Fig 1: Buddhist symbol for impermanence Source: www.zenmachines.blogspot.in
This too shall pass
Buildings are predictions; Predictions go wrong
Exploring the urban landscape of Delhi, where change permeates every thread of the fabric, tangible as well as intangible, the paper adopts the lens of impermanence to study the insidiously durable built environment, often acting as a contributor to obsolescence. Questioning the unquestioned adherence to permanence all through second half of the 20th century, in midst of metabolism, a whole movement demonstrating the need for cities to anticipate the inevitable- change, an attempt has been made to debunk the practicality of practicing permanence in the architectural discourse. Understanding the current needs of the city, the paper concludes by exploring architectural approaches to build in, and for a city in constant flux. The authors discover policy, process, materiality and technology as the major devices at the architect’s disposal and test their viability in the context of Delhi. ASHISH DWIVEDI | RAHUL GROVER | SAHIL GUPTA | SHASHANK JAIN GUIDE: AR. MUKTA NAIK CHAIRPERSON: AR. SANJAY PRAKASH
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he philosophical enquiry that we are trying to make through the course of this seminar is: “How would architect’s design differently if they were told that their creation’s utility would last only briefly in our cultural zeitgeist?” Architecture has always been synonymous with permanence, but should it be? We tend to view architecture as permanent, as aspiring to the status of monuments. And that kind of architecture has its place. But so does architecture of a different sort. A sort for which permanence is not the defining factor. A sort for which monumentality takes a step back. A sort which allows room for change with the changing needs and functions. A more “impermanent” sort. Our cities are changing at a fast pace. And not only cities, but technology, needs, social values, and much more are changing at an equal pace. Given that change is the only constant, a very critical question comes to mind “How does one design for constant change?” Looking at the fast pace of change, one can, to some extent, start to understand why there is a decreasing role of permanent architecture, and the need for architects to broaden their horizons and incorporate the different sort of architecture into the formal sector. With such a rapid change in the overall lifestyle of people, architecture should possess the ability to adapt, to transform, to adjust, and in general, be flexible, if it wants to sustain in the current world. These are not new concepts, and there have been many philosophies and experiments at creating flexible architecture of various scales. Not all of them have been successful, but it is the idea behind such projects that one can learn from and take forward. If one were to refine those ideas, and apply them to the Indian context, how useful can they prove in designing for urbanism in the fast lane? How well can they help architects and planners in solving the currently unsolvable urban and architectural issues? Through the course of this seminar, we have attempted to throw light on the above mentioned issues, and answer the questions that follow. Apart from academic research, case studies and interviews of various architects have been analysed to understand what architecture means in today’s world, and where the profession is headed.
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Fig 2: Pedagogy of Architeture Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Parthenon http://worldsbestarchitecture.blogspot.in/ http://holidayiq.com www.wikipedia.org www.archdaily.com
History and current practices “The whole idea of architecture is permanence. In wider use, the term “architecture” always means “unchanging deep structure.” (Brand, 1995, p. 2) The first decade of the 2000s saw architecture focussed upon statement building. From memorials to housing towers, the reason for architecture’s existence seemed to be to create a lasting impression. Brand suggests how today’s architecture is synonymous to permanence. The idea is ingrained in our thought process. (Arieff, 2011) The pedagogy of architecture in terms of history is based on what is available for us to study, and what else can stand for so long, other than architecture made specifically for that purpose. Examples such as the pyramids of Greece, Ziggurats of Mesopotamia, Renaissance churches and Jain temples of India have always held a special position in architectural education. All of these were intended to carry the footprint of a certain culture through generations, even centuries. And through study of these only we get to know about our past. This, on some psychological level, equates architecture to monumentality for an individual. This does not mean that there is any flaw in our teaching system, or the impermanent architecture is not talked about at all, but it merely points out a limitation of studying the past. What lacks in the pedagogy is the detailed study of the impermanent. Architecture devoid of iconicity or monumentality, created only to serve specific functions of the time, conceived to fade through time. But studying such a type of architecture is a challenge in itself. Moving to a more recent history, modernism can be seen as an example of a whole movement based on permanence. Permanence in the ideology of conceiving architecture, as well as materiality which the architecture dons. Modernism was primarily driven by industrial and technological inventions, a major characteristic being the use of industrially produced
