We in India, as a place are a unique set of parameters. What differentiates/shapes us is our climate, geography, history & culture, influence & exposure, economy and technology. All these help create perceptions that design our attitudes and enterprise. Arguably we are a formidable civilisation, but currently are going through an economic and identity crisis, largely due to our ‘new’ 70 year young governance paradigm. Our absolute democracy and our exploding population has yet not helped us regain our 7000 year old past glory. We have been subject to various challenges and paradigms in human development and technology and we have gracefully adopted and surprised ourselves by our capacities to excel. We are still far from domination, but I am sure that is just one tick in the box.
In a globally connected world today, we have an exposure to the cultures and opinions of the world. This makes it difficult to justify morality & values / wisdom of our respective traditions & Rituals. The religions of the worlds have hence come under a lot of criticism and we see huge resistance by fundamentalists in trying to safeguard their faiths.
Similarly in Architecture, a global exposure has led to a superficial appreciation of built environments. Icons & Styles by conditions of different environments in a foreign place become aspirational values by virtue of their visual qualities in a different region. Materials & Elements, sometimes entire buildings get copied in a place which has no similarity whatsoever. This basically is an indication of an absence of similar objects of quality in our places.
A building or a man made environment is a place for a function – Formal or Spiritual. Be it work, residence, health, entertainment, congregation, transport, etc. The programmatic requirement of a building and its arrangement demands a unique spatial definition. It is a perfectly tangible virtue. The materials used to form the building have to have certain properties, in order to function Structurally, Climatically, Culturally, Technologically and Economically. The buildings form & texture hence is a logical resultant of the function and material used. The skill of the Architect is in articulating the volumes such as to achieve larger values into the building without being uneconomical. Not discounting for certain buildings which use appearance as a symbol & sign of an underlying philosophy.
A building belonging to a particular place is determined first by its relationship to the site. The site is basically the Geographic location meaning it’s orientation with respect to cardinal directions which refers to the Seasonal Sun Path, Wind Movement, Topography etc. It also refers to the ‘Setting’ of the place in terms of its surroundings. The larger Urban features, Flora and Fauna, Landuses around etc. The building has to also refer to itself in its design.
We generally understand buildings to be a collection of spaces for certain functions. While designing buildings the Architect also has to think about the overall Arrangement and Accessibility. The placement of passages and corridors help connect various functions with regards to the privacy of functions.
Openings in a building provide climatic conditioning and acts like a visual composition element. The size & shape of these openings and the elements within it control the quality of its functions. Openings are treated with elements that can regulate the extent of change in the comfort one desires. The location of openings are strategic from the point of view of light, heat, precipitation, views etc.
Building technologies and materials dictate the form of the building and its aesthetic. Besides it’s visual quality, materials affect the permeability of various elements and degree of sensory engagements. Materials act as a passive elements that can scientifically alter the comfort conditions. Based on the various material properties, we are able to heat or cool the building without use of additional energy.
Elements are devices that are designed to supplement the structure of the building to control various externalities. Rain, Heat, Light, Snow, Breeze etc. The use of Chajjas, Fins, Jalis, Pergolas, Canopies, Building Skins etc. are few examples of devices used in a building.
Cost and Performance of materials & elements dictate their use in general buildings in India. Many developed countries make a few Iconic buildings in their Form, Materials and Utility with Art and Experimentation as its central theme.
For the uninitiated a building is a object of beauty only. The design of buildings is a scientific and aesthetic enterprise. It is high time that we evaluate buildings for their performance and creativity.