Dissertation Paper_Shubhangi Goswami

7/24/2019 Dissertation Paper_Shubhangi Goswami

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UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University

Kashmere Gate Campus, Delhi

RESEARCH PAPER, 2013-14

Assessment of cross-disciplinary engagement in profession of Architecture

Shubhangi Goswami

04090701610

Fourth Year, 2013-2014

GUIDE

MS. Anjali Mittal


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my guide Mrs. Anjali Mittal

who, to the best of her abilities helped me explore a challenging topic and pushedmy curiosity towards a meaningful direction. Through her consistent questioning

on my thoughts, I could develop deeper interest in the topic. Without her support

and belief in my ideas, this study would have been difficult.

I would also take an opportunity to thank Mr. Rajiv Bhakat, who with his

knowledge in the architectural practice and knack of logic helped me structure my

content. I would like to thank him for taking out his precious time beyond studio

hours to give inputs and share resourceful information about his office and their

work, related to my research.

It also gives me pleasure to thank Mr. AGK Menon for his timely reviews on my

work and for his suggestions on the practical side of the research and the

dissertation coordinator, Mr. Sumant Sharma for his guidance.


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TABLE OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1 CONTEXT OF ARCHITECTURE .............................................................................5

FIGURE 2 MOST COMMONLY AGREED VIEWON SINGLE, MULTI-, CROSS-, TRANS-

AND INTER-DISCIPLINARITY...............................................................................6FIGURE 3 CONTEXT OF ARCHITECTURE .............................................................................8

FIGURE 4 VIEWS OF THE CAFE AND ITS OUTLOOK AFTER THE PROJECT WAS

COMPLETED ....................................................................................................26

FIGURE 5 VIEWS OF THE CAFE AND ITS OUTLOOK AFTER THE PROJECT WAS

COMPLETED ....................................................................................................26

FIGURE 6 RENDERED MODEL OF THE DESIGNED MASTER PLAN..........................................28

FIGURE 7 DRAWINGS OF THE DESIGN PROCESS.................................................................28

FIGURE 8 ONE OF THE OPTIONS OF THE DESIGNED WEBSITE LOGO ....................................30

FIGURE 9 DESIGNED WEBSITE HOMEPAGE FORMAT .........................................................31


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CHAPTER 1 .

.

INTRODUCTION

When Vitruvius in his book Ten Books of Architecture said that architecture was a

building that incorporated: utilitas, firmitas, venustas1, he meant to cover the big

envelope of what comes in its making. It includes how functional the building is,

how strong it is in its structure and the aspect of its aesthetic appearance.

Architecture has existed through decades and centuries, adapting the way the

society demands its needs from it, the political affront opened its hands for

provisions to its ease of growth, the culture proliferated to achieve an image

through its built, the scientific advancements gave insight to unprecedented

possibilities, giving in to the whims and fancies of the individuals who groped this

medium of expression for their personal statements. The multi-valent nature of

architecture has given it the power to cast an effect on its users in the numerous

possible ways it is related to them in. With its context ranging from the natural to

human to built environment the architecture functions in multiple directions with

various forces guiding it and deciding the course of its action. For such a symbiotic

relationship to exist and to achieve an effective product of that process and to

holistically respond to the conditions, it is needed of the profession of architecture

to be well learned in these areas of effect.

It is for this nature of working of this field that its education system and practice

often keep coming in debate and discussion about inadequacy of knowledge about

various disciplines, inability to deal with them or their way of functioning or self-

identity crisis while working in that milieu. As the profession demands a certain

amount of know-how of these other disciplines and expects to work within a close

range of their overlapping working atmosphere, it must be seen as a necessity to

have the intention and ability to coordinate and work mutually with them in a more

realistic way. This demand calls for the skills to be taught and developed in the

architecture schools. The inter-disciplinary involvement at the school would help

1The Ten Books on Architecture Vitruvius


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prepare the architects in- making to understand the real mechanism of the

profession and would also open up the students to the significant cross mutual

impact of these disciplines and make them understand at an early stage, the

relationship between them. The architecture education in India despite all its

shortcomings and constraints need to address to the techniques students must

harness to practice architecture in harmony with other fields. This issue and the

solutions to it, is not in the scope of this study but it looks into the practical cases

where this cross-disciplinary approach has been adopted in the related context of

India with its translations. It highlights its encouragement in some cases and the

drawbacks in others, where it has failed due to lacking such an outlook.

AIM

To study the nature, extent, scale and feasibility of cross-disciplinarity of

Architecture practice in India and to scrutinize various models which have

worked on that principle under various advocating firms, while comparing it in

the light of the current nature of Architectural education in India.

HYPOTHESIS

An architect/ architecture practice needs to involve or get involved with other

disciplines for effective results, calling for a cross-disciplinary approach on

varied levels in the processes of architecture.

Cross-, Multi-, inter-, or trans-disciplinarity is an essential condition for

sustainable development and the fields dealing with design, in more specificity of

human habitat, need to employ strategies to involve in this approach in ways

leading to better sustainable results.

SCOPE OF STUDY

This research reaches out to understand the need and the ways of connections in

Architecture with other disciplines. The scope of this research has been limited to

the practicing firms, their models of such involvement, and their projects pan-India.

It also looks at the nature of education provided to architects, its intentions and


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aspirations and explores the thoughts of contemporary pioneer educators who

strongly believe in the development of cross-interaction of architecture with other

disciplines and have been the torch-bearers of related programs and the works of

their individual ventures have also advocated such urge to cross boundaries of

disciplinarity within architectural practice.

* Few works of a firm are rendered for analysis through primary case study and the

analysis ofothers has been done from their published work on official websites.

This study is subject to no bias of choice and has no intention of propagating any

one or the other firm. The firm chosen for detailed study was as per the convenience

of communication with the members of the firm.

