Call for Submissions
We invite Submissions on issues surrounding architecture and urbanism
2025 Highlights
Perspectives – Architectural Competitions in India
Reviews
Opinions
New on ALive!
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.
SUBSCRIBE
Like what we publish? You’ll surely like our newsletter too.
Perspectives
Vivek Rawal argues that architecture—as a profession—is structurally aligned with political and economic power rather than social justice. He critiques how architectural education and practice prioritise developers and real estate over communities, turning housing into a market commodity. Even movements like sustainability and participation, he says, often become tools for elite consumption rather than genuine empowerment. True moral reform, according to Rawal, would mean architects relinquishing control and enabling community-led design and housing decisions.
What kinds of spaces exist where women can breathe without being watched? If hysteria no longer exists as a diagnosis, why does its architecture remain? Aditi A., through her research study as a part of the CEPT Writing Architecture course, in the third and last chapter of this series follows the spatial logics that developed to manage hysteria, which continue in the contemporary environments of care safety, and everyday life. If the diagnosis has been discredited, what explains the persistence of its walls?
In his presentation at the CEPT Alumni Meet, in January 2026, Kirtee Shah offers “something to think about” for the architects and planners regarding the future of architecture profession. He urges architects to relearn and refocus on service, sustainability, and inclusivity while addressing urban chaos, poor housing, rural neglect, and climate challenges.
Sathya Prakash Varanashi shares a heartfelt tribute to architect Shankar Kanade, highlighting his architectural philosophy, mentorship, humility, and lasting influence on design thinking and his practice.
As part of Brutalist India series Bhawna Dandona writes about Akbar Bhawan, in New Delhi.
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.
Have a story to share?
We are on the constant lookout for immersive, in depth and intriguing stories around architecture and urbanism. If you would like to contribute a story, click on the button below:
Featured Works
Your Project is not just a Building;
It’s a Story.
Stories that provoke enquiry into built environment
www.architecture.live
To be able to continue the work we are doing and keeping it free for all, we request our readers to support in every way possible.
Your contribution, no matter the size, helps our small team sustain this space. Thank you for your support.
Contribute using UPI
Contribute Using Cards
