Anant alumni actively engaged with the participants, sharing their academic and professional journeys after graduating from the University. They spoke about how their education at Anant provided them with a strong foundational base in design thinking, enabling them to confidently pursue diverse career pathways, ranging from industry placements and entrepreneurship to higher education opportunities at leading global institutions.
The overall Open House experience was further enriched by a vibrant drum circle session on campus, which created a shared moment of energy, connection and celebration, bringing participants, students and faculty together in an atmosphere of collective expression and joy.
Through immersive engagement, hands-on learning and meaningful dialogue, Open House 2026 enabled aspiring designers to move beyond the conventional understanding of design and experience it as a future-focused discipline. By opening up its academic ecosystem, Anant reinforced its commitment to nurturing informed, future-ready design aspirants equipped to engage with complex social, environmental and technological challenges.
About Anant National University
Anant National University, India’s premier design university, is dedicated to training students to devise solutions for global problems. Anant follows the DesignX pedagogy, where ‘X’ is the symbol drawn from mathematics, representing enhancement. This new learning approach multiplies traditional design pedagogy with liberal arts disciplines, emerging technologies and knowledge drawn from hands-on community experiences to help understand our world better and to devise impactful solutions.
Our multidisciplinary undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in design, architecture, climate action and visual arts harness knowledge from various disciplines and traditional practices to integrate it with cutting-edge technology to address diverse challenges.
Anant National University has been recognised as the Centre of Excellence by the Government of Gujarat, highlighting our efforts to provide our students with world-class education, innovative pedagogy, high employability and enhanced entrepreneurial and research opportunities. Anant has also received the prestigious ‘5-Star Rating’ in the category of Architecture and a ‘4-Star Rating’ in the University category in the Gujarat State Institutional Rating Framework (GSIRF) 2023-24. These recognitions reinforce our commitment to creating a world-class institution of great eminence and excellence.