METHODOLOGY

The study has analysed various ways in which cross-disciplinarity is viewed in

India. Models of these have been investigated and analysed with their Indian

contextual nature and scale. The extent of such an approach is viewed in contrast to

the feasibility of it with the tight Indian architecture educational backdrop. The

viewpoints and endeavours of the powerful people in the system have been viewed

and thereafter been reflected upon in relation to the feasibility of incorporation of

their tuned thoughts upon cross-disciplinarity.

The works of some top notch practicing firms have been scrutinized to gauge the

possible ways in which Architecture in India can be more strongly, effectively be

rendered useful to the people in wholesome response to the functioning of societies.

This has been done with analysis under the self-crafted criteria which form some of

the factors/conditions for basis of cross-disciplinary involvement.


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CHAPTER 2

MEANING OF CROSS-DISCIPLINARITY FOR ARCHITECTURE AND

AN ARCHITECT AND ITS VARIOUS THEORITICAL MODELS

'The architect builds the cell in his mind before he constructs it in wax' wrote Karl

Marx and this relationship between building and human awareness distinguishes the

worst architects from the best of bees. (Marx [1867] 1976:284)2

It is this trait of human awareness that every architect can use to his benefit to

make a meaningful building in contrast to a mere building without much substance

of value. And the source of this awareness of innumerable contexts can come from

varied origins and areas of knowledge which would change the relevance of a

building's richness for its dwellers. The accomplishment of this well aware work

with the knowledge endowed of various aspects call for exchange of thoughts,

expertise, mutual interpretation, cross-arguments and understanding through multi-

level dialogues.

"We must recognize that architecture is seldom, if ever, the creative effort of one

individual alone. Instead, architecture is the embodiment of a complex social

process...the collective matrix of design forces that is involved in the generation

and transformation of building type is seldom limited to the confines of the

building 'site' or some other artificially imposed boundary. The building project

inevitably becomes embedded in-and is an extension of-a larger local and extra-

local context of temporal and spatial influences. As a result every

building...is a compilation of many histories, sets of intentions and contextual

relationships..."3

These relationships to set forth the example for a building prodigy with

2Book Architecture and Order: Approaches to Social space Michael Parker Pearson Pg 2

3Book The Patina of Place: The cultural weathering of a NewEngland Industrial Landscape

Kingston Wm. Heath Pg 183


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agglomeration of debated intentions and collectively devised techniques of

implementation requires a cross-disciplinary engagement which is a pervasive

phenomenon, with each program benefiting from their respective rich contexts

giving in return a more wholesomely perceived context.

Figure 1.

In order to understand such an engagement better, one needs to ask the possible

meaning of such cross- disciplinarity and further understand the way research and

interaction that takes place through it.

There are various terms which are the constituents of this branching of disciplinarity:

when concepts and/or methods from more disciplines are used together, theapproach is

multidisciplinary.

When in addition to it, concepts and/or methods are coordinated, it becomescross-disciplinary.

if the borders of disciplines are also crossed, the approach is calledtransdisciplinary.

if crossing the borders leads to combining disciplines, it becomesinterdisciplinary.

Franois (2006) considers that inter-disciplinarity consists of a specific more or

less integrative interrelation between two disciplines (e.g., biochemistry),

multidisciplinarity involves the harmonization of differences between more


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sciences coming together, and the final stage is trans-disciplinarity, when a global

theory is finally derived.4

On a finer-tuned scale, Ktter and Balsiger (1999) distinguish aspectrum with

multi-disciplinarity (unspecified collaboration), and inter-disciplinarity (supra-disciplinary collaboration where different disciplines keep their autonomy when

solving a given problem), to end with trans-disciplinarity (joint collaboration

between scientists and practitioners in the resolution of a problem raised from

outside of the scientific context).4

Figure 2.

So there are several approaches to relation of a discipline with other disciplines.

After the different viewpoints of various sources, one can derive the general and

most appropriate meaning of these, which are:

Single disciplinary approach is the most rudimentary/primary stage of approach

where only the criticism of the discipline happens in isolation. Any design process

must cross this initial stage of critique to understand its scope from various other

connected lenses.

ex. When a architectural firm has an internal design team and approaches their

projects by inputs from within the composition.

4Urbanism on multi-, trans - and inter - disciplinarity, essential conditions for the sustainable development

of human habitat A.-I. Petrior

single disciplinary

multi disciplinary

cross disciplinary

trans disciplinary

inter disciplinary


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7

Out of all the definitions and models, the interdisciplinary stage comes out to be

the most evolved and complex in the order of involvement. Here, all the effects of

various disciplines on each other on a much real front is accounted for. And these

interrelated effects are seen in conjugation to the discipline concerned, wherein the

solution come out from joining the mutual reactions of disciplines.

ex. when an external common project like a government's project require a lot of

experts (from various disciplines) like engineers, architects, sociologists, doctors

etc to come together to work.

To keep it to a less integrated model where the nature of the discipline is not

modified and joined with others, but only the decisions are mutually coordinated

according to the possible effects, cross-disciplinary approach can be adopted.

ex. when an architectural firm have discussions and receive inputs from people

from various fields like graphic designers, human resource person, marketing

expert and after stages of coordination take design decisions.

To further retain self identity and autonomy and only use other disciplines'

principals for understanding and making decisions for one's own discipline,

where the research of their fields can be of aid, multidisciplinary approach

would be meaningful.

ex. an architectural firm which understands the working of other fields and take

considerations of their

impact by reading literature, studying their mechanism for an architectural

project.

And when the project is external and all the disciplines with their autonomy

work together for proposals, the approach thus followed is trans-disciplinary.ex. a design project which requires apart from an architect's team other artists

and designers to give proposals.