“The whole idea of architecture is permanence. In wider use, the term “architecture” always means “unchanging deep structure.” -Brand
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materials. RCC, steel and glass became popular materials of choice, and thus began the exploration of possibilities these materials opened in the field of architecture. Lack of other construction materials, or the craze for the new materials led to development of architecture which was inherently enduring in nature. There was no need felt for the other kind of architecture anyways, as iconicity and “monumentalism” were the defining traits of “architecture”. “Durability is not an intrinsic attribute of architecture, it is an attribute of how the social world approaches architecture.” -Jacobs, 1961 Another major reason why architecture has always been equated with permanence, as Sandy Isenstadt points out, is that it is among our memoryextending inventions. Architecture improves memory by recasting it in materials more permanent than itself so that persons, events, and thoughts will endure. In this sense, durability in architecture is more than a merely material fact; it is a philosophical and epistemological proposition. (Isenstadt, 1997) This lens of reminiscence adds to the value of permanence. It symbolises how current events can be made objective, and contained to carry forward the memory of the times. This makes architecture contain more than just the built form. It makes architecture timeless and truthful in more than one way. Durability, at some point, becomes a kind of validity. But, the prime function of architecture is not to serve memory, is it? With change being the only constant, how valid is equating architecture to permanence? Function is the key driving force behind the design process, and shouldn’t architecture follow what the need dictates. This ideology was concisely expressed in the following apothegm. “Form follows function.” -Louis H. Sullivan This statement appears true, logical, and irrefutable. But Brand argues that Sullivan’s form follows function misled a century of architects into believing that they could really anticipate function. The statement serves its purpose in providing the initial direction to design, but what if the “function” is not defined? Even if one argues that a vision statement, when combined with the area programme gives a clear understanding of the functioning, for how long would that understanding hold true? With the developing society and technology, the rate of development is also increasing. The world, as we know it, is developing at an exponential rate, and to think that we can predict the functioning of any building for a long period is next to being foolhardy. We shape our buildings, and afterwards, our buildings shape us. -Winston Churchill
Churchill’s statement truncated the fuller cycle of reality. First we shape our buildings, then they shape us, then we shape them again – ad infinitum. Function reforms form, perpetually. Society is marked by ever-changing and wide-ranging needs, circumstances and conditions. Yet, when it comes to the question of architecture, the same patterns are applied over and again, or at least so it seems. A continuous flux is what characterizes our society today, characterized by ever-changing cultural trends, design values, market forces, etc. So what sort of architecture is suited for such a society? Are megastructures the solution? Niklas Luhman’s system theory, teaches us that the stability of a system can only be achieved if the system itself prepares for continuous and ongoing change. But is it being applied to architecture? “Almost no building adapts well. They are designed not to adapt; also budgeted and financed not to, constructed not to, administered not to, maintained not to, regulated and taxed not to, even remodeled not to. But all buildings (except monuments) adapt anyway, however poorly, because the usages in and around them are changing constantly.” -Brand, 1995, p 2 Brand tries to suggest how the notion of permanence are still rampant in present day architecture. India and Delhi specifically serving as a good example of this trend. As we see in Premabhai Hall, Ahmedabad building was no longer in use after five years of construction due to rigid building use. An unchecked optimism is related with the use bricks and concrete in all types of buildings. The high level of specificity and detail is what defines good design, one that provides a grand, final solution. Architecture offices spend months creating a detailed area programme, and later detailed designs configuring these spaces to match the same, oblivious to the possibility that the programme might completely transform within years of inception. Such architecture is too over-specified to the original purpose that it isn’t allowed to adapt to anything else and leads to early obsolescence. On the other hand, buildings built to house temporary projects are designed to be flexible. They are constructed quickly and roughly. The project moves on soon enough, but are immediately replaced other temporary projects- of which there is an abundant supply.(Brand, 1995)
