Architecture sector

inauguration of the Parliament building

Architecture deserved to be at the centre of the recent inauguration of the Parliament building.

 In many ways, the event was about the value of design and the ability of Indian architects to build enduring स्‍थायी structures on time. 

हमारे देश का आर्किटेक्चर कितना आगे पहुंच गया है

The new Parliament building calls for public attention to the growing reputation, enhanced competence, and potential of the architecture profession in India. Even the contestations around the project are about the public consequences of the profession.

कब सफल होगी आर्किटेक्चर ?

 However, architecture cannot serve and फ्लोरिश सफल  हों further only if it is utilised in occasional public buildings or in more monumental projects. 

 

architecture can extensively attend to the people’s growing needs. Harnessing this potential will depend substantially on state investment in design.

A brief history

1 small group of trained architects with a few educational institutions has grown

Over the last 100 years, the endeavour of a small group of trained architects with a few educational institutions has grown significantly.

 2 This is a result of

serving public interests as much as private ones. 

3 Pre-independence, the challenge 

and urgency was to distinguish and define architectural services from other close professional claimants.

 4 Architects such as G.B. Mhatre in Mumbai and L.M. Chitale in Chennai 

demonstrated what the young profession could offer by building commendable structures from petrol stations, stadiums, and banks. 

5 Nation-building and extensive state support

It demanded the construction of many projects:

 

new towns, industrial centres, housing and infrastructure.

 6  Away from the overrated architectural axis of Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, 

architects such as Chatterjee and Polk in Kolkata, J. C. Alexander in Thiruvananthapuram, and Chandavarakar and Thacker in Bengaluru

 made a case for good design to regional customer and state government. 

 7 If Uttam Jain’s University buildings in Jodhpur were inspiring, Charles Correa’s Jaipur museum was disappointing.

 The profession overgrew this problematic phase.

 

They showed the relevance of 

• using local materials,
•  working with communities,
•  housing the poor, 
• and pursuing environmentally conscious practices.

 sustainable practices

• Cooperative refugee housing in Faridabad, 
• rural institutions by architects trained under Laurie Baker, 
• craft-based building rejuvenation by Parul Zaveri and Nimish Patel, and 
• low-cost techniques mainstreamed by Revathi Kamath heralded की शुरुआत sustainable practices.

young talents

Over the last two decades, a variety of practices has emerged, with about 70% spearheaded by young talents. 

small towns में भी सेवा 

Firms are geographically better spread, and architects are beginning to serve small towns.

 कुछ खास बातें 

•  A small but stunning अद्भुत brick vault मेहराब school library in Kopargaon, near Shirdi; 

• shelters built with care for elephants in Jaipur;
• 
  
•  the empathetic Ashwinikumar crematorium in Surat;
• 
  
•  village sports amenities in Adisaptagram in West Bengal, 
• 
  
• and other meaningful works are showing how good design in public service can enliven a place and enrich communities.

 

कौन कौन सी समस्या हैं इसमें ? 

What    raises doubts about the architects’ interest

 1 Servicing the unreasonable demands of the markets and the profession’s complicity in it raises doubts about the architects’ interests. 

2 Gender disparity within the profession questions the lack of sensitivity.

 3 Widening gaps between low academic standards and increasing professional and industry expectations raise concerns about the skills.

The short-term goal

1 Architecture does not require radical मौलिक inventions to correct and enhance its capabilities.

2 however, what distinguishes a great profession from a mediocre औसत दर्जे का one is not which one fails less but how quickly the profession rescues itself.

3  A greater commitment is needed 

• to design meaningful buildings, 
• reinforce ethical orientation,
•  make practice more inclusive, 
• and upgrade competencies to build environmentally sensitive buildings
•  and meet the challenges of technological disruption.

Design’s role

1 in enhancing the quality of life and contribution to the economy is best realised in collective projects. 

2 Through its Design 2025 Masterplan, Singapore envisions using design as a key tool to strengthen the economy. 

3 Closer home, it is encouraging to see the Kerala government trying to create a ‘design-based ecosystem’ to build and preserve public assets.

While such ambitious plans could be a long-term goal, in the short term, the state could invest in the design and use of quality professional services by improving its procurement processes, creating credible selection methods, and lowering entry barriers for young talent to grow.