These techniques can be used subjective to the project/intention that needs that

specific treatment. It also is dependent on the stand of the user group of the


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techniques, of how much involvement, integrity or autonomy they want to have.

Though the above researches would help "provide more alternatives with which to

view data. Awareness of different disciplines allows one to introduce novel

approaches not considered before, to have access to a different data base which may

enhance a discipline's pre-existing one, and to avoid mistakes made

and corrected in other disciplines."5

INTER-DISCIPLINARITY FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Figure 3.

The definition of sustainability as coined by Dr. Brundtland (1988) is,

"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the

ability of future generations to meet their own needs"6, of which the underlining

meaning was a balance between the three traditional pillars- economic, social and

environmental (Bugge and Watters 2003), to which a fourth cultural one was

added later (Djeant-Pons, 2010, p. 15).

This definition itself emphasize on the indispensable interdisciplinary character of

5Book Domestic Architecture and the use of space An interdisciplinary cross-cultural study

Susan Kent Pg 16

Our Common Future: Brundtland Report Chapter 2 Towards Sustainable Development, UNWCED


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sustainability.

So, when one talks about the design with sustainable intentions it is necessary to

incorporate all the various disciplines which are players and participants in the

sustainability process. The definitions of urbanism and spatial planning too, reveal

their inter-disciplinary character in theory and methodology.

The Charter Torremolinos (European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter,

1983) describes the concept of planning asspatial expression of economic,

social, political, cultural and ecological policies of society. It is both a

scientific discipline, an administrative technique and a policy developed as

an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach directed towards

development balanced regional and physical organization of space7 The

main activities according to the charter include coordination between

different policy sectors, coordination and cooperation between the various

levels of decision-making, and the promotion of public participation.8

Various contexts in which architecture demands of inter-disciplinary

involvement and needs to push its boundaries for a better result are

discussed below:

Building in strong sociological history

The word "structure" comes from Latin struere which means to build, to arrange,

and contains the notion of an organised thing. Thus spatial structures can be

defined as the building/organization of spaces and "the manner in which space is

organized by the cumulative locations of infrastructure, economic activities and

their relations."9

The perspective of the Sociology of space talks about the aspects

7European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter - Council of Europe Pg 5

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/cemat/versioncharte/default_EN.asp8

Report on SPATIAL PLANNING Key Instrument for Development and Effective Governance with

Special Reference to Countries in Transition, Economic Commission for Europe, United Nations New York

and Geneva, 2008 Pg 149

The Geography of Transport System http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/glossary.html


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of space from the lens of social sciences and is concerned with understanding the

social practices, institutional forces, and material complexity of how humans and

spaces interact. Within its umbrella of concerns comes the discussion of spatial

relations with the social life.

As a result of Gidden's theory of Structuration, "spatial structure is not merely

an arena in which social life unfolds, but rather as a medium through which

social relations are produced and reproduced. (Gregory and Urry 1985:3)10

which indicates the strength of the spatial structure in defining the way a

society would interact within its parts.

These 'structures' also become a part of an Architect's tools to work for the

society and give them means for desired interaction levels through these

spatial structures thus architecture which also is responsible for thecomposition of spatial structure is accountable for the social relations that are

formed and grow from its actions. The understanding of these social relations

and systems within a society are also needed to be well incorporated by an

Architect.

Building in earthquake-prone areas

The destructive effects of earthquakes shows that the separation between civil

engineering, architectural and urban planning leads to a critical and

unwanted situation and pleads for a close collaboration between civil

engineers, architects and urban planners, resulting into safe architecture,

multi-criteria urban planning, multi- hazard structural engineering focused on

seismic issues.

For example: The post-disaster construction for the coastal settlement in the

case of Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, Southern India ignored the cultural, social

and neighborhood aspects of the settlement creating undesirable results and

dissatisfaction for the community which came from the analysis study of

shelter reconstruction process in 2004 tsunami hit fishing villages of Tamil

10Book Architecture and Order: Approaches to Social space Michael Parker Pearson Pg 2


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Nadu.

Building in protected areas containing natural and cultural heritage sites

Sustainable development of large areas, such as biosphere reserves,

involves not only preserving species and habitats, but also cultural values.

The cultural heritage is reflected by traditional architecture based on using

construction materials specific to the area (Mei, 2010), but also other

details, such as their placement, color, height etc.

Preservation of the requirements of traditional architecture can be ensured by

their inclusion in urban regulations applicable to the area, so that the

restrictions are uniformly observed. This requires of an architect to involvethe conservation field to be an important hand in the project and also become

a participant in the urban planning accordingly.

Building in vulnerable areas

Coastal zones are vulnerable not only because in some cases they are

classified as ecologically fragile (e.g., the European Union), or due to their

high biodiversity, but also due to some geological processes affecting

them, such as the erosion. The erosion is amplified by the increased urban

pressure (EEA, 2006), and even more when their volume grows due to the

height and density of buildings.

The solution consists again of urban planning restrictions based on civil

engineering studies aimed at identifying the conditions required to reduce the

crushing risk or diminish the intense corrosion due to the marine environment

etc.

Thus in sensitive areas like this, it is of importance to have an inter-disciplinary project model which gives the safe and sustainable approach to

the built conditions.

Mitigation of climate change


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Recent studies have proven that during the warm seasons, particularly during

the heat episodes, extreme temperatures are amplified by built-up zones,

which becomeheat islands (Cheval et al., 2009).

In the particular case of specific buildings, the choice of constructionmaterials, orientation and other engineering details can amplify the effect.

At the same time, certain urban planning restrictions, such as the presence of

green spaces, water, design of roads and trees along their sides can reduce

the heat stress. At a different scale, territorial planning can regulate and

optimize land use, related in its turn to the energy balance and climate

changes (Dale et al., 2011).

Only integrated studies can substantiate an integrated regulation system

aimed at better adapting the built environment to climate changes and

increasing the quality of human life.