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Fig 3: Modernism vs Metabolism Source: Author
Modernism vs Metabolism Indian architecture is rich and varied in its composition. It amalgamates a wide variety of cultures and movements, each adding value to the whole. Modernism is a movement that greatly influenced architecture in India during the British rule, and after Independence. Modernism in India led to rigid and massive brick and concrete buildings. Buildings designed for statement making, obstructing change. There was another movement taking place which affected architecture in a completely different manner, in a different part of the world, i.e. in Japan. Metabolism, as they named it, had contrasting values when compared to Modernism. What metabolism expected out of architecture too was different. Where, on one hand, modernism preached permanence, metabolism preached flexibility. Adaptability, Flexibility, Modularity were key words that formed the backbone of metabolism. And it is quite evident from where this philosophy originates from. Buddhist teachings that there is “no permanence” and that “all things must pass”—have, conditioned the Japanese mentality toward the phenomena of change and the transitory nature of existence. Buddhism emphasizes the evanescence and insubstantiality of things. Universal and immutable laws do not appeal to the Japanese. Nor does the logic of clear or autonomous identity; traditionally, Japanese things have not been subjected to the process of individuation and objectification. “[In Japan] buildings are designed in the expectation not that they will stand the test of time but that they will be torn down sooner rather than later and replaced by something more appropriate to the economic and technological demands of the future.” -John Thackara
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Fig 4: East-vs WestComparision of places of worship Source: wikipedia.org japan.escubes.com
Emerging rapidly in the 1970s, Japanese architecture, instead of striving for monumental permanence, began to foster new “urban sensibilities,” to engage and thrive on the city’s dynamics and to probe the notion of impermanence in architecture. Contemporary design in Japan is characterized by lightness, surface, fragmentation, and dissolution, often with a “ruinous” quality, a sense of temporality, imageability, sensuousness, and, finally, a spectacular phenomenalism—all attributes of the ephemeral; combined with new interpretations of nature and the new software technologies, it favours ambiguity, transparency, and perceptual instability with an implicit indeterminacy of meaning. (Bognar, 1997) To accommodate the growth and regeneration of the “modern” city, metabolist architects called for establishing a system of urban design distinguishing elements of different scales and durations, namely, the ‘‘permanent element” such as urban infrastructure, versus the ‘‘transient element’’ such as individual houses. Responding to the distinct ‘‘metabolic cycles’’ in the city, the Metabolists’ designs were often characterized by the combination of a megastructure, serving as the permanent base, and numerous individual units attached to the megastructure and subject to more frequent replacement. For instance, Kikutake’s Marine City featured numerous standardized housing units clipped onto a few enormous ferroconcrete cylindrical towers.The towers serving as the main structure of the city would grow as population increased, and the individual living pods would conduct periodical self-renewal The divide between the eastern and the western philosophies can be clearly understood when one compares how both philosophies treat their “Monumental” architecture. The most conspicuous example of the reconstructed monument is one that recognizes, in fact celebrates, its temporality—the Ise shrine in Japan, which, according to one’s point of view, is either twenty or 1300 years old, since it has been systematically reconstructed in an elaborate ritual roughly every twenty years since the 7th century, whereas the parthenon is known for its longevity and durability. The Ise shrine has become for Modern architects a kind of anti-definition of the traditional Western building. Ise, along with the Parthenon, symbolize the polar extremities of Eastern and Western
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1992 Fig 4 Urbanisation in India Source: www.martinprosperity. org/
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thought. (Lin, 2011) These 2 are just a small part of various ideologies that have influenced architectural thought worldwide, over a period of time. It is the suitability and effectiveness of a certain ideology at a certain point in time that gives it importance. Then which architectural thought is suited for today’s world ? To understand that, one would have to understand, and analyse, the functioning of the cities, and context, to design accordingly.
