Christopher Alexander has shown us the way of building beauty: Aarti Dhingra
Aarti Dhingra
Aarti Dhingra shares a tribute to Christopher Alexander, noted architect and a design theorist.
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Aarti Dhingra shares a tribute to Christopher Alexander, noted architect and a design theorist.
Our work looks at the shifting, fluid and the negotiable rather than the fixed, static and rigid. This view cultivates design that is infrastructural and catalytic, setting in motion materials and habitations that resonate beyond the scale of intervention on a given site. ~ Anuradha Mathur.
Total Disregard of Recent Traumatic Events will Inevitably Lead to Widespread Turmoil: Ranjit Sabikhi
At Tashkent, the Uzbekistan capital we board an amazing Soviet era YAK 40 (Yakoliv) for Termez. The plane smells of Vodka and has a public bus feel to it. No need to be careful about overhead luggage falling on to your heads, the Yak 40 has its total luggage space (both hand and check in baggage) at the back. You enter in from the tail. The pilot enters from the back after all passengers have boarded, you stand up in respect and sit down only after he has taken to his cabin. – Design Dalda
Out with the Offline, In with the Online! – Takbir Fatima from DesignAware discusses the advantages of
The initial idea of imagining this pavilion started with the question “how to make sure that the given small area be utilised fully and be made multi-functional and modular, especially in accommodating the dynamic needs and activities of the urban lifestyle?” – Dhruv Shah
The fourth exhibition in the series The Architect‘s Studio presents the Indian architect Anupama Kundoo. The exhibitions gives us insight into the architect’s working process. How does the form of a building arise, and what is the thinking behind the choice of materials and construction technique?
Goa based Architect Tahir Noronha, the current convenor at Charles Correa Fondation (CCF), shares his experience as the studio lead in facing the challenges of fundrasing during the pandemic. A virtual Z-Axis conference, a newsletter, a design competition and new fundraising initiatives are some highlights of CCF’s efforts during the pandemic. Efforts to sustain the fundraising lockdowns helped Tahir and his team of CCF fellows to keep up the urban engagement with the city of Panjim in Goa. Tahir also speaks of how he faced a new tray of responsibilites apart from the original mandate as the pnademic tranformed everyone’s work routines.
Architects Shantanu Poredi and Manisha Agarwal higlighted how the pandemic has reflected their team’s sustained spirits by taking up new areas of work within architecture, while mainstream practice came to an unforeseen hiatus. The lockdown was also an opportunity for the architects to thrive on their potential with pedagogical exploartion, thanks to the growing number of remote teaching methods. The architects further emphasised that the team hung in together by focussing on the studio’s research in the state of Architectural Competitions around the world. Meanwhile, the lockdown was also a phase for emerging architects and graduates to equip new skills which would have otherwise appeared impossible.
Architect Abin Chaudhuri shares how his studio resumed soon after the severe lockdowns with the same vibrancy before the pandemic struck. Besides elaborating on his work processes, Abin asserts how work-from-home is never a good option in our industry. Furthermore, Abin shares some insightful learnings about work and life experienced by the team at Abin Design Studio, during the pandemic.
Principal architects Rahul Gore and Sonal Sancheti from Opolis discuss the ideas which kept their team’s morale up during the lockdown, besides their learnings and experiences about the pandemic phase in 2020. They also share how the kind of project inquiries they recieved underwent changes in trends during the lockdown. With highlights such as occupation with studio research, retention of the core team, returning project inquiries and a relatively stable financial position, Opolis re-emerges out of the lockdown with their regular momentum.
Ashish Ganju talks about the influence of values, symbols, and archetypes in his work: in conversation with Verendra Wakhloo.
Rapport in 1969 had stated that “The primary determinants of indigenous architecture of any place are the culture and climate of that place.” The word culture derived from the Latin word ‘colore’ which means to tend to the earth and mature, blend in and nurture. These are the same prerequisites we believe architecture in its entire existence should abide by and, as Frank O Ghery had mentioned, “Architecture should speak of its time and place but yearn for timelessness”; this sheds much light on the para-importance of individuality and uniqueness of place and its impact on the people and culture. – NANDINI BISWAS
Madhav Raman, principal architect at Anagram Architects, holds the experience during the pandemic that the Corona Virus changed people’s belief systems. As he termed it a Gandhian Virus, it places people in a situation where they’re forced to think about other’s safety, for their own too. Madhav also highlights how the wealthy sections of our population, small in size, have opted to bag peri-urban farm lands as their new investment zones for personal built property, and how they sprouted many farmhouse projects in the Delhi market. This was accmpanied by a rethinking of home living ideas, as a result of the pandemic. Anagram Architects have experienced significant influences to their vibrant and physically active studio environment, as bio-safety measures forced remote and slower modes of architecture practice.
Part 1: Ashish Ganju and Verendra Wakhloo discuss the true meaning of architecture, built, and unbuilt.
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