Landscape is, by itself, an interdisciplinary concept.

Introduced by a geographer, Zonneveld (Wu and Hobbs,2007), it is currently

used by ecologists, botanists, soil scientists, climatologists, economists,

agriculture and forestry scientists, geologists, artists, architects, engineers,and many other professionals in addition to geographers, each discipline

defining it in a different way.

So, a landscape project essentially demands of the project to be approached

from multiple directions to exploit its potential to the best.

Specific urban issues, situated at the interference with other fields, require

trans-disciplinarity even more.

Principle One of the Rio Declaration states thathuman beings are at the

centre of concerns for sustainable development (UNEP, 2012) human

habitat can be seen as a complex system (geographical, ecological, social

etc.), and only a holistic, trans-disciplinary approach can understand it in full

or manage its sustainable development.

Such an approach is also consistent with Gaia Theory (Lovelock, 1979),


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stating that actually the entire planet is organized and works as a whole.11

11Urbanism report on multi-, trans - and inter- disciplinarity, essential conditions for the Sustainable

Development of Human Habitat A.-I. Petrior


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CHAPTER 3 .

NATURE OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION IN REGARD TO THE

DISCIPLINARY EFFICACY DEMANDED BY PROFESSION

Various disciplinary modules which exist in the way of functioning of multiple

disciplines in relation to each other have to become a part of the understanding of an

architect and the one in-making. To even be accustomed to all of these relationships,

there has to be a clear and very strong agenda of the education system, synchronizing

with the intent for sustainable, efficient or successful results in professional world.

To set fit in the professional milieu sustainably, one has to question the kind of

education or learning imparted to the architect. Whether the nature of ties discussed

above remain only ideally theoretical to understanding or they also translate themselves

in the learning experience of an architecture student.

As per the possibilities of models of work discussed, the education system can mould

itself to deliver its recipients with any kind of skills to practice further in professional

world. It can be an introverted, self-contained Single-disciplinary model or a well-

advance and spread, rich Cross-disciplinary framework. But we must understand the

intended objectives of the education system. What it was at the time when the profession

got autonomous recognition to now four decades hence, when it has grown out to its

peak maturity, which would hint us the deviations or changes that came naturally or

intentionally with change in time. What drives its motives in the current time and what

are the loopholes and shortcomings in the system's working.

To understand these aspects, the framework of analysis involved a formal dialogue with

educators and extracting inputs from the thoughts expressed by a few by other mediums.

Following is the list of educators and other sources which became helpful in achieving

an insight to the facets of education system and further scrutinize them on the categories

which will be helpful to understand a possible pattern from it.


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1.A.G.K. Menon, an architect, urban planner and conservation consultant who has been

practicing and teaching in Delhi since 1972 and is currently the convener of INTACH

Delhi Chapter.

He also co-founded TVB School of Habitat Studies.

His inputs on the topic were taken from his essay "Reforming Architectural Education"

in the IA&B Sept2013 issue by Indian Architect and Builder and from personal reviews

and discussions in which he expressed his concern on the current trend of architectural

education and the way schools are shaping up to follow those. In it he has also given

insight to the formation of TVB School of Habitat Studies and the principles and school

of thought behind it. The struggle against the pressure of conventional to nurture a

school which had a strong value system. He shows a contrast between both the times

and states the essentials for a more holistic system of education which wouldn't only

mould itself according to the change in time but has a foundation to justify its

sustainable changes.

2. Ranjana Mittal, current Assistant Professor of architecture in School of Planning and

Architecture, who thinks closely of challenges in Indian architectural education and has

been in the teaching circuit since a decade.

A mode of personal interview was used to discuss the status of efficiency of inter-

disciplinary involvement in education.

3. Rajiv Bhakat, a practicing architect and a co-principal of Delhi based firm, Studio

CoDe and has been in the teaching circuit and has fresh enriched experience in it. A

personal interview with him gave a current general overview on the topic.

4. Inputs from a discussion forum of Courtyardof USAP on "Education vs. Profession",

with convener Ashok B. Lall and AGK Menon. One of the topics of the talk debated on

"The relevance of the gap between Education and Profession" and brought in the views of

the fifth year batch in their internship semester who could draw fresh comparison

between their education experience and the onset of practice.


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5. Architecture dissertation on Architectural Education in India by Mukta Tandon, TVB

School of Habitat Studies guided by AGK Menon, 1996. It talks about the stages in the

legitimization of architecture profession, formalizing architecture schools, the setting of

their curricula, the IIA charter and its laid proposals to the government, their acceptance

and deviations from it in the current scenario. It also laid emphasis on the challenges and

loopholes in the structure of the curriculum system of India's top architecture colleges by

analyzing key aspects like the disciplines taught, credit distribution, time spent on those

disciplines in the respective colleges and coming to a general conclusion based on the

research of how education used to in that period (ie. 1990s) in contrast to the image of an

architect and theory behind it.


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FRAMEWORK OF ANALYSIS

Inputs from all of these sources are tabulated for the convenience of comparative

study with areas of question under each row. It is also to derive at possible inferences

of general observed and discussed changing trend in education.

With these extractions, one aims to know how the various disciplines taught in

architecture are addressed, whether they are a part of one connected network, how

does the system want to bind them or if it is unable to do so because of some missing

links in the system.

TABLE 1

INPUTS AGK

Menon

Ranjana

Mittal

Rajiv

Bhakat

Fifth year

Interns

Dissertation

on

Architectural

education in

India

EDUCATION

THEN

Based

more onprinciples

and holistic

habitat

studies

- Visionary

- Lot ofdisciplines

drafted to

be taught.

- -

A master

discipline thatincorporates

studying

designing,

planning and

managing

activities.

*as per IIA.

EDUCATION

NOW

Commercia

lly

oriented.

