CHENNAI: Following the panel discussions organised as a part of Death of Architecture last week, a few more sessions continued this weekend at the Anna University School of Planning and Architecture. The key topic was education and the future of architecture. The list of eminent speakers included Sita Lakshmi, HOD of SAP; Arun Menon, IIT Madras; Shoonya, Measi School and Supriyo Bhattacharjee, studio director architectureRED and moderated by Pradeep Verma, an architect.
The audience was filled with a bunch of aspiring architecture students in their masters and undergraduate courses, practicing architects from several firms and professors from the field. “The overall performance of a student cannot be estimated in the first year itself. There are many who fare better as the years progress. Considering the rigourous training schedule and subjects, each one has a different opinion when they join. The learning continues even after joining work,” said Sita Lakshmi, one of the panelists.
A common thread despite the diversity among speakers was the fundamental question of how the social, political, cultural and economic aspects needed to be looked at in order to define architects. Secondly, how the professionals in the field need to be upgraded to keep up with the fast pace of technology. The third question debated and discussed was the need for civil and structural engineers to be more involved in architectural classrooms and profession. To bring about a change, the curriculum needs to be shaped but that is a long process.
“I’m a structural engineer. Instead of seeing architects as a jack of all trades, we need to understand that there are only certain things they can perform. We need more structural and civil engineers in the classrooms to give a different perspective. The subject is sadly understood as merely a skill required for building a structure. It’s high time we take some traditional knowledge and incorporate it in our current syllabus. We ignore the rich history of our buildings and construction strategies,” said Arun Menon, one of the panelists.
A few student voices echoed, “Most of us join the institution with different ideologies. In the end, we all become prototypes and function based on the ideologies of majority. The uniqueness in identity is lost during the process.”
Meanwhile, a practicing architect said, “We need to integrate with other professions to function effectively. An architect has certain skills. Considering there are several nuances involved in constructing a building, working with engineers would help bridge the gap and better the understanding. And every architecture professor must have an experience in a studio or firm to stand further ahead of what the students know.”
Details
The panel discussions, organised as a part of Death of Architecture, was held at Anna University School of Planning and Architecture. Two sessions with a different set of panelists were held on topics — Chennai responds, and court martial. The discussions covered overall aspects of the death of architecture. The exhibition was held from October 27 to November 4