Needs of the city Our world is continuously evolving, and the cities we live in are changing rapidly. Delhi is no exception to this phenomenon of change. And with the rapid developments in science and technology, the rate of change of cities is increasing exponentially itself. Rapid urbanisation, changing land economics, evolving technology, and many other intangible factors infuse new dynamics in the city for the field of architecture to respond to. The Economic survey of Delhi, 2005-2006, states that Delhi boasts a high quality of living compared to its neighbouring states which acts as a pull factor for neighbouring population coming to Delhi not only for employment but for an improved quality of life. This leads to intensive migration, putting pressure on existing resources. Delhi had approxiamtely 19,698 people/sq. k.m. With its limited space, Delhi has started facing a major space crunch, resulting in increasing city extents, and increasing dependence on satellite cities. One major field that urbanization affects is the land economics . The circle rates are constantly on the rise, making it difficult for smaller businesses to sustain themselves. Cost of land is constantly increasing, and ownership of land changes rapidly, especially in commercial plots, due to the dynamism and risk involved. With the constant increase, Delhi has started making its name in the lists of places with most expensive land values. Delhi’s property prices have risen, on a average 60 % in just 2 years. With constantly changing city functions and people’s expectations, a need arises to regulate land use patterns, and change them according to city needs and economics. But with the pace of growth Delhi is experiencing, developing a master plan for a projected future can be tough, and may turn out inadequate in the long run, as predicting change is impossible
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DDA 1990 to 2001 supposed to build 64.6 million sq. m. of commercial space, but in reality it built only 2.43 million sq. m., achieving only 3.8% of the target. From 1961-1981 it succeeded in achieving only 2 % of target. This led to the creation of a city starved of commercial spaces leading to haphazard and unauthorised usage and conversion of residential properties for commercial use. In the starting of the 2000s such conversions were deemed illegal and the fatuous solutions like imposing fines, demolitions and/or regularisations were advocated. (Prashad, 2010) These statistics are hinting at the fact that the city of Delhi is dynamic, and at how the Master Plan fails at many instances to serve the needs of the city. These are the times when the residents themselves try to evolve in order to sustain livelihoods, through changing land uses, but the staticness of the Master Plan works as an impediment. Technology too plays a major role in the lifestyle of people. One finds newer, better devices every day capable of doing far more things than their successors. With newer technologies, the desire for the old fades away, resulting in a change in needs, trends and lifestyles of people as rapid as the technology itself. These rapid developments give rise to very practical problem in the field of architecture. “How to make buildings adapt with time to serve the functions expected of them?” Architecture itself would need to be as fluid as the city to serve the constantly changing functions and prove fruitful in the overall fabric of the city. But are our cities, especially Delhi, designed this way? What percentage of the present architecture is adaptive, and what percentage conforms to the notion and ideology of permanence. One can say without doubt that Delhi is adapting, as it is inevitable, but is Delhi adaptive? According to Charles Correa, there is an “excessively enduring nature of the urban architectural fabric“(Correa, 1976) Asim Waqif, a Delhi based architect, shares similar views as Correa: “I feel there is too much emphasis today on durability, and so we have a very hard character to most cities”. I believe this creates huge problems because cities (especially in places like India in the last two to three decades) are changing at an incredibly fast pace, but the
Fig 5: Urbanized extents of Delhi in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 ,2008, 2010 Source: www.martinprosperity. org/
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Fig 6 Obsolescence in Delhi Source: flickr.com wiki.indiancine.ma dome.mit.edu
How to make buildings adapt with time to serve the functions expected of them?