Subjects

taught

without

established

relation

with

architecture

Provides

variety of

schools of

thoughts by

a mixed

compositio

n of

Creates

Powerful

theoretical

base


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. faculty.

ITS

CURRENT

OBJECTIVE

S

To produce

'design

architects'

to serve the

needs of

elite.

To teach

diverse

variety of

disciplines.

Push

creative

thoughts

and teach

skills to

display it.

To develop

critical

thinking

and boost

creativity.

To satisfy both

the pragmatics

of profession

and demands

of educating

architects.

GUIDING

FORCE

- Dictated

by practice

-

Embedded

in local

culture

Involve as

many

disciplines

in design.

Changing/

growing

demands of

profession.

Process of

a project.

Evolution

of it from

concept to

actualization.

-

MISSING

LINKS

- Diverse

societal

values

- Well

established

web ofrelationship

s with other

professions

-

Reflection

of each

subject on

architecture

.

-Incompeten

cy in

faculty

compositio

n of most

Coordinati

on of all

the subjects

and their

relevance

on one

another by

strong

relational

understandi

ng.

Awareness

of the

worldwide

debates and

issues and

the

advanceme

nts

- Balance

between 3

fields of study:

science of

man, nature

and man-made

form.

- Practical

redundancy

and fails to

satisfy theprofession.


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schools.

SUGGESTED

IMPROVISA

TIONS

-

Acquainted

with all

important

subjects for

society

- Training

to influence

public

policy

- Overall

awareness

outside and

inside the

discipline.

- Creation

of a value

system

which

would have

an impacton the

nature of

profession

too.

-

- Needs

more

collaborati

ve

assessment

s.

- More

technologic

alawareness.

- Inculcate

inter-

professional

collaboration

- Engage in a

critique of

society,

culture, while

preparing for

the profession.

- Shared

teaching to

ensure

understanding

of the inter-

disciplinary

attitude.

In 1987, the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) adopted a charter which outlined the

goals and objectives of the profession and stated that the profession had to be re-

established (after 40 years of independence) as an independent discipline. The charter

on architecture adopted at the annual convention at Ahmedabad states that:

"Architecture has to be established as a lead discipline in the process of built

environment"12

and goes on to say "Architecture as a master discipline incorporates

studying designing, planning and managing activities"12

With the initiation of formal architectural education and the formation of its

curriculum, the intent of the course was to be holistic and a lot of disciplines were

aimed to be covered under its span so as to cater to the necessities of being an

12Charter of IIA


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Architect and the knowledge one needs to attain to understand the dynamics of

amalgamation of science and arts in this course. Now, almost reaching 3 decades, the

architectural education as per the same agenda with vast curriculum of the schools

have been teaching a variety of disciplines under different studios. Stress is now also

being laid on the theoretical end of the education and hence exposing student to a

scheme of school of thoughts by diverse faculty composition which targets to enrich

knowledge in various areas.

In contrast to this, the education system has also to keep up with the growing

demands of the profession which has bloomed nationally and internationally. With the

increasing competition of the profession and its highlighted value in society now, there

is a lot of pressure and responsibility which comes down to the education system. The

commercial attraction by the profession and its growing market demand has had an

impact on the functioning of schools. There has been a change in the objectives of the

architecture schools and their ideologies. To catch up with the speeding profession,

there has been a shift in focus of the studios. The strong inter-disciplinary meanings is

fading due to the inconsistency and fading relationship of cultural-societal subjects

with design. Coordination and established links in multi-discipline studios are missing

from schools and the design education is less oriented towards societal bearings than

before. The relevance of each subject/field of study for architecture and the reflection

and importance of it in design is lacking. Along with society/culture based subjects,

the awareness of general issues and debates in the sphere of architecture concerning

their impact and impact on them by other fields is not being well discussed/debated

about in colleges.

All of these shortcomings in the education loop are inclining to a weak structure of

unrelated disciplines that would fail to bring a strong meaning to the society. To be

more effective architect today requires more than the inculcation of a formal or

aesthetic style. The shastras ask of the architect's intellect to be broadened by the

knowledge of the carpentry, engineering, astrology, mathematics etc. Though the

designers role has shifted, construction, working details, engineering, estimating are

only a part of he has to know. He must be a sociologist at many socio-economic


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levels, an ecologist, a landscapist, and a humanist.

So, an architect must be able to make use of the knowledge attained in school and see

through all of these aspects of related field or must be able to work in collaboration with

some or all of them as the profession dictates. And it becomes an utmost necessity for

an architect to know how all these disciplines bind together. Architectural education

must be able to teach how to be more effective while tying multiple disciplines.

Professor Anandkrishnan who is the Chairman of Madras Institute of Development

Studies expresses, "An architect must not only have the required technical skills but

also be equipped with financial and management skills"13

. He must also be able to

affect the public policy making with his know-how, as the academician and an

effective leader in the field Mr. AGK Menon suggests. This would be able to change

the adverse infrastructural damages and bring larger opportunities for a different

perspective to the nation's infrastructure.

Bauhaus, an art school which was a balance between an arts and crafts tradition and

designing was considered the main source of methodology basis for design education.

Developed in the backdrop of economic and civil chaos in Germany at that time of WWI,

it was a model that promoted diversity.

Its ideology welcomed students from diverse disciplines and offered studies in

specialized workshops. It also encouraged faculty autonomy and independence.

After the IInd WW, the work of the Bauhaus was in a sense continued in other countries.

The Ulm school attempted to systemize design methodology and introduced novel

subjects such as ergonomics, semiotics and communication theory.

There was also an impact of the multi-culturalism on the Bauhaus pedagogy which was

the idea of "interconnected education". There was an understood need to seek

relationships and commonalities between disciplines, to join projects that combined

expertise in every area. These were holistic, nonspecific educational policies.

