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Alimentative Architecture
A series of articles by Architect-Poet-Calligrapher H Masud Taj interfacing architecture with food via geometry.
ArchitectureLive! continues with Alimentative Architecture – The fifth in a series of articles by Architect-Poet-Calligrapher H Masud Taj interfacing architecture with food via geometry.
ArchitectureLive! continues with Alimentative Architecture – The fourth in a series of articles by Architect-Poet-Calligrapher H Masud Taj interfacing architecture with food via geometry.
ArchitectureLive! continues with Alimentative Architecture – The third in a series of articles, An Architect Eats Chapati, by Architect-Poet-Calligrapher H Masud Taj interfaces architecture with food via geometry.
ArchitectureLive! celebrates UN World Food Day with Alimentative Architecture – The second in a series of articles by Architect-Poet-Calligrapher H Masud Taj interfacing architecture with food via geometry.
Alimentative Architecture – A series of articles by Architect-Poet-Calligrapher H Masud Taj interfacing architecture with food via geometry.
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Perspectives
Was architecture used by society to spatially “manage” women and their autonomy? Aditi A., through her research study as a part of the CEPT Writing Architecture course, examines the period before psychiatry, when fear had already become architectural, tracing how women’s autonomy was spatially managed through domestic regulation, witch hunts, informal confinement, and early institutional planning.
Why did acclaimed modernist architects suddenly introduce historical symbolism like arches, decorative elements, and other cultural references into their work after decades of disciplined restraint? Sudipto Ghosh interrogates this 1980s-90s symbolic turn as a rupture in architecture, questioning whether this represents an authentic reconnection with content and memory, or is it a mere superficial gesture towards absent meanings. Drawing from Heidegger’s analysis of the Greek temple, he distinguishes two modes of architectural representation, ultimately judging that this turn was a nascent rebellion against modernism that may have failed to achieve genuine integration of context, material, and memory.
Narendra Dengle, through his poem written in January 2006, presents a deep utopic vision for Pune—what the city could be as an ecologically sustainable, equitable city that balances nature with development. He sets ambitious benchmarks for prioritizing public transport over cars, preserving heritage, addressing slum rehabilitation humanely, and empowering local communities
H. Masud Taj elucidates how, as a young architecture student, he dropped out of his institution to travel and learn from monuments, discovering in Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia a turtle column that catalyzed an inquiry, hearing Hassan Fathy’s explication of the turtle in Cairo, ultimately crystallizing in Taj’s poetic meditation on dwelling.
A. Srivathsan in his preliminary overview of the new Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, notes that the bill could transform architectural education. The VBSA Bill proposes restructuring India’s higher education regulation, by dissolving UGC and related authorities, creating three new councils for regulation, accreditation, and standards.
Harshad Bhatia examines contrasting architectural desires—urban nostalgia for vernacular forms versus rural aspiration toward concrete modernity. He critiques sustainability rhetoric and Smart City initiatives as quantitative exercises divorced from qualitative human needs, advocating instead for indigenous wisdom and stakeholder engagement.
Suneet Paul reflects on Chandigarh’s modernist planning, lush green spaces, and iconic architecture, highlighting architects like Le Corbusier’s and S.D. Sharma’s contributions, high quality of life for residents, and the city’s enduring appeal despite emerging urban challenges.
The quest to define Indianness in architecture has been a recurring and vital theme in contemporary discussions on identity and the pursuit of modernism in India. Radha Hirpara explores this ongoing dialogue, examining what characterises architecture in India as distinctly “Indian” within a global framework, and what elements make it inherently rooted in Indian identity.
Through his detailed critique, Nitin Mandhan talks about the architectural education and employment in India, highlighting outdated minimum standards of education by Council of Architecture, poor industry-academia links, exploitative low-paid work, and elitist access. He argues for reform in the education standards, ethical workplace systems, better mentoring, and collective responsibility from institutions, council, and practices to create fair, sustainable careers.
Ravindra Punde, architect and academician, calls for a fundamental reimagining of architecture education in India, arguing it must shift from colonial pedagogies to address climate change, social inequality, and ethical responsibility through ecology-centred, community-engaged, and culturally diverse learning.
Nipun Prabhakar, in his article on the 2025 Global Challenge finalists of Architecture-in-Development (A––D), elaborates on how community-led design defines the new frontline of practice. They showcase us a future where design is measured not only by metrics or capital, but by its capacity to connect, care, and endure.
Prem Chandavarkar, Partner at CnT Architects, writes about the firm’s manifesto that is defined by four frames—Integrity, Empathy, Emancipation, and Transcendence—advocating a collective, ethical, and human-centered practice that upholds spatial coherence, nurtures inhabitation, challenges convention, and aspires toward beauty and the joy of existence.
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