built environment has become more and more stagnant as it is too enduring to be able to adapt with the changing city. There are many changing spaces that have been put out of use but still maintain a physical presence in the city, whether you look at old factories that have been moved out because of new pollution norms or buildings ‘sealed’ by the state using brutal force. I find a strange beauty in the way buildings get marked in the act of abandonment.” (Augustine, 2012) A number of vacant, unused, obsolete buildings all across Delhi just strengthen the validity of such viewpoints. The Shahri adhikari manch submitted a list of 154 obsolete vacant buildings to the government to be reclaimed. Also worth studying are the cases of buildings like Premabhai Hall in Ahmeadabad, Chanakya Cinema and The Hall of Nations in Delhi. Chanakya Cinema, the modern era singleplex designed by Prof. P.N. Mathur got decommissioned in 2007. The hall, which was in business for 38 years, and was the earliest cinema hall in Delhi, opened on December 17, 1971. The proposal to convert it into a multiplex and shopping complex by DLF Commercial Developers got approved in 2005. Five months after the cinema hall was shut down, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) handed over the complex to DLF on a lease of 30 years. The cinema has now been demolished and it is evident that market forces, like real estate were the ones mostly at play for its obsolescence. (TNN, 2008)
Hall of Nations, designed by Ar. Raj Rewal, is planned to be demolished to make way for an international convention centre at Pragati Maidan. Various government agencies are facing an internal conflict due to people both for and against the demolition. Chairman and managing director of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) Rita Menon said there was a need for state of the a rt infrastructure to attract international fairs from across Asia to Pragati Maidan. “At least 42 percent of the halls are not put to use for exhibitions, except during the India International Trade Fair, which iis a sheer waste of prime space,” she said. Delhi Urban Arts Commission ( DUAC ), on the other hand, is of the opinion that Pragati Maidan complex is not the right place to put up a convention centre as it houses various iconic buildings designed by eminent architects. This kind of argument only arises in the field of architecture. When one looks at technological products. No one would buy a car, a plane, a yacht, a phone, or a refrigerator on the assumption that it would last for eternity. The buyer would make proper investigations of the durability of the object, and its part, and the maintenance costs before buying. We bring different ideological baggage to buildings and are often uncomfortable with the idea of transience and impermanence in thinking of the institution and the monument. “We equate architecture with permanence and stability; we equate permanence and stability with mass and solidity; and we have not, as Le Corbusier predicted, come to regard a house with the same attitude with which we regard an automobile or computer. If the idea of obsolescence and routine maintenance is more readily acceptable in the case of the latter, it is perhaps because it plays a smaller role in our sense of well-being.” -Ford, 1997
Approaches to impermanence Having established how impermanence is the need of the times, in order to respond to change and obviate obsolescence, how could the field of architecture address this topic at various scales. What tools does an architect have at his disposal to address the needs of the ever-changing city? One tool, on a broader scale of things, is that of policies, and what policy is more relevant than the one that dictates the whole of the city i.e. the Master Plan. In order to reduce the staticness of the Master Plan and make it more contextual to the changing city many urban planners have suggested that the whole process should be done away with and rather a 10 year perspective plan should be made, from which 5 year Master Plans should be created, followed by annual plans.(Prashad, 2010) Another method to conceive this idea is to incorporate change in the design process. But how does one while designing, incorporate the future, characterised by the uncertain and the unknown.
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Fig 7 Graphic illustrating Scenario Planning by Stewart Brand Source: Author
The traditional design process seems outdated and a need is felt to transcend the boundaries of the current process of designing. One attempt at grappling with this dilemma was made by Steward Brand in his book ‘How buildings learn’ introducing the concept of Scenario Planning. “All buildings are predictions. All predictions are wrong.” -Brand There’s no escape from this grim syllogism, but it can be softened. Buildings can be designed and used so it doesn’t matter when they’re wrong. Scenario planning is a concept that can be used to do so. It is a foresight methodology, attempting to make sense and design for an uncertain future. The focus is on making better decisions for the following cases. ● Possible - “might” happen ● Plausible – “could” happen ● Probable - “likely to” happen ● Preferable - “want to” happen
All buildings are predictions. All predictions are wrong. -Brand
In contrast to current design practices that involve adherence to rigid area programs and creation of fastidiously detailed building drawings, scenario planning urges the architect to look beyond, and design for possibilities that the future might hold. It leads to a more versatile building by taking advantage of the information developed programming (detailed querying of building users) and offsets the major limitation of programming (over specificity to immediate desires). The building is treated as a strategy rather than just as a plan. It reduces the likelihood of being pushed around by a building obdurately clinging to a future that never happened. When something untoward happens, the building is ready for it.