Bauhaus itself did not have any architectural department during its few initial years of

13Article: Architect 'need interdisciplinary skills' The Hindu sept.4, 2006


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existence though its key aspects were modern graphic, industrial and architectural design.

The course that were a part of the Bauhaus School were designed to skill students in arts,

and were: basic course, workshop, design theory/graph, /translation, /grid. All of these

staging in different extents to unlearn and learn the art of exploration beyond building

design and knowing the varied meanings of design.

The Frank Lloyd Wright school of architecture which was formally initiated in 1932 was

also multidisciplinary which focused on "Learn by Doing".

"The fine arts, so called," they asserted, "should stand at the center as inspiration grouped

about architecture . . . . (of which landscape and the decorative arts would be a division)."

Education at this school would emphasize painting, sculpture, music, drama, and dance

"in their places as divisions of architecture."14

Howard Davis, who coined the term, 'Culture of Building' pointed out that the "architects

should not be arrogant to consider that they were the sole creator of architecture. They

were only a part of a long production chain which together resulted in the construction of

buildings." Even, "sciences are very important to develop responsible architects to meet

the varied expectations of our society"15

, as stated by Mr. AGK Menon. Thus when we

say, it is a good architecture, it is the result of the contribution of several related

professions, who are all connected in a web of relationships to produce architecture.

This interconnected web of relationships between several fields and the functioning of

them in practice has been discussed in the next chapter.

14Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation http://www.franklloydwright.org/

15"Reforming Architectural Education" Magazine IA&B Sept2013 issue


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CHAPTER 4 .

TRANSLATION OF CROSS-DISCIPLINARITY IN PRACTICE OF

ARCHITECTURE

Indian architectural practice has in past one decade seen the growth and development

in the firms taking up architectural projects and works. Big name architects have

established their long run practice in architecture by the brand of their firms which

have carried forward the lineage of work.

Post-independence saw a wave of independent architectural feats stamped by the then

modern architects and as the field grew to make its bold impression on the country's

newly blooming architecture, there was a emergence of bodies with similar mindsets

who aimed to spread their school of design. "One can almost make a case for a pre-

1990s ideology and a post-1990's ideology at work in the architecture of the

country."16

Where pre-1990s had embarked on to form the national image of modern

India, post-1990s saw variations in the regional/local image of architecture and the

practice became more diversified in the rationale it wanted to absorb in its

architecture, conceptual, exteriority, sustainability, efficiency, technology display,

simplicity, modernity, one/combinations of some/in scant cases, all. And now in the

early 21st

century, it is difficult to keep a count on the number of old or recent, existing

or launching Indian firms practicing in varied ways across India. The point of

investigation remains the same of how much are they able to/aim to live up to the

intentions of the founding principles of being versatile and involved across cross

disciplines.

To see the pattern and state of such inter-disciplinary behavior in architectural

practice today, a few samples of Delhi-based firms are investigated.

There are various ways in which the practicing firms can be categorized for their

disciplinary behavior. Various factors determine and decide the way an architecture

firm adopts its style and level of disciplinary involvement. For example, scale and

16"Reforming Architectural Education" Magazine IA&B Sept2013 issue


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nature of project decides the level of involvement of disciplines by firms which also

includes the time and economic factor of the project. Some firms by theirphilosophy,

only follow one attitude of involvement and some of them base the structure of their

member composition and their hierarchy to work out the dynamics of their office.

Some involve a well-established network of consultants to cater their services to

efficiency and there are those who take public participation mode to reach out to their

target audience in a better way. There is also no dearth to the large scale kind which

have a huge team and mainly are introverted to come right with the specified need of

the clientele from their self-testified designs.

The division of models of firms based on the categories discussed above and in

Chapter 2 has been made for the firms studied. The brief reason and description

explains their flagship category and the nature of their model.

DISCIPLINARY MODELS

1. Multi-disciplinary

Morphogenesis

- Heads of the firm take the final decisions after suggestions/inputs from the lower

teams.

- Autocratic decisions- verticals -a range of architects work at different hierarchical stages.

2. Inter-disciplinary

Project management/organizations/NGOs involving multiple fields for a project or

cause beyond the

field of architecture. (*non architectural firms)

SEEDS

- A non-profit organisation that seeks to protect the lives and livelihoods ofpeople exposed to natural disasters and living in disaster prone areas.

- Primarily engages in shelter reconstruction and adopts locally based

approaches to reduce the impact of future disasters on communities at risk.


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- Involves works in collaboration by architects, engineers, disaster management

team, doctor, state management etc.

KHOJ International Artist's Association

- Apart from cultural programmes, it takes up public welfare works where it

involves various disciplines for public participation oriented projects.

Aapki Sadak, a consultative project of Urban Design by Architects, Designers

and Artists and the local community for offering solutions in alter native

mobility through the pedestrianisation of economically diverse localities in

South Delhi, was an initiative by the Delhi based firm, Ashok B. Lall Architects

in collaboration with KHOJ.

Ramanan Corporation (RCorp)

3. Cross-disciplinary

The process of projects are various stages of discussions involving decisions by

coordination of

disciplines and mutual consensus.

Studio CoDe

- Democratic firm by the idea of common design discussions and not extreme

office hierarchy.

- Varied range of projects with coordinated cross-disciplines actions.

Vir Mueller architects

4. Trans-disciplinary

The project remains outside the realm of the discipline and wide-range/genre of

fields come together to see the possibilities of design.

Lotus Design

Incubis

DISCIPLINARY BEHAVIOR

For the firms above and others involved in majorly intra-discipline projects,

divisions/categories can be based on the scale/nature of work also as following:


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i. Urban + Big Architecture

Mani Chowfla Architects and Consultants

Abhimanyu Dalal Architects (ADA)

Sanjay Kanvinde Architects

ii. Big Architecture

Morphogenesis

Studio CoDe

Vir Mueller architects

iii. Small Architecture (/Big Design firms)

Lotus Design

Incubis

iv. Public welfare bodies/public organizations

SEEDS

KHOJ

v. Consultancy Oriented

CPK (C.P. Kukreja Associates)

Consultancy Engineering Services (CES)

Ramanan Corporation (RCorp)

- From core software solutions to socio-agri applications, from traffic control to

wildlife watchdogs, their spectrum of study and analysis is designed to provide

endless opportunities for a wide range of professionals.

- Photographers, agriculturists, poets, coders, social activists, market planners

and so many more diverse fields welded in.

- Provide high quality technology products for the masses and top notch services

for Small & Medium Enterprises as well as Non Profit Organisations.

- The Project Kalpana is a non-profit initiative dedicated to the cause of crisis of

farmers. It brings in consultancy and participation from diverse areas like

Artists, Linguists, Advertising, Soil Testing, Server Specialists, Web designers


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who could help reach to solutions to the national problem with their specialized

knowledge.

The above categorization suggests us of the few of the principles (*based on the

aspects laid by this study) on which various firms have based themselves to describe

their disciplinary approach. There are various levels on which such involvement

happens between disciplines by each one of the firm. To investigate those different

scheme of projects of a firm have been picked to study under the following criteria

which would help gauge the level of cross-disciplinary involvement:

- Scale of project

- Nature of project

- Time taken for the project to complete

- Nature of budget

- Range of disciplines involved (and how, wherever can be traced)

CASE STUDY

Studio CoDe

The firm practices communication and graphic design, interior design, website design,

architecture and certain amount of urbanism with master planning. They believe

"design crosses disciplinary boundaries and design is not an insular profession and

cannot be practiced in isolation " and thus they offer total-design services customized

and accommodated to client's requirements.

From the wide range of projects the firm has taken up, the ones chosen to analyze are

those which vary on the criteria mentioned above. The three projects are intentionally

chosen from different bands of the spectrum of projects so as to see the change in thelevel and way of involvement of the firm with varying base factors of the project.

PROJECT 1


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DESIGN OF A CAFE

Revitalisation of the looks of Bagel's cafe along with their menu offerings. The firm in

collaboration with client and graphic designer, worked on the conceptualisation and

building of the visual and spatial look of the new cafe.

The cafe brand was targeting to launch multiple outlets of various scales within the city

with this prototype in Meher Chand market, it had limitations on its expenditure, thus

giving very framed options for its working model.

Scale of project small

Nature of project retail project for visual branding and interior design

Time taken 5-6 months

Nature of budget average

Figure 4.

Figure 5.

Source: Firm's websitehttp://www.studiocode.in/


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People involved from other

fields

To what extent and how

venture capitalist Brought in investment approach to the project

Guided the potential growth of the project

food related marketing person - In coordination with the firm for design inputs that

would reach out better to the market in the way the

people are most appealed by it.

- The work happened on design levels of what

colours to be used to relate with the kind of food

offered and images that best reflect the menu.

brand identity (visual

identity) person of the brand

- Graphic design suggestions for the outlet for

client's satisfaction.

- Interior and graphics had to show the style of the

brand.

financial advisor of the client Gave practical links to all the possible options of

colours, materials, design choices available to the

firm that would fit the range of the budget for the

project.

CONCLUSIONS:

The interchange of ideas happened by the firm with the people of the Cafe brand

who for very specific demand of their visual identity became a key player in the

design suggestions and processes.

The scale and budget did not demand of the project to intrinsically involve any

outside field. Also, the nature of the project of an established brand name gave it

an internalized discussion forum.

The main multi disciplines that were important were graphic designing, visual

branding and marketing.


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PROJECT 2

MASTER PLANNING FOR THE SITE OF BILT COMPANY

The master plan creates a residential district across 100 acres for the historic Ballarpur

paper mills as an extension to the existing industrial colony. nestles along a highly

contoured lush site, the new colony connects below the state highway via a densely

planted connection to the strikingly urban front created by the new administration and

public buildings in front of the existing factory.

Scale of project Large

Nature of project master planning

Time taken 2yrs +

Nature of budget Large

Figure 6.

Figure 7.



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Ventured along with a joint partner. it was an economy driven project in which after

an introduction of it with the firm members, the principals took over the main

communication work.


fields


Land Surveyor To give the information of the topography of the

site.

As there are varying contours on the site, the

related specifications of it were provided for the

base information of the project.

Soil sampling person

In-house ecologist Gave advices, suggestions, technical viewpoints

and directions to the design process. They

suggested how the design's potential can be

grown around the environmental constraints of

the side.

Forestry department

Environmental expert

R & D

Local transportation

State regulation legal person

A lot of the decisions had to be made according to

the legal possibilities of the site as a state

highway ran through its premises.Land use : Legal person

Human resource person

Of grade A, B, and C workers.

The demands and needs of all the grades differed

so did their psychologies and private lives.

Hence, the housing provided for them came after

and while understanding and incorporating these

aspects.

Financial advisor The project involved large financial investments

and was critical of how to be dealt alongside

design because of the scale of the project. Hence,

the kind of economy and the contextual financial

sustainability of it also featured in the design for


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the site.

CONCLUSIONS:

This project saw a wide range of fields and disciplines involving in different

stages of design like understanding the site, technical information for the various

aspects of site, potentials/opportunities and cues for design, environmental

behavior for the design and design's nature to sit in the specific environment,

legal constrictions and implication on the design, financial bindings, human

requirements and psychology for the people specific to the site.

The time for which the project has stretched is long because of the scale of the

project and the crucial amount of involvement with other fields on major stages

of design.