Similar views are shared by Ar. Sanjay Prakash. He says in an interview with the author: “There is a very relevant kind of design exercise missed in our architectural schools- detailing of a multi-purpose support system to allow for maximum partition flexibility (including water and electrical service detailing). Instead, we concentrate on doing inflexible, custom designed architectural exercises. The pretence that such custom designed spaces can in some way better fit the user is a denial of the user’s creativity and his right to use it.” Residential projects in Delhi could greatly benefit from such an approach as the house would easily be able to accommodate the future changes brought by changing family size, changing lifestyles and technological influences. Also, as talked about in section 1, Delhi with its changing land-use from residential to commercial or any other would be better prepared for such uncertainties. On the other hand commercial spaces such as malls, shopping centres and district centres which are characterized by changing owners, demands and trends run a huge risk of becoming obsolete. Vacant malls across Rajouri Garden already show the public’s shift from the Mall culture. Planning these spaces with such a strategical approach would allow these spaces adapt with time and change, and serve as space for future community needs hence preventing obsolescence. When applied to institutions, it would enable them to cater to changing demands of different departments in terms of facilities and infrastructure required. Current advances in the field of modular technologies, making flexible and transformable structures possible could aid such an approach. Interior architects, a global architecture firm dedicated exclusively to the practice of interiors boasts the practice of the approach of scenario planning. Sargent and Pond (2010) state that the advantage is the ability to account for many forces driving change in the current business environment: -politics -economic volatility -changing demographics -integration of technology -sustainability -evolution of work It also deals with the key challenges facing decision-makers at most organizations today, they say: -reducing costs -providing effective environments -consolidating/rightsizing facilities -managing risk -maintaining and building brand -improving space utilization -optimizing real estate portfolios
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Fig Graphic illustrating Brand’s concept of Shearing Layers Source: How Buildings Learn
-leveraging services and service providers -creating a sense of place -demonstrating corporate responsibility -providing for the future
Another tool in hands of the architect is the wide array of materials to choose from, and techniques to employ in putting these materials to use. Frank Duffy says, “There isn’t such a thing as a building. A building properly conceived is several layers of longevity of built components.” -(Brand, 1995, p. 12) Duffy is a British architect, a founder of DEGW, the international architectural and design practice best known for office design and workplace strategy. He is particularly noted for his work on the future of the office and the flexible use of space. Brand in an approach further that of Duffy, to tackle obsolescence through materiality introduces the concept of Shearing Layers. To analyze buildings through time, Brand divides the building into 6 parts which deteriorate at different paces. These are namely: SITE, STRUCTURE, SKIN, SERVICES, SPACE PLAN and STUFF. Site being permanent, structure and skin are slowpaced elements experiencing slow degradation and lower needs of regular maintenance. Services and space-plan on the contrary are quick-paced elements that quickly become obsolete and require regular maintenance. (Brand, 1995) He asserts on the need for buildings to segregate these elements to allow slippage between these slow and quick-paced elements, otherwise the slow systems block the flow of quick ones, and quick ones tear up the slow ones with their constant change. Embedding the systems together may seem efficient at first, but over time it’s the opposite, and destructive as well. The analysis details out the life spans of each element of the tower,
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Fig Examples of applied ideologies Source: www.sanjayprakash.co.in www.en.wikipedia.org www.lifeedited.com
ranging from tube lights to core. The tower incorporated modularity as a basic design theme of design, so that individual units could be replaced as and when needed. With a solid, permanent core, and removable, less permanent modules, the tower and the analysis is a perfect example of how shearing layers concept could be applied to provide a usage time frame for future projects. Charles Correa’s advocation of brick, mud and country tile in the field of housing to imbue renewability in the structure presents a contrasting approach towards impermanence compared to shearing layers. Here he encourages the building to fail the test of time, to crumble and fall into dereliction, in order to open the prospects of change. (Correa, 1976) The Cradle to cradle concept, coined by Braungart and Mc Donough, eradicates the category of waste by translating it into material basis for new products and new creativity. The authors take a metabolist lens to the technosphere, understanding it as being comprised of “technical nutrients”, materials or products with the capacity to be cycled