The design has grown on various levels because of number of rounds of panel

discussions that happened with the head or members from various technical

areas which were used in the design techniques and revisited again for a

feedback and suggestions from those people to get to an enriched design by

combining knowledge from all.

PROJECT 3

WEBSITE DESIGN FOR THE COMPANY SKYMET

The company website design of Skymet to reflect their capability and status as India's

biggest private weather forecaster. Required to target visitors from both urban and

rural sectors and encourage them to check the weather and all things weather related,

the site had to exude depth and breadth of knowledge, professionalism through bold

design and intuitive interaction.

Biggest challenge for the firm was in the translation between design intent,

technology capability and relaying real time information via a customized content


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management system.

Scale of project small

Nature of project Website/logo design

Time taken 4 and a half months 3 months for design

1 and half for coding

Nature of budget Moderate. distributed among both firms (Studio CoDe and Iffort)

Figure 7.

Figure 8.



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fields


Iffort, digital media agency Handled the coding and management of the website

Gave practical options for a comfortable interface

design.

Both, Iffert and Studio CoDe worked in collaboration to create a web interface which

involved translating complex technical weather data into easy to understand web

information.

A core programming team and visual identity team were heading the project in the firm

itself.

CONCLUSIONS:

The project itself was outside the field of architecture. It explored the area of

website design bringing in expertise of technical fields.

Coding and programming aspects were to be understood by the in-house team for

creating a suitable and up-beat design.

Technically practical and creative inputs for the design came by collaborating

with another body of experts in digital media. The nature of project pushed the

involvement across disciplines and the scale helped in keeping it to the required

necessities.


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CONCLUSION

This study discussed various disciplinary theoretical models that exist and, the levels and

ways at which they involve the key discipline with other allied or non-allied (different

genre) disciplines.

Out of these analyzed models of relationships, inter-disciplinary model has the most

sustainable intentions and results, with the reason that it looks at multiple context under

one palette and accounts active participation from all the other fields to achieve an output

which is holistic and is beneficial from all aspects without compromising or neglecting

important areas of effect.

In architectural reference, such involvement helps in generating a product or in

evolving a process which is socially, culturally, historically considerate;for instance

redevelopment in post-disaster areas require not only rapid shelter provision but also a

sensitive understanding of the cultural needs of the affected society bindings. A shelter

which mitigates the loss of the people while understanding their local activities'

mechanism is more suited/beneficial option in the long run than a quick aid which might

serve the momentary purpose but deteriorates what defined their societal fabric.

The process of architectural growth must also live up to ground realities of the Indian

context of the kind of lifestyle people prefer, the economic backdrop, the politicalinfluence etc.

Thus, this model shows how inputs and close working with varied disciplines enlarges

the scope of better results.

This research tried to observe and analyze the nature of inter-disciplinary connection in

the education system of architecture. While the pioneer schools of architecture like

Bauhaus and FLW encouraged cross-disciplines' awareness and skill development, the

current education system shows inefficiency in an all-round development of a student.

As stated, by the people in the present leading academicians' circle, it comes out that

though there is still a need to have a strong inter-relation between various theory and

practical subjects, there are fractures in the establishment of their connections. As Mrs.


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Ranjana Mittal expresses, there is an independent growth of ideas in schools but what is

missing is the awareness generation of their impact on each other.

Design, which seems to be the main focus of the schools, has loose connection with other

related subjects that make it stand. Schools which once were coiled around holistic

principles of habitat studies are now commercially driven, as stated by Mr. AGK Menon

and thus they miss on imparting the core values to the profession.

With that status of educational backdrop, the profession of architecture sees a wide range

of selection of models of disciplinary engagement. In that light, this study classified

various kinds of firms which have come to adopt different models of work ideologies. It

was observed and concluded that their philosophy, team composition and style connects

directly with the extent of disciplinary involvement they choose to make. From single-

disciplinary to trans-disciplinary examples of case studies, there were exceptions in

involvement because of other factors that dictated the project outline.

Studio CoDe, which was chosen as the primary case study gave an insight that within a

multi-disciplinary firm the factors like; scale, time, budget, client's choices dictate the

project's leap, outside its disciplinary boundaries. It also showed how the extent or scope

of a rich inter-disciplinary dialogue increases with a lease of any of the above mentioned

factors.

Therefore, this study concludes the relevance of various disciplinary models (-cross,

inter, multi, trans) in today's practice of architecture based on factors from two directions.

One that comes from the roots of education that prepares an architect and on the other

hand, the mechanism of the professional world. And thus, what theoretically is the ideal

set-up of cross disciplinary connections, gets challenged in the professional sphere by not

only the external conditions of the project and market but also internally, from its feasible

content of the architect's skills, capacity and capability to stretch out between different

disciplines.


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REFERENCES

Vitruvius, The Ten Books on Architecture

Michael Parker Pearson, Architecture and Order: Approaches to Social space

Kingston Wm. Heath, The Patina of Place: The cultural weathering of a New

England Industrial Landscape

A.-I. Petrior, Urbanism report on multi-, trans - and inter disciplinarity,

essential conditions for the sustainable development of human habitat

Susan Kent,Domestic Architecture and the use of space An interdisciplinary

cross-cultural study

Our Common Future: Brundtland Report Chapter 2 Towards Sustainable

Development, UNWCED

European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter - Council of Europe

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/cemat/versioncharte/default_EN.as

p

Report on SPATIAL PLANNING Key Instrument for Development and

Effective Governance with Special Reference to Countries in Transition,

Economic Commission for Europe, United Nations New York and Geneva, 2008

The Geography of Transport System

http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/glossary.html

Article: Architect 'need interdisciplinary skills' The Hindu sept.4, 2006

"Reforming Architectural Education" Magazine IA&B Sept2013 issue

Dissertation Paper_Shubhangi Goswami

Documents

Transcript of Dissertation Paper_Shubhangi Goswami