back into the technosphere ( or harmlessly into the biosphere ) once their utility is spent. They condemn the cradle-to grave concept the society is currently living with. When integrated with the field of architecture, this concept primarily urges the architect, and the consumer, to use materials and technologies which result in a decrease in a net waste generated, or the waste generated act as the source material for any other type of process, forming a continuous loop of material cycle. This is not a new concept at all, and it’s application could already be seen through the reuse of materials in the informal sector, for example, when Pooja pandal tent is used to create slums/temporary shelters. But the needs of the times require this to be incorporated formally in the designing process for it to reach its maximum potential. Following are a few existing examples. Mirambika, a free progress school, run by a Aurobindo society, was designed by Ar. Sanjay Prakash to adapt efficiently. Movable partitions,
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extra electrical points and separated building systems helped give a complete flexibility in plan modification. It is because of this flexibility, that the hostel was able to transmute into a college in a matter of 3 months.(Source: Shift Design Studio) Richards Medical Laboratory, Pennsylvania, is one of Kahn’s finest works. Kahn designed open floor plans for scientific laboratories, which was very much against the scientific practice of that time, and the open floor plans were quickly divided into smaller offices and other workspaces. But this flexibility is what has allowed the laboratory building adapt to its new functions easily, and allowed the building to prove of service till now. (Suzda, 2007) Nagakin tower, a metabolist residential and office tower, designed by Ar. Kisho Kurokawa, was based on the idea of replaceable individual units, having a lifespan of 25 years, attached to a solid core, having a lifespan of minimum 60 years. While it is all plausible in theories, the real world always presents more problems than one assumes. Hence we went ahead interviewing some Delhi architects on these grounds. According to Ar. Sanjay Prakash, “A common man would not associate architecture with impermanence. So how do you change this perception in the view of the public. But as a practitioner, you don’t even care. You take it project by project and deliver what has to be delivered for each project.” Ar. Snehanshu Mukherjee feels that real estate is the biggest problem in applying such theories. “Also, the major reason for building obsolescence is that people refuse to acknowledge the fact that you have to have a dynamic design and they are trying to build one thing and fix it in time.” According to Ar. Ashish Ganju, new technologies do not play an important role in producing adaptive designs. What he believes is that understanding the process of life changes can lead to a design which could renew the living quality of a lived environment and extend its life of use.
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Conclusion “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and jon the dance.” -Alan W. Watts Permanence and impermanence in architecture today are twin polarities which go hand in hand to create reality. A coin has two faces, and each has equal importance. This paper was an attempt at creating awareness of the lesser acknowledged face i.e. impermanence in architecture, with the intention that the reader would gain a bit more perspective on what is, and what can be. The impermanence in the needs and wants of humans is inevitable, and similarly, architecture, to maintain its value over a long period of time, and to avoid rapid cycles of demolition and construction, would need to integrate both permanent and impermanent characteristics to continuously evolve, to continuously transform, to continuously serve. This also hints at a changing role of the architect in the society, with a constant need to stay informed and aware to serve the society better.
Audience questions and comments 1. Talking about modification or adaptive reuse, how is the seminar different from adaptive re-usage and retrofitting of buildings? Answer: The retrofitting and adaptive re-use of buildings are postconstruction and post-occupancy methodologies trying to save the architecture from obsolescence, whereas the seminar focuses on preconstruction methods to make a flexible architecture design solution to keep it adjustable to changes in future. 2. A great architecture comes from great clients too. An architect is bound to keep the design of project as per the needs of client as they are commissioned by them, so the idea of impermanence/ flexible applied to architecture can only be applied if the client requires it too. Chairperson: On the whole, an architect is much more responsible for freezing the brief. Mostly, by experience, it’s a client who himself demands a flexible design but is reluctant for the relative cost escalation, which makes the architecture even more permanent. 3. The first few minutes of the presentation shows the growth over the globe, which is different from change. You must realize that growth is different from change. Secondly, to realize change over next 100 years is much more difficult than realizing the change in past 20 years.
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance.” -Alan W. Watts
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